Name: collection and processing of lymph nodes from large animals for rna analysis: preparing for lymph node transcriptomic studies of large animal species
Uploaded: 2018-05-19T14:00:00.000+00:00
Duration: 12 min 53 s
Description: Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Collection and Processing of Lymph Nodes from Large Animals for RNA Analysis: Preparing for Lymph Node Transcriptomic Studies of Large Animal Species at JoVE.

The authors would like to thank James Fosse for his excellent work on all videography and video processing; Michael Marti for his excellent work in the generation of digitized cattle images; Lilia Walther for her help with RNA extraction and Bioanalyzer runs; Mitch Palmer and Carly Kanipe for their helpful review and feedback on lymph node images; and the animal care and veterinary staff at the National Animal Disease Center for all of their hard work and assistance with animal husbandry and the preparation for necropsies.

The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose. All research is funded with intramural funds from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. All references to specific products are provided for the purpose of experimental reproducibility and do not represent any endorsement of these products by the federal government.

The majority of transcriptomic studies and the associated protocols focus on mouse, rat, or post-mortem human samples. However, investigations in livestock and wildlife provide a wide range of opportunities for the characterization of the immune response to disease, both as applicable to veterinary medicine and, in regard to zoonotic diseases, to human public health. This protocol provided an outline of key considerations for high-integrity RNA extraction from tissues from large animals, such as cattle, bison, goats, and...

RNA-sequencing analysis of the transcriptome of lymph nodes provides the opportunity to characterize the immune response of animals to a variety of pathogens. While this methodology has been utilized extensively in mice, analyses have recently been expanding into larger mammals1,2. Livestock/large animal lymph nodes can be used to characterize host responses to an infection, not only for their use in vaccine or genetic susceptibility studies and for the identification of targets for drug development, but also as model systems for human studies on zoonotic diseases. For example, in the case of brucellosis (a zoonotic bacterial disease that impacts half a million people around the world each year), despite significantly increased costs, studies in sheep or goats are more relevant to the human infection and human vaccine development than laboratory animal models. Mouse infection models recapitulate the reticuloendothelial system infection but not the characteristic clinical signs3. 
In large animal experiments as compared to laboratory animal studies, the process of tissue harvesting necessarily involves a longer delay between the euthanasia and the tissue collection, which presents a potential challenge for the preservation of high-quality RNA. Intact RNA is essential for the generation of biologically relevant transcriptomic data. The generation of high-quality RNA from tissue samples is particularly critical for large animal pathogen studies conducted in containment facilities. Such studies are inherently more difficult to perform as they not only require approved facilities and highly trained personnel but also carry significant financial costs, which, depending on the work, can range from tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars. These types of studies also involve a cross-disciplinary collaboration and cross-disciplinary knowledge for their completion, adding to their complexity. Therefore, training on, development of, and adherence to a streamlined system for the sample collection and preservation provides significant benefits for downstream molecular studies of tissues from infected animals.
The collection of larger lymph nodes presents additional challenges for the tissue collection compared to the similar sampling of murine lymph nodes. The preparation for the sample excision necessitates a basic understanding of the anatomy of the lymph node, including the relevant internal structures. The structure of a lymph node is comprised of lymphoid lobules surrounded by sinuses filled with lymph. These structures are enclosed within a tough, fibrous capsule.4 A lymphoid lobule is the "basic anatomical and functional unit of the lymph node" and is composed of follicles, a deep cortical unit, and medullary cords and sinuses4 (Figure 1A). B and T lymphocytes are home to the follicles and deep cortical units, respectively. These structures provide a 3D scaffold and facilitate the interaction between the lymphocytes and antigen or antigen presenting cells.
Grossly, follicles and deep cortical units can be identified on cut surface as they contain a denser reticular meshwork and appear darker than the sinuses, which are comprised of a more delicate reticular meshwork and appear lighter (Figure 1B). By convention, pathologists refer to the regions of the lymph nodes as the superficial cortex (follicles), the paracortex (deep cortical units) and the medulla (medullary cords and sinuses). A proper examination of all three regions has been deemed as best practice in routine pathological examination guidelines for lymph nodes5. Note that there is a considerable variation in the consistency, size, and color of lymph nodes, even within a single animal. As animals age, their lymph nodes will tend to decrease in size and become firmer than those of younger animals, typically due to an increase in their connective tissue and a reduction of the normal lymphoid structure6,7.
<img alt="Lymph node anatomy; diagram and photo showing cortex, paracortex, medulla, and follicles." class="xfigimg" src="/files/ftp_upload/57195/57195fig1.jpg" data-altupdatedat="1747911167000" data-alt="Lymph node structure diagram and dissected image highlighting cortex, paracortex, medulla, follicles."> 
Figure 1. Anatomy of the lymph node. (A) This cartoon image shows the anatomy of the lymph node, depicting key structures. (B) This still image shows a bovine lymph node cut in cross-section. The relevant structures/layers that are visible to the naked eye are highlighted. <a href="https://www.jove.com/files/ftp_upload/57195/57195fig1large.jpg" target="_blank">Please click here to view a larger version of this figure.</a>
Depending on the experimental question, different lymph nodes will be of interest for the collection and analysis. Peripheral lymph nodes are those located deep in the subcutaneous tissue. In cattle, peripheral or superficial lymph nodes often used in clinical and experimental practice include parotid, submandibular, retropharyngeal, prescapular, prefemoral (precrural) and superficial inguinal (supramammary in females, scrotal in males) (Figure 2). In Table 1, the properties of key superficial lymph nodes, as described in the cattle system8, are outlined. Below, some potential lymph node collection plans for infectious bacterial diseases of cattle are presented as a starting point for the investigation.
Brucella abortus/Brucella melitensis: Standard necropsies for B. abortus-infected cattle and B. melitensis-infected goats at the National Animal Disease Center recover supramammary, prescapular, and parotid lymph node tissue, both for the grinding for the bacterial enumeration and for the RNA preparation for the host RNA expression profiling. B. abortus can be regularly recovered in each of these lymph nodes in experimentally infected cattle9. The presence of bacteria in each of these lymph node types can be detected in B. melitensis-infected goats up to at least nine months post-infection using the RNA-based methodologies from our studies (Boggiatto et al., unpublished). Salmonella sp.: The prescapular, subiliac (prefemoral), and mesenteric lymph nodes have been useful during the profiling of cattle carcasses for a Salmonella prevalence10,11,12 and would be of potential interest for transcriptomic studies. E. coli O157:H7: Mesenteric lymph nodes (at the middle small intestine and distal small intestine locations) can be the sites of an occasional recovery of the bacteria in infected calves (but not in infected adult cattle)13. Leptospirosis (Leptospira sp.): A chronic persistence of the bacteria has been observed in the lymph nodes draining the mammary gland14. Mycobacterium bovis: In cattle, the bacteria have been recovered post-experimental infection from the mediastinal and tracheobronchial lymph nodes of calves15. Additionally, lymph node RNA has been utilized to examine large animal host responses to viruses, such as the porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus2. Figure 2 depicts the location of a subset of these major lymph nodes in the cattle body.
<img alt="Lymph node diagram in cows; parotid, submandibular, retropharyngeal; anatomical study." class="xfigimg" src="/files/ftp_upload/57195/57195fig2.jpg" data-altupdatedat="1747911167000" data-alt="Lymphatic system diagram, cow lymph nodes locations: parotid, submandibular, supramammary."> 
Figure 2: Cartoon depicting selected lymph node locations in Bos taurus. The numbered lymph nodes are annotated. <a href="https://www.jove.com/files/ftp_upload/57195/57195fig2large.jpg" target="_blank">Please click here to view a larger version of this figure.</a>
In this paper and the associated video, we present a protocol for the isolation of large animal lymph nodes for RNA studies, designed to be informative for molecular biologists involved in transcriptomic studies of large animal infections. First, we provide an overview of the isolation procedure for the lymph nodes, using sampling from bovine and bison tissues as examples. Paired with this demonstration, as displayed in the video, is a workflow for a reproducible tissue sampling for RNA isolation. Next, we describe important considerations for the processing of an infected lymph node, with a focus on safety, consistency, and RNA quality.
The preparation of RNA from the tissue with an acidified phenol-guanidine isothiocyanate reagent is based on the original method of Chomczynski and Sacchi16,17, with a purification over silica-based spin columns in the presence of chaotropic agents based on the original work of Vogelstein and Gillespie18. We also examine the potential for the recovery of RNA for transcriptomics from cattle lymph nodes preserved by alternative methods. Finally, we explore the impact of the time variable on the RNA quality in large animal necropsies, including a representative experiment depicting the effect of an increase in time between the euthanasia and the sampling on the recovered RNA profile from bison and bovine lymph nodes. This article will be useful not only to molecular biologists but also to veterinary researchers commencing transcriptomic studies.

<table><tbody><tr><td>RNA preservation solution (we used RNALater for all experiments)</td><td>ThermoFisher</td><td>AM7020</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>1.5 ml or 2 ml polypropylene microcentrifuge tubes&amp;nbsp;</td><td>Fisher Scientific</td><td>05-408-129</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Disposable scalpels</td><td>Daigger Scientific</td><td>EF7281</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Tissue forceps, rat tooth</td><td>Fisher Scientific</td><td>12-460-117</td><td>Other tissue forceps available including curved tip, tapered edge, etc. , depends on user preference</td></tr><tr><td>3 mm punch biopsy needles</td><td>Fisher Scientific</td><td>NC9949469</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Sharps container (small and transportable for necropsy)</td><td>Stericycle</td><td>8900SA</td><td>1 qt. size shown here</td></tr><tr><td>Cutting boards or disposable trays</td><td>Fisher Scientific</td><td>09-002-24A</td><td>Available in a variety of sizes, depends on user preference</td></tr><tr><td>Personal protective equipment</td><td></td><td></td><td>Varies with pathogen (gloves, respirator masks, goggles, etc.)</td></tr><tr><td>Phenol-based RNA extraction reagent (we used TRIzol Reagent for all experiments)</td><td>ThermoFisher</td><td>15596026</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Silica column-based RNA extraction kit (we used the PureLink RNA Mini kit for all experiments)</td><td>ThermoFisher</td><td>12183018A</td><td>Designed for up to 100 mg tissue</td></tr><tr><td>100% Ethanol (200 proof for molecular biology)</td><td>Sigma-Aldrich</td><td>E7023</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Tissue homogenizer with enclosed homogenization tubes (we used the gentleMACS dissociator for all experiments)</td><td>Miltenyi Biotec</td><td>130-093-235</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Agarose (General, for gel electrophoresis)</td><td>Sigma-Aldrich</td><td>A9539</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>1X TBE</td><td>Fisher Scientific</td><td>BP24301</td><td>Can also make from scratch in the laboratory</td></tr><tr><td>Deionized formamide</td><td>EMD Millipore</td><td>S4117</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Sodium dodecyl sulfate</td><td>Sigma-Aldrich</td><td>L3771</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Bromophenol blue</td><td>Sigma-Aldrich</td><td>114391</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Xylene cyanol&amp;nbsp;</td><td>Sigma-Aldrich</td><td>X4126</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>EDTA (Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid)</td><td>Sigma-Aldrich</td><td>EDS</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>UV-Vis Spectrophotometer (we used the NanoDrop Spectrophotometer)</td><td>ThermoFisher</td><td>ND-2000</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Device for quantitative RNA assessment (we used the Bioanalyzer, with associated components and protocols)</td><td>Agilent</td><td>G2939BA</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>FFPE RNA extraction kit (we used the RecoverAll Total Nucleic Acid Isolation Kit for Formalin Fixed, Paraffin Embedded Tissue)</td><td>ThermoFisher</td><td>AM1975</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Plastic spreader (L-shaped spreader)</td><td>Fisher Scientific</td><td>14-665-231</td><td>Only needed for sterility testing for samples from infected animals</td></tr><tr><td>Necropsy knives</td><td>Livestock Concepts</td><td>WI-0009209</td><td></td></tr></tbody></table>

collection and processing of lymph nodes from large animals for rna analysis: preparing for lymph node transcriptomic studies of large animal species

Large animals (both livestock and wildlife) serve as important reservoirs of zoonotic pathogens, including Brucella, Mycobacterium bovis, Salmonella, and E. coli, and are useful for the study of pathogenesis and/or spread of the bacteria in natural hosts. With the key function of lymph nodes in the host immune response, lymph node tissues serve as a potential source of RNA for downstream transcriptomic analyses, in order to assess the temporal changes in gene expression in cells over the course of an infection. This article presents an overview of the process of lymph node collection, tissue sampling, and downstream RNA processing in livestock, using cattle (Bos taurus) as a model, with additional examples provided from the American bison (Bison bison). The protocol includes information about the location, identification, and removal of lymph nodes from multiple key sites in the body. Additionally, a biopsy sampling methodology is presented that allows for a consistency of sampling across multiple animals. Several considerations for sample preservation are discussed, including the generation of RNA suitable for downstream methodologies like RNA-sequencing and RT-PCR. Due to the long delays inherent in large animal vs. mouse time course studies, representative results from bison and bovine lymph node tissues are presented to describe the time course of the degradation in this tissue type, in the context of a review of previous methodological work on RNA degradation in other tissues. Overall, this protocol will be useful to both veterinary researchers beginning transcriptome projects on large animal samples and to molecular biologists interested in learning techniques for in vivo tissue sampling and in vitro processing.

The use of the considerations presented in this article (steps 1 - 4 of the protocol) will aid in the recovery of RNA from large animal samples that is suitable for a downstream analysis in host gene expression studies. The RNA quality for downstream applications is assessed by multiple standard measures. For spectrophotometry, the A260/A280 ratio provides a measure of the protein contamination, and the A260/A230 ratio provides another means of purity assessment that will de...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Collection and Processing of Lymph Nodes from Large Animals for RNA Analysis: Preparing for Lymph Node Transcriptomic Studies of Large Animal Species at JoVE.

Collection and Processing of Lymph Nodes from Large Animals for RNA Analysis: Preparing for Lymph Node Transcriptomic Studies of Large Animal Species

This protocol provides an overview of procedures for the isolation of RNA for the transcriptomic profiling of lymph node tissues from large animals, including steps in the identification and excision of lymph nodes from livestock and wildlife, sampling approaches to provide consistency across multiple animals, and considerations plus representative results for the post-collection preservation and processing for RNA analysis.

Large animals (both livestock and wildlife) serve as important reservoirs of zoonotic pathogens, including Brucella, Mycobacterium bovis, Salmonella, and ...

collection-processing-lymph-nodes-from-large-animals-for-rna-analysis

Research

JoVE Journal

Immunology and Infection

26.3K Views.  U.S. Department of Agriculture. This protocol provides an overview of procedures for the isolation of RNA for the transcriptomic profiling of lymph node tissues from large animals, including steps in the identification and excision of lymph nodes from livestock and wildlife, sampling approaches to provide consistency across multiple animals, and considerations plus representative results for the post-collection preservation and processing for RNA analysis.

Video: Collection and Processing of Lymph Nodes from Large Animals for RNA Analysis: Preparing for Lymph Node Transcriptomic Studies of Large Animal Species

Mouse Adipose Tissue Collection and Processing for RNA Analysis

Compared to other tissues, white adipose tissue has a considerably less RNA and protein content for downstream applications such as real-time PCR and Western Blot, since it mostly contains lipids. RNA isolation from adipose tissue samples is also challenging as extra steps are required to avoid these lipids. Here, we present a procedure to collect three anatomically different white adipose tissues from mice, to process these samples and perform RNA isolation. We further describe the synthesis of cDNA and gene expression experiments using real-time PCR. The hereby described protocol allows the reduction of contamination from the animal's hair and blood on fat pads as well as cross-contamination between different fat pads during tissue collection. It has also been optimized to ensure adequate quantity and quality of the RNA extracted. This protocol can be widely applied to any mouse model where adipose tissue samples are required for routine experiments such as real-time PCR but is not intended for isolation from primary adipocytes cell culture.

The purpose of this paper is to present a step-by-step procedure to collect different white adipose tissues from mice, process the fat samples and extract RNA.

Compared to other tissues, white adipose tissue has a considerably less RNA and protein content for downstream applications such as real-time PCR and ...

Biochemistry

Sequencing of mRNA from Whole Blood using Nanopore Sequencing

Sequencing in remote locations and resource-poor settings presents unique challenges. Nanopore sequencing can be successfully used under such conditions, and was deployed to West Africa during the recent Ebola virus epidemic, highlighting this possibility. In addition to its practical advantages (low cost, ease of equipment transport and use), this technology also provides fundamental advantages over second-generation sequencing approaches, particularly the very long read length, ability to directly sequence RNA, and real-time availability of data. Raw read accuracy is lower than with other sequencing platforms, which represents the main limitation of this technology; however, this can be partially mitigated by the high read depth generated. Here, we present a field-compatible protocol for sequencing of the mRNAs encoding for Niemann-Pick C1, which is the cellular receptor for ebolaviruses. This protocol encompasses extraction of RNA from animal blood samples, followed by RT-PCR for target enrichment, barcoding, library preparation, and the sequencing run itself, and can be easily adapted for use with other DNA or RNA targets.

Nanopore sequencing is a novel technology that allows cost-effective sequencing in remote locations and resource-poor settings. Here, we present a protocol for sequencing of mRNAs from whole blood that is compatible with such conditions.

Sequencing in remote locations and resource-poor settings presents unique challenges. Nanopore sequencing can be successfully used under such conditions, ...

Genetics

Isolation of Adipose Tissue Nuclei for Single-Cell Genomic Applications

Brown and beige fat are specialized adipose tissues that dissipate energy for thermogenesis by UCP1 (Uncoupling Protein-1)-dependent and independent pathways. Until recently, thermogenic adipocytes were considered a homogeneous population. However, recent studies have indicated that there are multiple subtypes or subpopulations that are distinct in developmental origin, substrate use, and transcriptome. Despite advances in single-cell genomics, unbiased decomposition of adipose tissues into cellular subtypes has been challenging because of the fragile nature of lipid-filled adipocytes. The protocol presented was developed to circumvent these obstacles by effective isolation of single nuclei from adipose tissue for downstream applications, including RNA sequencing. Cellular heterogeneity can then be analyzed by RNA sequencing and bioinformatic analyses.

This publication describes a protocol for the isolation of nuclei from mature adipocytes, purification by fluorescence-activated sorting, and single-cell level transcriptomics.

Brown and beige fat are specialized adipose tissues that dissipate energy for thermogenesis by UCP1 (Uncoupling Protein-1)-dependent and independent ...

Testing Cancer Immunotherapeutics in a Humanized Mouse Model Bearing Human Tumors

Reversing the immunosuppressive nature of the tumor microenvironment is critical for the successful treatment of cancers with immunotherapy drugs. Murine cancer models are extremely limited in their diversity and suffer from poor translation to the clinic. To serve as a more physiological preclinical model for immunotherapy studies, this protocol has been developed to evaluate the treatment of human tumors in a mouse reconstituted with a human immune system. This unique protocol demonstrates the development of human immune system (HIS, &#34;humanized&#34;) mice, followed by implantation of a human tumor, either a cell-line derived xenograft (CDX) or a patient derived xenograft (PDX). HIS mice are generated by injecting CD34+ human hematopoietic stem cells isolated from umbilical cord blood into neonatal BRGS (BALB/c Rag2-/- IL2R&#947;C-/- NODSIRP&#945;) highly immunodeficient mice that are also capable of accepting a xenogeneic tumor. The importance of the kinetics and characteristics of the human immune system development and tumor implantation is emphasized. Finally, an in-depth evaluation of the tumor microenvironment using flow cytometry is described. In numerous studies using this protocol, it was found that the tumor microenvironment of individual tumors is recapitulated in HIS-PDX mice; &#34;hot&#34; tumors exhibit large immune infiltration while &#34;cold&#34; tumors do not. This model serves as a testing ground for combination immunotherapies for a wide range of human tumors and represents an important tool in the quest for personalized medicine.

This protocol outlines the generation of human immune system (HIS) mice for immuno-oncology studies. Instructions and considerations in the use of this model for testing human immunotherapeutics on human tumors implanted in this model are presented with an emphasis on characterizing the response of the human immune system to the tumor.

Reversing the immunosuppressive nature of the tumor microenvironment is critical for the successful treatment of cancers with immunotherapy drugs. Murine ...

Cancer Research

Identification of Coding and Non-coding RNA Classes Expressed in Swine Whole Blood

The advent of innovative and increasingly powerful next generation sequencing techniques has opened new avenues into the ability to examine the underlying gene expression related to biological processes of interest. These innovations not only allow researchers to observe expression from the mRNA sequences that code for genes that effect cellular function, but also the non-coding RNA (ncRNA) molecules that remain untranslated, but still have regulatory functions. Although researchers have the ability to observe both mRNA and ncRNA expression, it has been customary for a study to focus on one or the other. However, when studies are interested in both mRNA and ncRNA expression, many times they use separate samples to examine either coding or non-coding RNAs due to the difference in library preparations. This can lead to the need for more samples which can increase time, consumables, and animal stress. Additionally, it may cause researchers to decide to prepare samples for only one analysis, usually the mRNA, limiting the number of biological questions that can be investigated. However, ncRNAs span multiple classes with regulatory roles that effect mRNA expression. Because ncRNA are important to fundamental biologic processes and disorder of these processes in during infection, they may, therefore, make attractive targets for therapeutics. This manuscript demonstrates a modified protocol for the generation mRNA and non-coding RNA expression libraries, including viral RNA, from a single sample of whole blood. Optimization of this protocol, improved RNA purity, increased ligation for recovery of methylated RNAs, and omitted&#160;size selection, to allow capture of more RNA species.

Here, we present a protocol optimized for the processing of coding (mRNA) and non-coding&#160;(ncRNA) globin reduced RNA-seq libraries from a single whole blood sample.

The advent of innovative and increasingly powerful next generation sequencing techniques has opened new avenues into the ability to examine the underlying ...

Optimization of Laser-Capture Microdissection for the Isolation of Enteric Ganglia from Fresh-Frozen Human Tissue

The purpose of this method is to obtain high-integrity RNA samples from enteric ganglia collected from unfixed, freshly-resected human intestinal tissue using laser capture microdissection (LCM). We have identified five steps in the workflow that are crucial for obtaining RNA isolates from enteric ganglia with sufficiently high quality and quantity for RNA-seq. First, when preparing intestinal tissue, each sample must have all excess liquid removed by blotting prior to flattening the serosa as much as possible across the bottom of large base molds. Samples are then quickly frozen atop a slurry of dry ice and 2-methylbutane. Second, when sectioning the tissue, it is important to position cryomolds so that intestinal sections parallel the full plane of the myenteric plexus, thereby yielding the greatest surface area of enteric ganglia per slide. Third, during LCM, polyethylene napthalate (PEN)-membrane slides offer the greatest speed and flexibility in outlining the non-uniform shapes of enteric ganglia when collecting enteric ganglia. Fourth, for distinct visualization of enteric ganglia within sections, ethanol-compatible dyes, like Cresyl Violet, offer excellent preservation of RNA integrity relative to aqueous dyes. Finally, for the extraction of RNA from captured ganglia, we observed differences between commercial RNA extraction kits that yielded superior RNA quantity and quality, while eliminating DNA contamination. Optimization of these factors in the current protocol greatly accelerates the workflow and yields enteric ganglia samples with exceptional RNA quality and quantity.

The goal of this protocol is to obtain high-integrity RNA samples from enteric ganglia isolated from unfixed, freshly-resected human intestinal tissue using laser capture microdissection (LCM). This protocol involves preparing flash-frozen samples of human intestinal tissue, cryosectioning, ethanolic staining and dehydration, LCM, and RNA extraction.

The purpose of this method is to obtain high-integrity RNA samples from enteric ganglia collected from unfixed, freshly-resected human intestinal tissue ...

Neuroscience

Isolation of Adult Spinal Cord Nuclei for Massively Parallel Single-nucleus RNA Sequencing

Probing an individual cell&#39;s gene expression enables the identification of cell type and cell state. Single-cell RNA sequencing has emerged as a powerful tool for studying transcriptional profiles of cells, particularly in heterogeneous tissues such as the central nervous system. However, dissociation methods required for single cell sequencing can lead to experimental changes in the gene expression and cell death. Furthermore, these methods are generally restricted to fresh tissue, thus limiting studies on archival and bio-bank material. Single nucleus RNA sequencing (snRNA-Seq) is an appealing alternative for transcriptional studies, given that it accurately identifies cell types, permits the study of tissue that is frozen or difficult to dissociate, and reduces dissociation-induced transcription. Here, we present a high-throughput protocol for rapid isolation of nuclei for downstream snRNA-Seq. This method enables isolation of nuclei from fresh or frozen spinal cord samples and can be combined with two massively parallel droplet encapsulation platforms.

Here, we present a protocol to rapidly isolate high-quality nuclei from the fresh or frozen tissue for downstream massively parallel RNA sequencing. We include detergent-mechanical and hypotonic-mechanical tissue disruption and cell lysis options, both of which can be used for isolation of nuclei.

Probing an individual cell&#39;s gene expression enables the identification of cell type and cell state. Single-cell RNA sequencing has emerged as a ...

Low-input Nucleus Isolation and Multiplexing with Barcoded Antibodies of Mouse Sympathetic Ganglia for Single-nucleus RNA Sequencing

The cardiac autonomic nervous system is crucial in controlling cardiac function, such as heart rate and cardiac contractility, and is divided into sympathetic and parasympathetic branches. Normally, there is a balance between these two branches to maintain homeostasis. However, cardiac disease states such as myocardial infarction, heart failure, and hypertension can induce the remodeling of cells involved in cardiac innervation, which is associated with an adverse clinical outcome.
Although there are vast amounts of data for the histological structure and function of the cardiac autonomic nervous system, its molecular biological architecture in health and disease is still enigmatic in many aspects. Novel technologies such as single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) hold promise for the genetic characterization of tissues at single-cell resolution. However, the relatively large size of neurons may impede the standardized use of these techniques. Here, this protocol exploits droplet-based single-nucleus RNA sequencing (snRNA-seq), a method to characterize the biological architecture of cardiac sympathetic neurons in health and disease. A stepwise approach is demonstrated to perform snRNA-seq of the bilateral superior cervical (SCG) and stellate ganglia (StG) dissected from adult mice.
This method enables long-term sample preservation, maintaining an adequate RNA quality when samples from multiple individuals/experiments cannot be collected all at once within a short period of time. Barcoding the nuclei with hashtag oligos (HTOs) enables demultiplexing and the trace-back of distinct ganglionic samples post sequencing. Subsequent analyses revealed successful nuclei capture of neuronal, satellite glial, and endothelial cells of the sympathetic ganglia, as validated by snRNA-seq. In summary, this protocol provides a stepwise approach for snRNA-seq of sympathetic extrinsic cardiac ganglia, a method that has the potential for broader application in studies of the innervation of other organs and tissues.

This protocol describes the detailed, low-input sample preparation for single-nucleus sequencing, including the dissection of mouse superior cervical and stellate ganglia, cell dissociation, cryopreservation, nucleus isolation, and hashtag barcoding.

The cardiac autonomic nervous system is crucial in controlling cardiac function, such as heart rate and cardiac contractility, and is divided into ...

Medicine

Tissue Collection of Bats for -Omics Analyses and Primary Cell Culture

As high-throughput sequencing technologies advance, standardized methods for high quality tissue acquisition and preservation allow for the extension of these methods to non-model organisms. A series of protocols to optimize tissue collection from bats has been developed for a series of high-throughput sequencing approaches. Outlined here are protocols for the capture of bats, desired demographics to be collected for each bat, and optimized methods to minimize stress on a bat during tissue collection. Specifically outlined are methods for collecting and treating tissue to obtain (i) DNA for high molecular weight genomic analyses, (ii) RNA for tissue-specific transcriptomes, and (iii) proteins for proteomic-level analyses. Lastly, also outlined is a method to avoid lethal sampling by creating viable primary cell cultures from wing clips. A central motivation of these methods is to maximize the amount of potential molecular and morphological data for each bat and suggest optimal ways to preserve tissues so they retain their value as new methods develop in the future. This standardization has become particularly important as initiatives to sequence chromosome-level, error-free genomes of species across the world have emerged, in which multiple scientific parties are spearheading the sequencing of different taxonomic groups. The protocols outlined herein define the ideal tissue collection and tissue preservation methods for Bat1K, the consortium that is sequencing the genomes of every species of bat.

This is a protocol for the optimal tissue preparation for genomic, transcriptomic, and proteomic analyses of bats caught in the wild. It includes protocols for bat capture and dissection, tissue preservation, and cell culturing of bat tissue.

As high-throughput sequencing technologies advance, standardized methods for high quality tissue acquisition and preservation allow for the extension of ...

Biology

Application of Laser Microdissection to Uncover Regional Transcriptomics in Human Kidney Tissue

Gene expression analysis of human kidney tissue is an important tool to understand homeostasis and disease pathophysiology. Increasing the resolution and depth of this technology and extending it to the level of cells within the tissue is needed. Although the use of single nuclear and single cell RNA sequencing has become widespread, the expression signatures of cells obtained from tissue dissociation do not maintain spatial context. Laser microdissection (LMD) based on specific fluorescent markers would allow the isolation of specific structures and cell groups of interest with known localization, thereby enabling the acquisition of spatially-anchored transcriptomic signatures in kidney tissue. We have optimized an LMD methodology, guided by a rapid fluorescence-based stain, to isolate five distinct compartments within the human kidney and conduct subsequent RNA sequencing from valuable human kidney tissue specimens. We also present quality control parameters to enable the assessment of adequacy of the collected specimens. The workflow outlined in this manuscript shows the feasibility of this approach to isolate sub-segmental transcriptomic signatures with high confidence. The methodological approach presented here may also be applied to other tissue types with substitution of relevant antibody markers.

We describe a protocol for laser microdissection of sub-segments of the human kidney, including the glomerulus, proximal tubule, thick ascending limb, collecting duct and interstitium. The RNA is then isolated from the obtained compartments and RNA sequencing is carried out to determine changes in the transcriptomic signature within each sub-segment.

Gene expression analysis of human kidney tissue is an important tool to understand homeostasis and disease pathophysiology. Increasing the resolution and ...