Proceed to perform flow cytometric analysis of beta cell mitophagy, with a single cell suspension of about 100 isolated mirroring islets prepared, corresponding to each desired experimental condition to be studied. First, resuspend the islet samples for each condition in 500 microliters of islet flow medium. Add 0.25 microliters of MtPhagy stock to tubes designated to receive the MtPhagy dye.
Similarly, add 0.25 microliters of TMRE stock and fluozin-3-AM stock to the respective designated tubes. Wrap the tubes in aluminum foil and vortex each tube at low speed for five seconds to mix the contents. Then incubate the tubes at 37 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes.
Halfway through incubation, vortex each sample at low speed for five to 10 seconds. After incubation, centrifuge the tubes at 350 G for one minute at 10 degrees Celsius. Discard the supernatant.
And resuspend the samples in 500 microliters of islet flow medium. Add DAPI to the microcentrifuge tubes containing samples that require DAPI treatment. Centrifuge again and discard the supernatant as demonstrated previously.
Resuspend the residue in 500 microliters of islet flow medium. Finally, place the samples on ice and then proceed with flow cytometry. Adjust the voltages for forward scatter or FSC and side scatter or SSC to ensure cell populations are at the center of the scatter plot.
To exclude multiplets, at a rectangular gate on FSC height versus FSC width, followed by SSC height versus SSC width. Adjust voltages and compensation for DAPI to filter for live beta cells. Set fluorescence gates for each fluorophore used based on the unstained RFD sample.
Once gates are established, collect 10, 000 events per sample. Beta cells with high utilization of mitophagy were defined as the fluozin high MtPhagy high TMRE low population in quadrant three or Q3.Basal and valinomycin-induced mitophagy levels were characterized in both RFD and HFD islets.
