The Karner lab is supported by National Institute of Health R01 grants (AR076325 and AR071967) to C.M.K.

All mouse procedures described herein were approved by the Animal Studies Committees at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas. The radiation protocol was approved by the Radiation Safety Advisory Committee at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas.
1. Amino acid uptake in cells (Protocol I)
<ol>
	<li>Plate 5 x 104 ST2 cells in each well of a 12-well tissue culture plate. Plate cells in &#945;-MEM containing 10% FBS, 100 U/mL penicillin and 0.1 &#181;g/mL streptomycin (Pen/Strep). Plate extra wells of cells to quantify the cell number per condition for the normalizations in step 1.12. Incubate cells in a humidified cell culture incubator at 37 &#176;C with 5% CO2.</li>
	<li>Culture the cells for 2-3 days until confluent.</li>
	<li>On the day of the experiment, prepare the following solutions: 1x Phosphate Buffered Saline (PBS), pH 7.4 and Krebs Ringers HEPES (KRH) buffer, pH 8.0: (120 mM NaCl, 5 mM KCl, 2 mM CaCl2, 1 mM MgCl2, NaHCO3, 5 mM HEPES, 1 mM D-Glucose). Prewarm to 37 &#176;C.</li>
	<li>Aspirate the medium and wash the cells twice with 1 mL of 1x PBS, pH 7.4. 
	NOTE: This protocol is also appropriate for rapidly dividing non-confluent cells. In this case, it is important to normalize the radioactivity to either absolute cell number or DNA content. In addition, consider increasing the size of the culture plate or flask to increase the overall cell number and cpm values. This is important to determine empirically on an individual basis.</li>
	<li>Aspirate 1x PBS and wash the cells once with 1 mL KRH.</li>
	<li>Make 4 &#181;Ci/mL L-[3,4-3H]-Glutamine working media by diluting 4 &#181;L of [1 &#181;Ci &#181;L-1] L-[3,4-3H]-Glutamine stock per 1 mL of KRH. 
	NOTE: Before using radioactive materials, please contact the Office of Radiation Safety at your home institution to obtain approvals. All the procedures related to radiation must be performed behind the plexiglass shield.</li>
	<li>Incubate cells with 0.5 mL of KRH containing 4 &#181;Ci/mL L-[3,4-3H]-Glutamine working media for 5 min.</li>
	<li>Collect the radioactive medium and dispense into the liquid waste container. Wash the cells three times briefly with ice-cold KRH to terminate the reaction. Collect and discard all the washes in the radioactive liquid waste container.</li>
	<li>Add 1 mL of 1% SDS to each well and triturate 10x to lyse and homogenize the cells. Transfer the cell lysates to 1.5 mL tubes. Discard cell culture plates, serological pipettes, and pipette tips in the solid radioactive waste container.</li>
	<li>Centrifuge at &#62;10,000 x g for 10 min. Transfer the supernatants to scintillation vials containing 8 mL of the scintillation solution. Mix by shaking the scintillation vials vigorously. Discard tubes and pipette tips in solid radioactive waste container.</li>
	<li>Read radioactivity in counts per minute (cpm) using a Scintillation counter. Discard scintillation vials in scintillation vial waste container.</li>
	<li>Trypsinize, resuspend, and count the cells from the remaining non-radioactive plates of cells (see step 1.1) to estimate the number of cells in the lysed, radioactive cultures. Using a hemocytometer, count the number of cells per non-radioactive well for each experimental condition. Normalize the cpm from step 1.11 to the estimated cell number from the non-radioactive plates.</li>
	<li>After completion of the experiment, decontaminate the cell culture hood, bench, and all instruments with a radioactivity decontaminant spray. Finally, perform wipe tests to ensure the working area is radiation-free.</li>
</ol>
2. Amino acid uptake in freshly isolated bone tissues (Protocol II)
<ol>
	<li>Prewarm KRH to 37 &#176;C.</li>
	<li>Euthanize a 3-day-old mouse and remove the skin on the arms. Disarticulate the humeri from the shoulder using scissors and dissect out both humeri. Remove all extemporaneous tissues using a scalpel and forceps. Remove the epiphyses from the bone. 
	NOTE: In addition to humerii, this protocol can be adapted to neonatal femora, tibiae and calvariae as well as humerii, femora and tibiae isolated from 2- and 4-month-old mice (unpublished data).</li>
	<li>Flush out marrow from the bone and weigh the bone shafts to normalize in step 2.14.</li>
	<li>Boil one humerus in 1x PBS at 100 &#176;C for 10 min to decellularize the bone. The decellularized boiled bone is used as a negative control. 
	NOTE: As a quality control, paraffin embed the boiled and non-boiled bones for histological stains to visually confirm that boiling was efficacious in decellularizing the bone.</li>
	<li>Equilibrate both humeri in 1 mL of KRH for 30 min in the cell culture incubator at 37 &#176;C.</li>
	<li>Make a working solution of 4 &#181;Ci/mL L-[2,3,4-3H]-Arginine in KRH by diluting 4 &#181;L of 1&#181;Ci/&#181;L L-[2,3,4-3H]- Arginine stock per 1 mL KRH. 
	NOTE: This protocol is appropriate to evaluate the uptake of whichever radiolabeled nutrient is chosen. L-[2,3,4-3H]-glutamine, L-[14CU]-alanine, and L-[2,3-3H]-proline have been tested with similar results. Arginine data is shown to highlight the utility of this protocol. 
	CAUTION: All the procedures using radiation must be performed behind the plexiglass shield while using appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE).</li>
	<li>Incubate both the experimental and boiled control bone separately in KRH containing 4 &#181;Ci/mL L-[2,3,4-3H]-Arginine for up to 90 min at 37 &#176;C. 
	NOTE: It is important to empirically determine the incubation times for different conditions including the age of the mice, different skeletal elements and the types of radiolabeled amino acids by performing a time course. Saturation mostly occurs after approximately 3-4 h. Uptake should be evaluated at a timepoint in the linear rage of uptake.</li>
	<li>Remove the radioactive medium and discard in the liquid radioactive waste container. Wash humeri three times using ice cold 1 mL of KRH to terminate the reaction. Discard all the washes in the liquid radioactive waste container.</li>
	<li>Transfer each bone into a 1.5 mL tube. Add 500 &#181;L of RIPA buffer [150 mM NaCl; 5 mM EDTA; 50 mM Tris (pH 8.0); 0.5% NP40 (v/v); 0.5% DOX (w/v); 0.1% SDS (w/v)]. Discard the culture plates, serological pipettes, and pipette tips in a radioactive solid waste container.</li>
	<li>Homogenize the humeri by chopping 100 times with scissors in a RIPA buffer.</li>
	<li>Sonicate (Amplitude: 35%, Pulse 1 s) the resulting homogenized bone for 10 s. 
	NOTE: Sonication is also known to produce aerosols. Sonication steps can be performed in a biological safety cabinet. To reduce aerosol formation, it is important to not overfill the tubes. Sonication of small sample volumes can result in incomplete sonication or sample loss due to foaming. If foaming occurs, centrifuge the sample for 5 min to settle.</li>
	<li>Clarify the lysate by centrifugation for 10 min at &#62;10,000 x g at room temperature. Transfer 200 &#181;L of the supernatant to scintillation vials containing 8 mL of the scintillation solution. Mix by shaking the scintillation vials vigorously.&#160;Discard all solid radioactive waste (e.g., used tubes, pipette tips, plates, etc.) in the solid radioactive waste container.</li>
	<li>Read radioactivity (cpm) using the Scintillation counter. Discard used scintillation vials in the radioactive waste container designated for scintillation vials.</li>
	<li>Subtract the cpm of boiled bone (basal value) from the cpm of experimental bone. Normalize the radioactivity with bone weight from step 2.3.</li>
	<li>Spray the cell culture hood, instruments, and bench with radioactivity decontaminant. Perform wipe tests to confirm the working area is radiation-free.</li>
</ol>

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W., Long, F. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Increased+glutamine+catabolism+mediates+bone+anabolism+in+response+to+WNT+signaling.">Increased glutamine catabolism mediates bone anabolism in response to WNT signaling.</a> Journal of Clinical Investigation. 125 (2), 551-562 (2015).</li><li>Hu, G., 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=The+amino+acid+sensor+Eif2ak4/GCN2+is+required+for+proliferation+of+osteoblast+progenitors+in+mice.">The amino acid sensor Eif2ak4/GCN2 is required for proliferation of osteoblast progenitors in mice.</a> Journal of Bone and Mineral Research. 35 (10), 2004-2014 (2020).</li><li>Rached, M. 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The authors have no disclosures.

The protocol described herein provides a fast and sensitive approach to evaluate amino acid uptake in response to various experimental permutations either in vitro or ex vivo. When compared to commercially available kits (e.g., Glutamine and Glutamate Determination Kit), this method is much more sensitive, quicker, and less labor intensive16,17,25. In our protocol, we evaluate uptake in the Krebs Ringers HEPES ...

Amino acids are organic compounds that contain an amino (-NH2) and carboxyl (-COOH) functional groups with a variable side chain that is specific to each amino acid. In general, amino acids are well known as the basic constituent of protein. More recently, novel uses, and functions of amino acids have been elucidated. For example, individual amino acids can be metabolized to generate intermediate metabolites that contribute to bioenergetics, function as enzymatic cofactors, regulate reactive oxygen species or are used to synthesize other amino acids1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10. Many studies demonstrate that amino acid metabolism is critical for cell pluripotency, proliferation, and differentiation in various contexts3,6,11,12,13,14,15,16,17.
Osteoblasts are secretory cells that produce and secrete the Collagen Type 1 rich extracellular bone matrix. To sustain high rates of protein synthesis during bone formation, osteoblasts demand a constant supply of amino acids. To meet this demand, osteoblasts must actively acquire amino acids. Consistent with this, recent studies reveal the importance of amino acid uptake and metabolism in osteoblast activity and bone formation15,16,17,18,19,20.
Osteoblasts acquire cellular amino acids from three major sources: extracellular milieu, intracellular protein degradation and de novo amino acid biosynthesis. This protocol will focus on the evaluation of amino acid uptake from extracellular environment. The most common methods to measure amino acid uptake rely on either radiolabeled (e.g., 3H or 14C) or heavy isotope labeled (e.g., 13C) amino acids. Heavy isotopomer assays can analyze amino acid uptake and metabolism more thoroughly and safely but are more time consuming taking multiple days to complete as it takes a day to prepare and derivatize samples and multiple days to analyze on the mass spectrometer depending on the number of samples21,22. By comparison, radiolabeled amino acid uptake assays are not informative about downstream metabolism but are cheap and relatively fast, being able to be completed within 2-3 h from the start of the experiment23,24. Here, we describe an easily modifiable basic protocol designed to evaluate radiolabeled amino acid uptake in cultured primary cells or cell lines in vitro or individual bone shafts ex vivo. The application of these two protocols can be extended to other radiolabeled amino acids and other bone associated cell types and tissues.

<table border="1" fo:keep-together.within-page="1" fo:keep-with-next.within-page="always">
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td>0.25% trypsin</td>
			<td>Gibco</td>
			<td>25200</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>12-well plate</td>
			<td>Corning</td>
			<td>3513</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>1mL syringe</td>
			<td>BD precision</td>
			<td>309628</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>30G Needle</td>
			<td>BD precision</td>
			<td>305106</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Arginine Monohydrochloride L-[2,3,4-3H]-, 1mCi</td>
			<td>PerkinElmer</td>
			<td>NET1123001MC</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Beckman LS6500 scintillation counter</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Calcium chloride</td>
			<td>Sigma</td>
			<td>C1016</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>choline chloride</td>
			<td>Sigma</td>
			<td>C7077</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>D-(+)-Glucose solution</td>
			<td>Sigma</td>
			<td>G8769</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Dissection Tool</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td>Forceps, scissors, scapels</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>DPBS</td>
			<td>Gibco</td>
			<td>14190</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid</td>
			<td>Sigma</td>
			<td>E9884</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>HEPES(1M)</td>
			<td>Gibco</td>
			<td>15630</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>L-[3,4-3H(N)]-Glutamine</td>
			<td>PerkinElmer</td>
			<td>NET551250UC</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Liquid scintilation vials</td>
			<td>Sigma</td>
			<td>Z190535</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>lithium chloride solution, 8M</td>
			<td>Sigma</td>
			<td>L7026</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Magnesium chloride</td>
			<td>Sigma</td>
			<td>M8266</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>MEM&#945;</td>
			<td>Gibco</td>
			<td>12561</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Microcentrifuge tube, 15mL</td>
			<td>Biotix</td>
			<td>89511-256</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>NP-40</td>
			<td>Sigma</td>
			<td>492016</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Potassium chloride</td>
			<td>Sigma</td>
			<td>P3911</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Sodium bicarbonate</td>
			<td>Sigma</td>
			<td>S6014</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>sodium chloride</td>
			<td>Sigma</td>
			<td>S9888</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Sodium Deoxycholate</td>
			<td>Sigma</td>
			<td>D6750</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Sodium dodecyl sulfate</td>
			<td>Sigma</td>
			<td>436143</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Sonicator</td>
			<td>Sonic&#38;Materials</td>
			<td>VCX130</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Tris Base</td>
			<td>Sigma</td>
			<td>648311</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Ultima Gold (Scintillation solution)</td>
			<td>PerkinElmer</td>
			<td>6013329</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>&#945;-(Methylamino)isobutyric acid</td>
			<td>Sigma</td>
			<td>M2383</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

evaluation of amino acid consumption in cultured bone cells and isolated bone shafts

Bone development and homeostasis is dependent upon the differentiation and activity of bone forming osteoblasts. Osteoblast differentiation is sequentially characterized by proliferation followed by protein synthesis and ultimately bone matrix secretion. Proliferation and protein synthesis require a constant supply of amino acids. Despite this, very little is known about amino acid consumption in osteoblasts. Here we describe a very sensitive protocol that is designed to measure amino acid consumption using radiolabeled amino acids. This method is optimized to quantify changes in amino acid uptake that are associated with osteoblast proliferation or differentiation, drug or growth factor treatments, or various genetic manipulations. Importantly, this method can be used interchangeably to quantify amino acid consumption in cultured cell lines or primary cells in vitro or in isolated bone shafts ex vivo. Finally, our method can be easily adapted to measure the transport of any of the amino acids as well as glucose and other radiolabeled nutrients.

Amino acid transport is regulated by many membrane-bound amino acid transporters that have been categorized into distinct transport systems based on numerous characteristics, including substrate specificity, kinetics, as well as ion and pH dependence25. For example, glutamine uptake can be mediated by the Na+-dependent transport systems A, ASC, &#947;+L and N or the Na+-independent System L. The Na+-dependent systems are distinguished by the ability to substitute L...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Evaluation of Amino Acid Consumption in Cultured Bone Cells and Isolated Bone Shafts at JoVE.com

Evaluation of Amino Acid Consumption in Cultured Bone Cells and Isolated Bone Shafts

This protocol presents a radiolabeled amino acid uptake assay, which is useful for evaluating amino acid consumption either in primary cells or in isolated bones.

Bone development and homeostasis is dependent upon the differentiation and activity of bone forming osteoblasts. Osteoblast differentiation is ...

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1.7K Views.  University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. This protocol presents a radiolabeled amino acid uptake assay, which is useful for evaluating amino acid consumption either in primary cells or in isolated bones.

Video: Evaluation of Amino Acid Consumption in Cultured Bone Cells and Isolated Bone Shafts

Longitudinal Evaluation of Mouse Hind Limb Bone Loss After Spinal Cord Injury using Novel, in vivo, Methodology

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is often accompanied by osteoporosis in the sublesional regions of the pelvis and lower extremities, leading to a higher frequency of fractures 1. As these fractures often occur in regions that have lost normal sensory function, the patient is at a greater risk of fracture-dependent pathologies, including death. SCI-dependent loss in both bone mineral density (BMD, grams/cm2) and bone mineral content (BMC, grams) has been attributed to mechanical disuse 2, aberrant neuronal signaling 3 and hormonal changes 4. The use of rodent models of SCI-induced osteoporosis can provide invaluable information regarding the mechanisms underlying the development of osteoporosis following SCI as well as a test environment for the generation of new therapies 5-7 (and reviewed in 8). Mouse models of SCI are of great interest as they permit a reductionist approach to mechanism-based assessment through the use of null and transgenic mice. While such models have provided important data, there is still a need for minimally-invasive, reliable, reproducible, and quantifiable methods in determining the extent of bone loss following SCI, particularly over time and within the same cohort of experimental animals, to improve diagnosis, treatment methods, and/or prevention of SCI-induced osteoporosis.
An ideal method for measuring bone density in rodents would allow multiple, sequential (over time) exposures to low-levels of X-ray radiation. This study describes the use of a new whole-animal scanner, the IVIS Lumina XR (Caliper Instruments) that can be used to provide low-energy (1-3 milligray (mGy)) high-resolution, high-magnification X-ray images of mouse hind limb bones over time following SCI. Significant bone density loss was seen in the tibiae of mice by 10 days post-spinal transection when compared to uninjured, age-matched control (na&iuml;ve) mice (13% decrease, p&lt;0.0005). Loss of bone density in the distal femur was also detectable by day 10 post-SCI, while a loss of density in the proximal femur was not detectable until 40 days post injury (7% decrease, p&lt;0.05). SCI-dependent loss of mouse femur density was confirmed post-mortem through the use of Dual-energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DXA), the current "gold standard" for bone density measurements. We detect a 12% loss of BMC in the femurs of mice at 40 days post-SCI using the IVIS Lumina XR. This compares favorably with a previously reported BMC loss of 13.5% by Picard and colleagues who used DXA analysis on mouse femurs post-mortem 30 days post-SCI 9. Our results suggest that the IVIS Lumina XR provides a novel, high-resolution/high-magnification method for performing long-term, longitudinal measurements of hind limb bone density in the mouse following SCI.

Longitudinal Evaluation of Mouse Hind Limb Bone Loss After Spinal Cord Injury using Novel, in vivo, Methodology

A longitudinal examination of bone loss in the femurs and tibiae of adult mice was performed following spinal cord injury using sequential low-dose X-ray scans. Tibia bone loss was detected throughout the study, while bone loss in the femur was not detected until 40 days post injury.

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is often accompanied by osteoporosis in the sublesional regions of the pelvis and lower extremities, leading to a higher ...

Models of Bone Metastasis

Bone metastases are a common occurrence in several malignancies, including breast, prostate, and lung. Once established in bone, tumors are responsible for significant morbidity and mortality1. Thus, there is a significant need to understand the molecular mechanisms controlling the establishment, growth and activity of tumors in bone. Several in vivo models have been established to study these events and each has specific benefits and limitations. The most commonly used model utilizes intracardiac inoculation of tumor cells directly into the arterial blood supply of athymic (nude) BalbC mice. This procedure can be applied to many different tumor types (including PC-3 prostate cancer, lung carcinoma, and mouse mammary fat pad tumors); however, in this manuscript we will focus on the breast cancer model, MDA-MB-231. In this model we utilize a highly bone-selective clone, originally derived in Dr. Mundy's group in San Antonio2, that has since been transfected for GFP expression and re-cloned by our group3. This clone is a bone metastatic variant with a high rate of osteotropism and very little metastasis to lung, liver, or adrenal glands. While intracardiac injections are most commonly used for studies of bone metastasis2, in certain instances intratibial4 or mammary fat pad injections are more appropriate. Intracardiac injections are typically performed when using human tumor cells with the goal of monitoring later stages of metastasis, specifically the ability of cancer cells to arrest in bone, survive, proliferate, and establish tumors that develop into cancer-induced bone disease. Intratibial injections are performed if focusing on the relationship of cancer cells and bone after a tumor has metastasized to bone, which correlates roughly to established metastatic bone disease. Neither of these models recapitulates early steps in the metastatic process prior to embolism and entry of tumor cells into the circulation. If monitoring primary tumor growth or metastasis from the primary site to bone, then mammary fat pad inoculations are usually preferred; however, very few tumor cell lines will consistently metastasize to bone from the primary site, with 4T1 bone-preferential clones, a mouse mammary carcinoma, being the exception 5,6.
This manuscript details inoculation procedures and highlights key steps in post inoculation analyses. Specifically, it includes cell culture, tumor cell inoculation procedures for intracardiac and intratibial inoculations, as well as brief information regarding weekly monitoring by x-ray, fluorescence and histomorphometric analyses.

Animal models are frequently utilized to study cancer metastasis to bone. In this protocol we will describe two common methods of tumor inoculation for bone metastasis studies and briefly describe some of the analyses utilized to monitor and quantify these models.

Bone metastases are a common occurrence in several malignancies, including breast, prostate, and lung. Once established in bone, tumors are responsible ...

Pre-clinical Evaluation of Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors for Treatment of Acute Leukemia

Receptor tyrosine kinases have been implicated in the development and progression of many cancers, including both leukemia and solid tumors, and are attractive druggable therapeutic targets. Here we describe an efficient four-step strategy for pre-clinical evaluation of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) in the treatment of acute leukemia. Initially, western blot analysis is used to confirm target inhibition in cultured leukemia cells. Functional activity is then evaluated using clonogenic assays in methylcellulose or soft agar cultures. Experimental compounds that demonstrate activity in cell culture assays are evaluated in vivo using NOD-SCID-gamma (NSG) mice transplanted orthotopically with human leukemia cell lines. Initial in vivo pharmacodynamic studies evaluate target inhibition in leukemic blasts isolated from the bone marrow. This approach is used to determine the dose and schedule of administration required for effective target inhibition. Subsequent studies evaluate the efficacy of the TKIs in vivo using luciferase expressing leukemia cells, thereby allowing for non-invasive bioluminescent monitoring of leukemia burden and assessment of therapeutic response using an in vivo bioluminescence imaging system. This strategy has been effective for evaluation of TKIs in vitro and in vivo and can be applied for identification of molecularly-targeted agents with therapeutic potential or for direct comparison and prioritization of multiple compounds.

Receptor tyrosine kinases are ectopically expressed in many cancers and have been identified as therapeutic targets in acute leukemia. This manuscript describes an efficient strategy for pre-clinical evaluation of tyrosine kinase inhibitors for the treatment of acute leukemia.

Receptor tyrosine kinases have been implicated in the development and progression of many cancers, including both leukemia and solid tumors, and are ...

Femoral Bone Marrow Aspiration in Live Mice

Serial sampling of the cellular composition of bone marrow (BM) is a routine procedure critical to clinical hematology. This protocol describes a detailed step-by-step technical procedure for an analogous procedure in live mice which allows for serial characterization of cells present in the BM. This procedure facilitates studies aimed to detect the presence of exogenously administered cells within the BM of mice as would be done in xenograft studies for instance. Moreover, this procedure allows for the retrieval and characterization of cells enriched in the BM such as hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) without sacrifice of mice. Given that the cellular composition of peripheral blood is not necessarily reflective of proportions and types of stem and progenitor cells present in the marrow, procedures which provide access to this compartment without requiring termination of the mice are very helpful. The use of femoral bone marrow aspiration is illustrated here for cytological analysis of marrow cells, flow cytometric characterization of the hematopoietic stem/progenitor compartment, and culture of sorted HSPCs obtained by femoral BM aspiration compared with conventional marrow harvest.

This protocol describes a procedure for serial sampling of femoral bone marrow (BM) without requiring the sacrifice of mice. This procedure facilitates longitudinal studies of the BM composition of mice over time and provides serial access to cells within the BM for ex vivo and transplantation studies.

Serial sampling of the cellular composition of bone marrow (BM) is a routine procedure critical to clinical hematology. This protocol describes a detailed ...

In Vivo Imaging and Tracking of Technetium-99m Labeled Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Equine Tendinopathy

Recent advances in the application of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMMSC) for the treatment of tendon and ligament injuries in the horse suggest improved outcome measures in both experimental and clinical studies. Although the BMMSC are implanted into the tendon lesion in large numbers (usually 10 - 20 million cells), only a relatively small number survive (&#60;10%) although these can persist for up to 5 months after implantation. This appears to be a common observation in other species where BMMSC have been implanted into other tissues and it is important to understand when this loss occurs, how many survive the initial implantation process and whether the cells are cleared into other organs. Tracking the fate of the cells can be achieved by radiolabeling the BMMSC prior to implantation which allows non-invasive in vivo imaging of cell location and quantification of cell numbers.
This protocol describes a cell labeling procedure that uses Technetium-99m (Tc-99m), and tracking of these cells following implantation into injured flexor tendons in horses. Tc-99m is a short-lived (t1/2 of 6.01 hr) isotope that emits gamma rays and can be internalized by cells in the presence of the lipophilic compound hexamethylpropyleneamine oxime (HMPAO). These properties make it ideal for use in nuclear medicine clinics for the diagnosis of many different diseases. The fate of the labeled cells can be followed in the short term (up to 36 hr) by gamma scintigraphy to quantify both the number of cells retained in the lesion and distribution of the cells into lungs, thyroid and other organs. This technique is adapted from the labeling of blood leukocytes and could be utilized to image implanted BMMSC in other organs.

In Vivo Imaging and Tracking of Technetium-99m Labeled Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Equine Tendinopathy

This protocol describes the radiolabeling of equine mesenchymal stem cells and their implantation into tendon injuries in the horse in order to determine cell survival and tissue distribution using gamma scintigraphy.

Recent advances in the application of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMMSC) for the treatment of tendon and ligament injuries in the horse suggest ...

Isolation and Cellular Phenotyping of Mesenchymal Stem Cells Derived from Synovial Fluid and Bone Marrow of Minipigs

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been established after isolation from various tissue sources, including bone marrow and synovial fluid. Recently, synovial-fluid-derived MSCs were reported to have multi-lineage differentiation potential and immunomodulatory features, which indicates that these cells can be used for tissue engineering and systemic treatments. This study presents a protocol for simple and non-invasive isolation of MSCs derived from the bone marrow and synovial fluid of minipigs to analyze cell surface markers for cell phenotyping and in vitro culturing. Using sexually mature six-month-old minipigs, bone marrow was extracted from the iliac crest bone using a bone marrow extractor, and the synovial fluid was aspirated from the femorotibial joint. Procedures for the collection of samples from both sources were non-invasive. The protocols for effective isolation of MSCs from harvested cell sources and for creating in vitro culture conditions to expand stable MSCs from minipigs and the application of systemic autologous treatments are provided. For cell phenotyping, the cell surface markers of both cells were analyzed using flow cytometry. In the results, the MSCs were isolated from the synovial fluid of the minipigs and showed that synovial-fluid-derived MSCs have a similar morphology and cell phenotype to bone-marrow-derived MSCs. Therefore, non-invasively obtained synovial fluid is a valuable source of MSCs.

A protocol establishing mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) isolated from the synovial fluid and bone marrow of minipigs and non-invasively collected using syringe aspiration is presented. Cellular phenotyping was performed using flow cytometry after cell isolation and in vitro cultivation of bone marrow and synovial fluids derived from MSCs.

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been established after isolation from various tissue sources, including bone marrow and synovial fluid. Recently, ...

In Vivo Evaluation of Fracture Callus Development During Bone Healing in Mice Using an MRI-compatible Osteosynthesis Device for the Mouse Femur

Endochondral fracture healing is a complex process involving the development of fibrous, cartilaginous, and osseous tissue in the fracture callus. The amount of the different tissues in the callus provides important information on the fracture healing progress. Available in vivo techniques to longitudinally monitor the callus tissue development in preclinical fracture-healing studies using small animals include digital radiography and &#181;CT imaging. However, both techniques are only able to distinguish between mineralized and non-mineralized tissue. Consequently, it is impossible to discriminate cartilage from fibrous tissue. In contrast, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) visualizes anatomical structures based on their water content and might therefore be able to noninvasively identify soft tissue and cartilage in the fracture callus. Here, we report the use of an MRI-compatible external fixator for the mouse femur to allow MRI scans during bone regeneration in mice. The experiments demonstrated that the fixator and a custom-made mounting device allow repetitive MRI scans, thus enabling longitudinal analysis of fracture-callus tissue development.

In Vivo Evaluation of Fracture Callus Development During Bone Healing in Mice Using an MRI-compatible Osteosynthesis Device for the Mouse Femur

The evaluation of tissue development in the fracture callus during endochondral bone healing is essential to monitor the healing process. Here, we report the use of a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-compatible external fixator for the mouse femur to allow MRI scans during bone regeneration in mice.

Endochondral fracture healing is a complex process involving the development of fibrous, cartilaginous, and osseous tissue in the fracture callus. The ...

Treatment with Vancomycin Loaded Calcium Sulphate and Autogenous Bone in an Improved Rabbit Model of Bone Infection

Bone infection results from bacterial invasion, which is extremely difficult to treat in clinical, orthopedic, and traumatic surgery. The bone infection may result in sustained inflammation, osteomyelitis, and eventual bone non-union. Establishment of a feasible, reproducible animal model is important to bone infection research and antibiotic treatment. As an in vivo model, the rabbit model is widely used in bone infection research. However, previous studies on rabbit bone infection models showed that the infection status was inconsistent, as the amount of bacteria was variable. This study presents an improved surgical method for inducing bone infection on a rabbit, by blocking the bacteria in the bone marrow. Then, multi-level evaluations can be carried out to verify the modelling method.
In general, debriding necrotic tissue and implantation of vancomycin-loaded calcium sulphate (VCS) are predominant in antibiotic treatment. Although calcium sulphate in VCS benefits osteocyte crawling and new bone growth, massive bone defects occur after debriding. Autogenous bone (AB) is an appealing strategy to overcome bone defects for the treatment of massive bone defects after debriding necrotic bone.
In this study, we used the tail bone as an autogenous bone implanted in the bone defect. Bone repair was measured using micro-computed-tomography (micro-CT) and histological analysis after animal sacrifice. As a result, in the VCS group, bone non-union was consistently obtained. In contrast, the bone defect areas in the VCS-AB group were decreased significantly. The present modeling method described a reproducible, feasible, stable method to prepare a bone infection model. The VCS-AB treatment resulted in lower bone non-union rates after antibiotic treatment. The improved bone infection model and the combination treatment of VCS and autogenous bone could be helpful in studying the underlying mechanisms in bone infection and bone regeneration pertinent to traumatology orthopedic applications.

This study presents an improved rabbit model infected with Staphylococcus aureus by blocking the same amount of bacteria in bone marrow. Vancomycin loaded calcium sulphate and autogenous bone are used for antibiotic and bone repair treatment. The protocol could be helpful for studying bone infection and regeneration.

Bone infection results from bacterial invasion, which is extremely difficult to treat in clinical, orthopedic, and traumatic surgery. The bone infection ...

Database-guided Flow-cytometry for Evaluation of Bone Marrow Myeloid Cell Maturation

A working group initiated within the French Cytometry Association (AFC) was developed in order to harmonize the application of multiparameter flow cytometry (MFC) for myeloid disease diagnosis in France. The protocol presented here was agreed-upon and applied between September 2013 and November 2015 in six French diagnostic laboratories (University Hospitals of Saint-Etienne, Grenoble, Clermont-Ferrand, Nice, and Lille and Institut Paoli-Calmettes in Marseille) and allowed the standardization of bone marrow sample preparation and data acquisition. Three maturation databases were developed for neutrophil, monocytic, and erythroid lineages with bone marrow from "healthy" donor individuals (individuals without any evidence of a hematopoietic disease). A robust method of analysis for each myeloid lineage should be applicable for routine diagnostic use. New cases can be analyzed in the same manner and compared against the usual databases. Thus, quantitative and qualitative phenotypic abnormalities can be identified and those above 2SD compared with data of normal bone marrow samples should be considered indicative of pathology. The major limitation is the higher variability between the data achieved using the monoclonal antibodies obtained with the methods based on hybridoma technologies and currently used in clinical diagnosis. Setting criteria for technical validation of the data acquired may help improve the utility of MFC for MDS diagnostics. The establishment of these criteria requires analysis against a database. The reduction of investigator subjectivity in data analysis is an important advantage of this method.

The MDS diagnosis is difficult in the absence of morphological criteria or non-informative cytogenetics. MFC could help refine the MDS diagnostic process. To become useful for clinical practice, the MFC analysis must be based on parameters with sufficient specificity and sensitivity, and data should be reproducible between different operators.

A working group initiated within the French Cytometry Association (AFC) was developed in order to harmonize the application of multiparameter flow ...

Using a Knee Arthrometer to Evaluate Tissue-specific Contributions to Knee Flexion Contracture in the Rat

Normal knee range of motion (ROM) is critical to well-being and allows one to perform basic activities such as walking, climbing stairs and sitting. Lost ROM is called a joint contracture and results in increased morbidity. Due to the difficulty of reversing established knee contractures, early detection is important, and hence, knowing risk factors for their development is essential. The rat represents a good model with which the effect of an intervention can be studied due to the similarity of rat knee anatomy to that of humans, the rat's ability to tolerate long durations of knee immobilization in flexion, and because mechanical data can be correlated with histologic and biochemical analysis of knee tissue.
Using an automated arthrometer, we demonstrate a validated, precise, reproducible, user-independent method of measuring the extension ROM of the rat knee joint at specific torques. This arthrometer can be used to determine the effects of interventions on knee joint ROM in the rat.

The goal of the protocol is to measure the extension range of motion of the rat knee. The effects of various diseases that increase the stiffness of the knee joint and the effectiveness of treatments can be quantified.

Normal knee range of motion (ROM) is critical to well-being and allows one to perform basic activities such as walking, climbing stairs and sitting. Lost ...