Name: in situ immunofluorescent staining of autophagy in muscle stem cells
Uploaded: 2017-06-12T15:00:00
Description: Watch this Scientific Journal Video about In Situ Immunofluorescent Staining of Autophagy in Muscle Stem Cells at JoVE.com

This work was supported by NIAMS AR064873, Epigen Project PB. P01.001.019/Progetto Bandiera Epigenomica IFT to L.L.

Mice were bred and maintained according to the standard animal facility procedures, and all experimental protocols were approved by the Animal Welfare Assurance and the internal Animal Research Ethical Committee according to the Italian Ministry of Health and complied with the NIH Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals.
1. Muscle Injury and the In Vivo Block of Autophagic Flux
<ol>
	<li>Muscle injury.
	<ol>
		<li>To induce acute skeletal muscle injury, inj...

<ol>
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C., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Skeletal+muscle+stem+cells:+effects+of+aging+and+metabolism+on+muscle+regenerative+function.">Skeletal muscle stem cells: effects of aging and metabolism on muscle regenerative function.</a> Cold Spring Harb Symp Quant Biol. 76, 101-111 (2011).</li><li>Cheung, T. H., Rando, T. A. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Molecular+regulation+of+stem+cell+quiescence.">Molecular regulation of stem cell quiescence.</a> Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol. 14 (6), 329-340 (2013).</li><li>Collins, C. A., Partridge, T. A. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Self-renewal+of+the+adult+skeletal+muscle+satellite+cell.">Self-renewal of the adult skeletal muscle satellite cell.</a> Cell Cycle. 4 (10), 1338-1341 (2005).</li><li>Bentzinger, C. F., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Cellular+dynamics+in+the+muscle+satellite+cell+niche.">Cellular dynamics in the muscle satellite cell niche.</a> EMBO Rep. 14 (12), 1062-1072 (2013).</li><li>Bernet, J. D., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=p38+MAPK+signaling+underlies+a+cell-autonomous+loss+of+stem+cell+self-renewal+in+skeletal+muscle+of+aged+mice.">p38 MAPK signaling underlies a cell-autonomous loss of stem cell self-renewal in skeletal muscle of aged mice.</a> Nat Med. 20 (3), 265-271 (2014).</li><li>Cosgrove, B. D., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Rejuvenation+of+the+muscle+stem+cell+population+restores+strength+to+injured+aged+muscles.">Rejuvenation of the muscle stem cell population restores strength to injured aged muscles.</a> Nat Med. 20 (3), 255-264 (2014).</li><li>Sousa-Victor, P., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Geriatric+muscle+stem+cells+switch+reversible+quiescence+into+senescence.">Geriatric muscle stem cells switch reversible quiescence into senescence.</a> Nature. 506 (7488), 316-321 (2014).</li><li>Madaro, L., Latella, L. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Forever+young:+rejuvenating+muscle+satellite+cells.">Forever young: rejuvenating muscle satellite cells.</a> Front Aging Neurosci. 7, 37 (2015).</li><li>Price, F. 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This protocol describes how to monitor autophagy in skeletal muscle stem cells during compensatory muscle regeneration. Several antibodies for the co-staining of LC3 and MyoD were tried, and the ones that work in mouse tissue sections and create successful results are listed here (see Materials Table). The permeabilization with methanol (see step 3.2.2) is highly recommended for successful staining.
The limitation of this protocol is linked to the intrinsic variability of the ...

Skeletal muscle regeneration is the result of the interaction between adult stem cells (Muscle Satellite Cells, MuSCs) and other cell types that are involved in the regenerative process. Muscle homeostasis and functionality are maintained by the combined signals arising from the muscle niche and systemic cues1,2. Throughout the lifetime, changes in the MuSC functionality, the muscle niche, and the systemic cues have been reported, leading to the decline of functional capacities in the elderly3. MuSCs are set in a niche beneath the basal lamina and, upon muscle injury, are activated to repair damaged muscles4,5. In order to ensure a productive regenerative response, it is crucial that MuSCs coordinate different processes necessary for the exit from quiescence, the self-renewal, and the proliferative expansion stage followed by the myogenic differentiation6. In the elderly and in muscular chronic diseases, all these functions are compromised, leading to altered muscle functionality2,3,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13.
Macroautophagy (referred hereafter as autophagy) is emerging as a crucial biological process essential to preserve tissue homeostasis14. The autophagic process encloses trafficking mechanisms, where portions of cytoplasm, organelles, and proteins are engulfed into vesicles that eventually are degraded via the lysosome pathway, promoting the removal of toxic molecules and the recycling of macromolecules. This provides energy-rich compounds to support cell and tissue adaptation under stress or other adverse conditions15,16. Together with its cell-survival activity, autophagy can also work as a cell-death inducer, depending upon cell tissue context (e.g., normal versus cancer tissue) and the type of stress stimulus17,18.
Recent evidence indicates that autophagy is required to maintain muscle mass and myofiber integrity19,20 and has been reported to be impaired in different muscle dystrophies21,22,23, including Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD)24,25,26,27,28,29,30.Likewise, a progressive reduction of the autophagic process has been observed in the elderly31,32,33,34,35, after a loss of muscle mass (referred as sarcopenia)32,33,34,35,36,37, and in myofiber survival38.
A close relationship between autophagy and the regenerative potential of skeletal muscles was anticipated by a study from Wagers&#39;s laboratory, which showed that a calorie restriction enhances MuSC availability and activity39. This notion was further supported by the recent observation that the Foxo3-Notch axis activates the autophagic process during self-renewal40 and the MuSC transition from the quiescent to the proliferating state41. These data agree with the progressive reduction of basal autophagy from young to old and geriatric MuSCs, in association with the numerical and functional decline of MuSCs during ageing42.
In a recent paper, we demonstrated a close relationship between autophagy and the compensatory muscle regeneration that distinguishes the early stages of DMD progression. Accordingly, we observed a reduced autophagic flux at later stages of disease progression, when muscle regeneration is compromised and fibrotic tissue deposition occurs. Intriguingly, we showed that, in regenerating conditions, autophagy is activated in MuSCs and that modulating the autophagic process impacts MuSC activation and functionality30.
Altogether, these data highlight the urgency to explore the autophagic process in MuSCs during muscle regeneration in normal and pathological conditions and throughout the life span. Here, we provide a protocol to monitor the autophagic process in MuSCs in muscle regenerative conditions by performing in situ immunostaining for microtubule-associated protein 1A/1B-light chain 3 (LC3), a marker of autophagy43, and MyoD, a marker of myogenic lineage, in muscle tissue sections from control and injured mice. The methodology reported allows for monitoring the autophagic process in one specific cell compartment, the MuSC, which plays a key role in orchestrating muscle regeneration.

<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="906">
	<tbody>
		<tr height="19">
			<td height="19" style="height:19px;width:332px;">C57BL/6J</td>
			<td style="width:251px;">The Jackson Laboratory</td>
			<td style="width:128px;">000664</td>
			<td style="width:196px;">WT mice</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="17">
			<td height="17" style="height:17px;">Cardiotoxin 1</td>
			<td>Latoxan</td>
			<td>L8102</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="32">
			<td height="32" style="height:32px;">Millex-VV</td>
			<td>Merck Millipore</td>
			<td>SLVV033RS</td>
			<td style="width:196px;">Syringe Filter Unit, 0.1 &#181;m, PVDF, 33 mm, gamma sterilized</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="34">
			<td height="34" style="height:34px;">Chloroquine diphosphate salt</td>
			<td>Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td>C6628</td>
			<td style="width:196px;">Caution: 
			Harmful if swallowed</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="34">
			<td height="34" style="height:34px;">BD Micro-Fine + 0,5 mL</td>
			<td>BD</td>
			<td>324825</td>
			<td style="width:196px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="17">
			<td height="17" style="height:17px;">Tissue-Tek O.C.T. compound</td>
			<td>Sakura Finetek</td>
			<td>25608-930</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="17">
			<td height="17" style="height:17px;">Tissue-Tek Cryomold Intermediate</td>
			<td>Sakura Finetek</td>
			<td>4566</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="17">
			<td height="17" style="height:17px;">2-Methylbutane</td>
			<td>Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td>277258</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="17">
			<td height="17" style="height:17px;">Hematoxylin Solution, Harris Modified</td>
			<td>Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td>HHS32</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="17">
			<td height="17" style="height:17px;">Eosin Y solution, alcoholic</td>
			<td>Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td>HT110132</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="122">
			<td height="122" style="height:122px;">o-Xylene</td>
			<td>Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td>X1040</td>
			<td style="width:196px;">Caution: 
			Flammable liquid and vapour; May be fatal if swallowed and enters airways; Harmful in contact with skin; May cause respiratory irritation; Causes serious eye irritation</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="136">
			<td height="136" style="height:136px;">Paraformaldehyde</td>
			<td>Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td>P6148</td>
			<td style="width:196px;">Caution: 
			Flammable solid; Harmful if swallowed; Causes skin irritation; May cause an allergic skin reaction; Causes serious eye damage; May cause respiratory irritation; Suspected of causing cancer</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="17">
			<td height="17" style="height:17px;">DPBS, no calcium, no magnesium</td>
			<td>Thermo Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>14190-094</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="17">
			<td height="17" style="height:17px;">Bovine Serum Albumin</td>
			<td>Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td>A7030</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="17">
			<td height="17" style="height:17px;">Glycerol</td>
			<td>Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td>G5516</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="17">
			<td height="17" style="height:17px;width:332px;">Eukitt - Quick-hardening mounting medium</td>
			<td>Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td>3989</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="17">
			<td height="17" style="height:17px;">AffiniPure Fab Fragment Goat Anti-Mouse IgG (H+L)</td>
			<td>Jackson ImmunoResearch</td>
			<td>115-007-003</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="17">
			<td height="17" style="height:17px;">LC3B Antibody</td>
			<td>Cell signaling Technology</td>
			<td>2775</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="34">
			<td height="34" style="height:34px;width:332px;">Monoclonal mouse anti-MyoD 
			(concentrated) clone 5.8A</td>
			<td>DAKO - Agilent Pathology Solutions</td>
			<td>M3512</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="17">
			<td height="17" style="height:17px;">Laminin-2 (&#945;-2-chain) monoclonal antibody</td>
			<td>Enzo Life Sciences</td>
			<td>4H8-2</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="17">
			<td height="17" style="height:17px;width:332px;">Alexa Fluor 488 Goat Anti-Rabbit IgG (H+L)</td>
			<td style="width:251px;">Life technologies</td>
			<td style="width:128px;">A11008</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="17">
			<td height="17" style="height:17px;width:332px;">Alexa Fluor 594 Goat Anti-Mouse IgG (H+L)</td>
			<td style="width:251px;">Life technologies</td>
			<td style="width:128px;">A11005</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="17">
			<td height="17" style="height:17px;width:332px;">Alexa Fluor Goat Anti-Rat IgM Antibody</td>
			<td style="width:251px;">Life technologies</td>
			<td style="width:128px;">A21248</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="17">
			<td height="17" style="height:17px;width:332px;">DAPI (4&#39;,6-Diamidino-2-Phenylindole, Dihydrochloride)</td>
			<td>Thermo Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>D1306</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

in situ immunofluorescent staining of autophagy in muscle stem cells

Increasing evidence points to autophagy as a crucial regulatory process to preserve tissue homeostasis. It is known that autophagy is involved in skeletal muscle development and regeneration, and the autophagic process has been described in several muscular pathologies and age-related muscle disorders. A recently described block of the autophagic process that correlates with the functional exhaustion of satellite cells during muscle repair supports the notion that active autophagy is coupled with productive muscle regeneration. These data uncover the crucial role of autophagy in satellite cell activation during muscle regeneration in both normal and pathological conditions, such as muscular dystrophies. Here, we provide a protocol to monitor the autophagic process in the adult Muscle Stem Cell (MuSC) compartment during muscle regenerative conditions. This protocol describes the setup methodology to perform in situ immunofluorescence imaging of LC3, an autophagy marker, and MyoD, a myogenic lineage marker, in muscle tissue sections from control and injured mice. The methodology reported allows for monitoring the autophagic process in one specific cell compartment, the MuSC compartment, which plays a central role in orchestrating muscle regeneration.

This protocol describes an efficient in situ method to detect autophagy in MuSCs during muscle regeneration.
CTX In Vivo Treatments:
Use CTX to induce muscle damage in TA muscles and use unperturbed muscles as controls. Since autophagy is highly dynamic, block the autophagic flux by performing IP injections of CLQ (Figure 1)...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about In Situ Immunofluorescent Staining of Autophagy in Muscle Stem Cells at JoVE.com

In Situ Immunofluorescent Staining of Autophagy in Muscle Stem Cells

Active autophagy is associated with productive muscle regeneration, which is essential for Muscle Stem Cell (MuSC) activation. Here, we provide a protocol for the in situ detection of LC3, an autophagy marker in MyoD-positive MuSCs of muscle tissue sections from control and injured mice.

In Situ Immunofluorescent Staining of Autophagy in Muscle Stem Cells

Increasing evidence points to autophagy as a crucial regulatory process to preserve tissue homeostasis. It is known that autophagy is involved in skeletal ...

The overall goal of this immunofluorescent staining protocol is to monitor the autophagic process in muscle satellite cells during skeletal muscle regeneration. This method can help answer key questions in the tissue regeneration field about understanding the contribution of autophagy in deriving muscle regeneration and monitoring autophagy in satellite cells. The main advantage of this technique is that the autophagic process can be directly detected in satellite cells in tissue section from unperturbed and damaged muscles.Demonstrating this procedure will be Francesco Castagnetti, a great student from my laboratory. To induce acute skeletal muscle injury, load an insulin syringe, equipped with a 30 gauge needle, with 20 microliters of sterile filtered 10 micromolar cardiotoxin stock. Inject the cardiotoxin directly into the left tibialis anterior muscle of an equal number of male and female two month old, approximately 20 gram, C57 black six mice.To assess the autophagic flux, starting at 24 hours post injury, administer 50 milligrams per kilogram chloroquine every 24 hours for four days by intraperitoneal injection. Chloroquine treatment is critical as it leads to LC3 accumulation and detectability under active autophagic flux conditions. Five days after the injury, wet the animals with 70%ethanol.And use scissors to make a three millimeter perpendicular incision in the dorsal skin of the mouse at the hip level. Pull the skin towards the tail to expose the underlying muscles. And identify the tibialis anterior muscle.Use forceps to grasp the tibialis anterior muscle by the tendon. And carefully pull the muscle up toward the knee. Then pull the two distal tendons in opposite directions to separate the tibialis anterior muscle from the extensor digitorum longus muscle and cut the proximal tendon.Use the forceps to remove the thin fascia covering the muscle, taking care not to damage the tissue. And use a paper towel to remove any excess moisture from the sample. Place the excised muscle into the center of a tissue mold, containing optimal cutting temperature compound.And use pre-chilled forceps to carefully lower the mold into liquid nitrogen chilled isopentane for 20 to 30 seconds. Then store the frozen sample at negative 80 degrees celsius. After at least one night at negative 80 degrees celsius, set the cryostat between negative 15 to negative 23 degrees celsius and use a drop of optimal cutting temperature compound to attach the muscle sample to the cryostat chuck with the bulk of the tissue oriented at the top of the chuck.Then obtain seven to eight micrometer thick sections, collecting three to four tissue slices per slide. After all of the section have been acquired, air dry the tissue samples for 10 to 15 minutes, followed by hematoxylin and eosin staining. Check the quality of the sections under an optical microscope at a 10X magnification.And fix the samples with 4%paraformaldehyde in an incubation chamber. After 10 minutes, remove the fixative with four five to seven minute washes in PBS. Then use a hydrophobic pen to draw a barrier around the tissue sections.And cover the section with 200 microliters of negative 20 degree celsius methanol for a five minute incubation at negative 20 degrees celsius. Methanol permeabilization is critical as it facilitates a good retention of the LC3 staining. Next, wash the section four times in PBS as just demonstrated.And block the tissue samples with an unconjugated affinity purified anti-mouse IGG FAB fragment for at least 60 minutes at room temperature. At the end of the incubation, incubate the specimens in 100 microliters of primary antibody mix at four degrees celsius overnight. The next morning, wash the slides with 1%bovine serum albumin in PBS four times for 10 minutes per wash.Then incubate the samples with the appropriate secondary antibody cocktail for 45 minutes at room temperature protected from light. At the end of the secondary antibody incubation, wash the slides four times in PBS for five to seven minutes per wash. Followed by labeling with the second primary antibody cocktail for one to two hours at room temperature protected from light.Wash the sections in 1%BSA and PBS four times. Followed by incubation in the appropriate second antibody for 45 minutes at room temperature protected from light. Then wash the samples in PBS and label the tissues with 200 microliters of DAPI per slide for five minutes at room temperature protected from light.After one last set of PBS washes, remove the excess PBS from the slides and add 10 microliters of glycerol in PBS onto the center of each slide. Cover each slide with a coverslip, taking care to avoid bubbles. Select the 63X objective on a four laser confocal microscope integrated with an image capture system and analytical software.Center the fields of active regeneration on the first slide to allow manual focus of the regenerative areas. Then locate the myoD positive muscle satellite cells positioned within the laminin labeled myofibers. And obtain images within at least seven fields from at least three mice per experimental group.H and E staining reveals that while unperturbed muscles displayed generally invariable myofiber sizes, injured muscles typically featured disrupted myofibers that differ in size and are abundant in inflammatory infiltrate. Further, the central nucleation of the myofibers, that is absent in unperturbed muscles, is a sign of new fiber formation in mice undergoing active regeneration. MyoD positive muscle satellite cells express LC3 and laminin staining allows the proper localization of muscle cells in the niche beneath the basal lamina.While uninjured mice do not demonstrate any muscle satellite cell activation as evidenced by their lack of myoD positive cells and LC3 signal. Once mastered, this technique can be completed in two days if it is performed properly. While attempting this procedure, it is important to remember to always keep the tissue sections hydrated.After its development, this technique paved the way for researching the field of tissue regeneration to explore the autophagic process during regular and paralogical skeletal muscle regeneration in mice and human biopsies. After watching this video, you should have a good understanding of how to identify LC3 in satellite cells during muscle regeneration.

in-situ-immunofluorescent-staining-of-autophagy-in-muscle-stem-cells

Research

JoVE Journal

Biology

Procedures for Rat in situ Skeletal Muscle Contractile Properties

There are many circumstances where it is desirable to obtain the contractile response of skeletal muscle under physiological circumstances: normal circulation, intact whole muscle, at body temperature. This includes the study of contractile responses like posttetanic potentiation, staircase and fatigue. Furthermore, the consequences of disease, disuse, injury, training and drug treatment can be of interest. This video demonstrates appropriate procedures to set up and use this valuable muscle preparation.
To set up this preparation, the animal must be anesthetized, and the medial gastrocnemius muscle is surgically isolated, with the origin intact. Care must be taken to maintain the blood and nerve supplies. A long section of the sciatic nerve is cleared of connective tissue, and severed proximally. All branches of the distal stump that do not innervate the medial gastrocnemius muscle are severed. The distal nerve stump is inserted into a cuff lined with stainless steel stimulating wires. The calcaneus is severed, leaving a small piece of bone still attached to the Achilles tendon. Sonometric crystals and/or electrodes for electromyography can be inserted. Immobilization by metal probes in the femur and tibia prevents movement of the muscle origin. The Achilles tendon is attached to the force transducer and the loosened skin is pulled up at the sides to form a container that is filled with warmed paraffin oil. The oil distributes heat evenly and minimizes evaporative heat loss. A heat lamp is directed on the muscle, and the muscle and rat are allowed to warm up to 37&deg;C. While it is warming, maximal voltage and optimal length can be determined. These are important initial conditions for any experiment on intact whole muscle. The experiment may include determination of standard contractile properties, like the force-frequency relationship, force-length relationship, and force-velocity relationship.
With care in surgical isolation, immobilization of the origin of the muscle and alignment of the muscle-tendon unit with the force transducer, and proper data analysis, high quality measurements can be obtained with this muscle preparation.

Procedures for Rat in situ Skeletal Muscle Contractile Properties

This video demonstrates the surgical preparation and procedures needed to study the contractile responses of the rat medial gastrocnemius muscle preparation in situ. This preparation allows measurement of skeletal muscle contractile properties under physiological conditions. The animal is anesthetized and the muscle is separated from surrounding tissue at its distal end. The Achilles tendon is attached to a force transducer, allowing measurement of the muscle&#x2019;s contractile response at 37 degrees C with an intact circulation.

There are many circumstances where it is desirable to obtain the contractile response of skeletal muscle under physiological circumstances: normal ...

Phenotypic Analysis and Isolation of Murine Hematopoietic Stem Cells and Lineage-committed Progenitors

The bone marrow is the principal site where HSCs and more mature blood cells lineage progenitors reside and differentiate in an adult organism. HSCs constitute a minute cell population of pluripotent cells capable of generating all blood cell lineages for a life-time1. The molecular dissection of HSCs homeostasis in the bone marrow has important implications in hematopoiesis, oncology and regenerative medicine. We describe the labeling protocol with fluorescent antibodies and the electronic gating procedure in flow cytometry to score hematopoietic progenitor subsets and HSCs distribution in individual mice (Fig. 1). In addition, we describe a method to extensively enrich hematopoietic progenitors as well as long-term (LT) and short term (ST) reconstituting HSCs from pooled bone marrow cell suspensions by magnetic enrichment of cells expressing c-Kit. The resulting cell preparation can be used to sort selected subsets for in vitro and in vivo functional studies (Fig. 2).
Both trabecular osteoblasts2,3 and sinusoidal endothelium4 constitute functional niches supporting HSCs in the bone marrow. Several mechanisms in the osteoblastic niche, including a subset of N-cadherin+ osteoblasts3 and interaction of the receptor tyrosine kinase Tie2 expressed in HSCs with its ligand angiopoietin-15 concur in determining HSCs quiescence. "Hibernation" in the bone marrow is crucial to protect HSCs from replication and eventual exhaustion upon excessive cycling activity6. Exogenous stimuli acting on cells of the innate immune system such as Toll-like receptor ligands7 and interferon-&alpha;6 can also induce proliferation and differentiation of HSCs into lineage committed progenitors. Recently, a population of dormant mouse HSCs within the lin- c-Kit+ Sca-1+ CD150+ CD48- CD34- population has been described8. Sorting of cells based on CD34 expression from the hematopoietic progenitors-enriched cell suspension as described here allows the isolation of both quiescent self-renewing LT-HSCs and ST-HSCs9. A similar procedure based on depletion of lineage positive cells and sorting of LT-HSC with CD48 and Flk2 antibodies has been previously described10. In the present report we provide a protocol for the phenotypic characterization and ex vivo cell cycle analysis of hematopoietic progenitors, which can be useful for monitoring hematopoiesis in different physiological and pathological conditions. Moreover, we describe a FACS sorting procedure for HSCs, which can be used to define factors and mechanisms regulating their self-renewal, expansion and differentiation in cell biology and signal transduction assays as well as for transplantation.

A method to analyse the distribution of bone marrow hematopoietic progenitors in flow cytometry as well as to efficiently isolate highly purified hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) is described. The isolation procedure is essentially based on magnetic enrichment of c-Kit+ cells and cell sorting to purify HSCs for cellular and molecular studies.

The bone marrow is the principal site where HSCs and more mature blood cells lineage progenitors reside and differentiate in an adult organism. HSCs ...

Reprogramming Human Somatic Cells into Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (iPSCs) Using Retroviral Vector with GFP

Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) are pluripotent and an invaluable cellular sources for in vitro disease modeling and regenerative medicine1. It has been previously shown that human somatic cells can be reprogrammed to pluripotency by ectopic expression of four transcription factors (Oct4, Sox2, Klf4 and Myc) and become induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs)2-4 . Like hESCs, human iPSCs are pluripotent and a potential source for autologous cells. Here we describe the protocol to reprogram human fibroblast cells with the four reprogramming factors cloned into GFP-containing retroviral backbone4. Using the following protocol, we generate human iPSCs in 3-4 weeks under human ESC culture condition. Human iPSC colonies closely resemble hESCs in morphology and display the loss of GFP fluorescence as a result of retroviral transgene silencing. iPSC colonies isolated mechanically under a fluorescence microscope behave in a similar fashion as hESCs. In these cells, we detect the expression of multiple pluripotency genes and surface markers.

Reprogramming Human Somatic Cells into Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells iPSCs Using Retroviral Vector with GFP

A method to generate human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) via retrovirus-mediated ectopic expression of OCT4, SOX2, KLF4 and MYC is described. A practical way to identify human iPSC colonies based on GFP expression is also discussed.

Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) are pluripotent and an invaluable cellular sources for in vitro disease modeling and regenerative medicine1. It has ...

Evaluation of Muscle Function of the Extensor Digitorum Longus Muscle Ex vivo and Tibialis Anterior Muscle In situ in Mice

Body movements are mainly provided by mechanical function of skeletal muscle. Skeletal muscle is composed of numerous bundles of myofibers that are sheathed by intramuscular connective tissues. Each myofiber contains many myofibrils that run longitudinally along the length of the myofiber. Myofibrils are the contractile apparatus of muscle and they are composed of repeated contractile units known as sarcomeres. A sarcomere unit contains actin and myosin filaments that are spaced by the Z discs and titin protein. Mechanical function of skeletal muscle is defined by the contractile and passive properties of muscle. The contractile properties are used to characterize the amount of force generated during muscle contraction, time of force generation and time of muscle relaxation. Any factor that affects muscle contraction (such as interaction between actin and myosin filaments, homeostasis of calcium, ATP/ADP ratio, etc.) influences the contractile properties. The passive properties refer to the elastic and viscous properties (stiffness and viscosity) of the muscle in the absence of contraction. These properties are determined by the extracellular and the intracellular structural components (such as titin) and connective tissues (mainly collagen) 1-2. The contractile and passive properties are two inseparable aspects of muscle function. For example, elbow flexion is accomplished by contraction of muscles in the anterior compartment of the upper arm and passive stretch of muscles in the posterior compartment of the upper arm. To truly understand muscle function, both contractile and passive properties should be studied.
The contractile and/or passive mechanical properties of muscle are often compromised in muscle diseases. A good example is Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), a severe muscle wasting disease caused by dystrophin deficiency 3. Dystrophin is a cytoskeletal protein that stabilizes the muscle cell membrane (sarcolemma) during muscle contraction 4. In the absence of dystrophin, the sarcolemma is damaged by the shearing force generated during force transmission. This membrane tearing initiates a chain reaction which leads to muscle cell death and loss of contractile machinery. As a consequence, muscle force is reduced and dead myofibers are replaced by fibrotic tissues 5. This later change increases muscle stiffness 6. Accurate measurement of these changes provides important guide to evaluate disease progression and to determine therapeutic efficacy of novel gene/cell/pharmacological interventions. Here, we present two methods to evaluate both contractile and passive mechanical properties of the extensor digitorum longus (EDL) muscle and the contractile properties of the tibialis anterior (TA) muscle.

Evaluation of Muscle Function of the Extensor Digitorum Longus Muscle Ex vivo and Tibialis Anterior Muscle In situ in Mice

Changes in limb muscle contractile and passive mechanical properties are important biomarkers for muscle diseases. This manuscript describes physiological assays to measure these properties in the murine extensor digitorum longus and tibialis anterior muscles.

Body  movements are mainly provided by mechanical function of skeletal muscle. Skeletal  muscle is composed of numerous bundles of myofibers that are ...

Isolation, Culture, and Transplantation of Muscle Satellite Cells

Muscle satellite cells are a stem cell population required for postnatal skeletal muscle development and regeneration, accounting for 2-5% of sublaminal nuclei in muscle fibers. In adult muscle, satellite cells are normally mitotically quiescent. Following injury, however, satellite cells initiate cellular proliferation to produce myoblasts, their progenies, to mediate the regeneration of muscle. Transplantation of satellite cell-derived myoblasts has been widely studied as a possible therapy for several regenerative diseases including muscular dystrophy, heart failure, and urological dysfunction. Myoblast transplantation into dystrophic skeletal muscle, infarcted heart, and dysfunctioning urinary ducts has shown that engrafted myoblasts can differentiate into muscle fibers in the host tissues and display partial functional improvement in these diseases. Therefore, the development of efficient purification methods of quiescent satellite cells from skeletal muscle, as well as the establishment of satellite cell-derived myoblast cultures and transplantation methods for myoblasts, are essential for understanding the molecular mechanisms behind satellite cell self-renewal, activation, and differentiation. Additionally, the development of cell-based therapies for muscular dystrophy and other regenerative diseases are also dependent upon these factors.

However, current prospective purification methods of quiescent satellite cells require the use of expensive fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) machines. Here, we present a new method for the rapid, economical, and reliable purification of quiescent satellite cells from adult mouse skeletal muscle by enzymatic dissociation followed by magnetic-activated cell sorting (MACS). Following isolation of pure quiescent satellite cells, these cells can be cultured to obtain large numbers of myoblasts after several passages. These freshly isolated quiescent satellite cells or ex vivo expanded myoblasts can be transplanted into cardiotoxin (CTX)-induced regenerating mouse skeletal muscle to examine the contribution of donor-derived cells to regenerating muscle fibers, as well as to satellite cell compartments for the examination of self-renewal activities.

The isolation and culture of a pure population of quiescent satellite cells, a muscle stem cell population, is essential to the understanding of muscle stem cell biology and regeneration, as well as stem cell transplantation for therapies in muscular dystrophy and other degenerative diseases.&#160;

Muscle satellite cells are a stem cell population required for postnatal skeletal muscle development and regeneration, accounting for 2-5% of sublaminal ...

Efficient Generation Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells from Human Somatic Cells with Sendai-virus

A few years ago, the establishment of human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) ushered in a new era in biomedicine. Potential uses of human iPSCs include modeling pathogenesis of human genetic diseases, autologous cell therapy after gene correction, and personalized drug screening by providing a source of patient-specific and symptom relevant cells. However, there are several hurdles to overcome, such as eliminating the remaining reprogramming factor transgene expression after human iPSCs production. More importantly, residual transgene expression in undifferentiated human iPSCs could hamper proper differentiations and misguide the interpretation of disease-relevant in vitro phenotypes. With this reason, integration-free and/or transgene-free human iPSCs have been developed using several methods, such as adenovirus, the piggyBac system, minicircle vector, episomal vectors, direct protein delivery and synthesized mRNA. However, efficiency of reprogramming using integration-free methods is quite low in most cases.
Here, we present a method to isolate human iPSCs by using Sendai-virus (RNA virus) based reprogramming system. This reprogramming method shows consistent results and high efficiency in cost-effective manner.

Here, we present our established method to reprogram human somatic cells into transgene-free human iPSCs with Sendai virus, which shows consistent outcome and enhanced efficiency.

A few years ago, the establishment of human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) ushered in a new era in biomedicine. Potential uses of human iPSCs ...

Profiling Individual Human Embryonic Stem Cells by Quantitative RT-PCR

Heterogeneity of stem cell population hampers detailed understanding of stem cell biology, such as their differentiation propensity toward different lineages. A single cell transcriptome assay can be a new approach for dissecting individual variation. We have developed the single cell qRT-PCR method, and confirmed that this method works well in several gene expression profiles. In single cell level, each human embryonic stem cell, sorted by OCT4::EGFP positive cells, has high expression in OCT4, but a different level of NANOG expression. Our single cell gene expression assay should be useful to interrogate population heterogeneities.

Single cell gene expression assay is needed for understanding stem cell heterogeneities.

Heterogeneity of stem cell population hampers detailed understanding of stem cell biology, such as their differentiation propensity toward different ...

Nephrotoxin Microinjection in Zebrafish to Model Acute Kidney Injury

The kidneys are susceptible to harm from exposure to chemicals they filter from the bloodstream. This can lead to organ injury associated with a rapid decline in renal function and development of the clinical syndrome known as acute kidney injury (AKI). Pharmacological agents used to treat medical circumstances ranging from bacterial infection to cancer, when administered individually or in combination with other drugs, can initiate AKI. Zebrafish are a useful animal model to study the chemical effects on renal function in vivo, as they form an embryonic kidney comprised of nephron functional units that are conserved with higher vertebrates, including humans. Further, zebrafish can be utilized to perform genetic and chemical screens, which provide opportunities to elucidate the cellular and molecular facets of AKI and develop therapeutic strategies such as the identification of nephroprotective molecules. Here, we demonstrate how microinjection into the zebrafish embryo can be utilized as a paradigm for nephrotoxin studies.

Renal injuries incurred from nephrotoxins, which include drugs ranging from antibiotics to chemotherapeutics, can result in complex disorders whose pathogenesis remains incompletely understood. This protocol demonstrates how zebrafish can be used for disease modeling of these conditions, which can be applied to the identification of renoprotective measures.

The kidneys are susceptible to harm from exposure to chemicals they filter from the bloodstream. This can lead to organ injury associated with a rapid ...

A Graphical User Interface for Software-assisted Tracking of Protein Concentration in Dynamic Cellular Protrusions

Filopodia are dynamic, finger-like cellular protrusions associated with migration and cell-cell communication. In order to better understand the complex signaling mechanisms underlying filopodial initiation, elongation and subsequent stabilization or retraction, it is crucial to determine the spatio-temporal protein activity in these dynamic structures. To analyze protein function in filopodia, we recently developed a semi-automated tracking algorithm that adapts to filopodial shape-changes, thus allowing parallel analysis of protrusion dynamics and relative protein concentration along the whole filopodial length. Here, we present a detailed step-by-step protocol for optimized cell handling, image acquisition and software analysis. We further provide instructions for the use of optional features during image analysis and data representation, as well as troubleshooting guidelines for all critical steps along the way. Finally, we also include a comparison of the described image analysis software with other programs available for filopodia quantification. Together, the presented protocol provides a framework for accurate analysis of protein dynamics in filopodial protrusions using image analysis software.

We present a software solution for semi-automated tracking of relative protein concentration along the length of dynamic cellular protrusions.

Filopodia are dynamic, finger-like cellular protrusions associated with migration and cell-cell communication. In order to better understand the complex ...

In Situ Monitoring of Transiently Formed Molecular Chaperone Assemblies in Bacteria, Yeast, and Human Cells

J-domain proteins (JDPs) form the largest and the most diverse co-chaperone family in eukaryotic cells. Recent findings show that specific members of the JDP family could form transient heterocomplexes in eukaryotes to fine-tune substrate selection for the 70 kDa heat shock protein (Hsp70) chaperone-based protein disaggregases. The JDP complexes target acute/chronic stress induced aggregated proteins and presumably help assemble the disaggregases by recruiting multiple Hsp70s to the surface of protein aggregates. The extent of the protein quality control (PQC) network formed by these physically interacting JDPs remains largely uncharacterized in vivo. Here, we describe a microscopy-based in situ protein interaction assay named the proximity ligation assay (PLA), which is able to robustly capture&#160;these transiently formed chaperone complexes in distinct cellular compartments of eukaryotic cells. Our work expands the employment of PLA from human cells to yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) and bacteria (Escherichia coli), thus rendering an important tool to monitor the dynamics of transiently formed protein assemblies in both prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells.

Cognate J-domain proteins cooperate with the Hsp70 chaperone to assist in a myriad of biological processes ranging from protein folding to degradation. Here, we describe an in situ proximity ligation assay, which allows the monitoring of these transiently formed chaperone machineries in bacterial, yeast and human cells.

J-domain proteins (JDPs) form the largest and the most diverse co-chaperone family in eukaryotic cells. Recent findings show that specific members of the ...