Name: partial lobular hepatectomy: a surgical model for morphologic liver regeneration
Uploaded: 2018-05-31T13:30:00
Description: Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Partial Lobular Hepatectomy: A Surgical Model for Morphologic Liver Regeneration at JoVE.com

We thank P. Chu for performing H&#38;E and histology; and C. Wang and A. McCarty for helpful discussions. Research was supported through funding from the Virginia and D. K. Ludwig Fund for Cancer Research; the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (R01HL058770 and U01HL099999); and the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (RC1 00354) grants to I.W. Y.R. was supported by the Human Frontier Science Program Career Development Award (CDA00017), the German Research Foundation (RI 2787/1), the Siebel Stem Cell Institute, and the Thomas and Stacey Siebel Foundation (1119368-104-GHBJI). J.M.T. was supported by the NIH (T32GM007365), the National Research Service Award (1F30DK108561), and the Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans.

All animal experiments were carried out in strict accordance with the guidelines set forth by the Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care International (AAALAC) and Stanford University&#39;s Administrative Panel on Laboratory Animal Care (APLAC), (Protocol number #10266) and in the United States, or the European Animal Welfare Act, Directive 2010/63/EU. The protocol was approved by the Committee on the Ethics of Animal Experiments of the Government of Bavaria, Germany, and received the perm...

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Acute hepatic injury has traditionally been studied using chemical (acetaminophen, ethanol, carbon tetrachloride), or surgical models (70% partial hepatectomy). The regenerative response after 70% partial hepatectomy has been characterized to involve global hepatocyte hypertrophy and multiple rounds of cell division4,5. To stop hemorrhaging, however, this model is limited, as the major vessels must be ligated leaving an abnormal environment for regeneration. Many...

The ability to regenerate an organ, or to restore form and function, has been thought to be mostly lost over evolutionary time. The regenerative potential of the adult mammalian liver after acute chemical or physical injury has been found to involve the mobilization of all remaining hepatocytes resulting in waves of hypertrophy and few rounds of cell division, resulting in a functional but architecturally different organ1,2,3,4,5. Recently, studies have begun to characterize the regenerative response of neonatal mammalian organs to injury within the first week of life6,7,8. These studies have shown that when injured during neonatal development, certain mammalian organs respond with morphological regeneration instead of compensatory growth or fibrosis7,8.
Recent studies have shown that regeneration of both global structure and function occurs during the early neonatal period6,7,8. Established liver injury protocols involve chemical injury or administration of ethanol9,10,11, acetaminophen12,13,14,15, carbon tetrachloride16,17,18,19, 70% partial hepatectomy4,20,21, or removal of the left and median lobes. Chemical administration leads to hepatocyte cell death, but often leaves micro- and macro-structures intact. Morphologic regeneration cannot be readily studied in this context, as the overall hepatic architecture was not obliterated. The 70% partial hepatectomy involves suture ligation of the major vessels, which is necessary to stop bleeding, but leaves a non-physiologic environment with permanent disruption of vasculature. Furthermore, this method has only been used on adult rodents, and its application to neonates is technically extremely difficult. With this in mind, we developed a method in which 20-30% of the apex of the left lobe is removed in a newborn P0 mouse (Figure 1A-1B). This method is surgically conservative, minimally invasive, not technically challenging, and leads to gross loss of morphology without the ligation of vasculature, leaving room for regeneration to occur. The resulting step-by-step protocol, described below, allows for any researcher to perform a partial lobular hepatectomy on neonatal mice in order to study mammalian neonatal regeneration in the early stages of post-natal life. This method also has clear applications to comparative studies in regenerative medicine and stem cell biology, as it can be used in the liver during later stages of life.
The most common acute liver injury studies are chemically-induced damage, adult liver amputation, or 70% partial hepatectomy. Chemical damage often involves intravenous, intraperitoneal or oral administration of acetaminophen, carbon tetrachloride, or ethanol, and is a relatively easy and non-invasive injury model. As previously discussed, chemical damage results in hepatocyte cell death, but often leaves stroma and parenchyma structures intact, making it difficult to make claims about morphologic regeneration. Chemical damage often centers on hepatic vessels, making it a useful technique to study site and cell-specific injury, but also makes it difficult to interrogate, at the whole organ level, other populations that may be situated further from vessels and that may contribute to regeneration. Despite these limitations, chemical damage still remains a useful and highly physiologically relevant injury model.
Adult 70% partial hepatectomy involves the removal of the left and median lobes following ligation of hepatic vasculature. The response to hepatectomy has been well characterized: the amputated liver 14 days post 70% partial hepatectomy develops a grossly different architecture from that of the original undamaged lobe, as the hepatocytes of the remaining right and caudate lobes undergo hypertrophy and a few rounds of cell division4,5. This makes up lost mass and function, but fails to regenerate the two amputated lobes, and therefore does not replace gross morphology. As a result, the injury response to 70% partial hepatectomy is useful to study compensatory growth mechanisms with limited regeneration.
Here, we fully describe a protocol for a neonatal partial lobular hepatectomy. The procedure involves appropriate animal selection and preparation, surgical field preparation, surgery, and recovery. Optimization and adaptation of each of these steps may be required for different applications of the protocol.
We have extensively performed and optimized this protocol on wild type C57BL/6J pups (JAX 000664), however, to study different cell populations and mechanisms of regeneration, we also used various transgenic animals including mice harboring various Cre and CreERT2 transgenes and/or knock-ins (Axin2CreERT2 JAX 018867, and Sox9CreERT2 JAX 018829) in combination with fluorescent reporters, such as the Rainbow and mTmG systems (R26VT2/GK3, R26mT/mG)22,23. We found no need to change this methodology for different mouse strains, as no differences in survival outcomes or regenerative potential were observed.
In addition to using different animal strains, we also performed partial lobular hepatectomies on neonatal mice treated with small molecules, such as 4-hydroxy-tamoxifen and 5-ethynyl-2&#8242;-deoxyuridine (EdU). Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and ethanol were used as solvents, as it was found that corn oil was a significant cause of morbidity. We otherwise found that intraperitoneal administration of small molecules did not affect survival or regenerative outcomes. We predict that this protocol will be adapted for use with other small molecules to interrogate various aspects of regeneration.
Neonatal mouse surgeries can be technically challenging and may require special expertise in animal handling and microscopic dissection. Animal husbandry expertise is necessary to avoid maternal cannibalism following surgery and during the immediate recovery period.

<table>
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td>Animals</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Mother with litter of day 0 neonatal pups (any strain)</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Surrogate mother and surrogate litter (optional)</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Name</td>
			<td>Company</td>
			<td>Catalog Number</td>
			<td>Comments</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Standard Reagents</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Phosphate Buffered Serum (PBS)</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Providine-iodine or equivalent antiseptic solution</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Name</td>
			<td>Company</td>
			<td>Catalog Number</td>
			<td>Comments</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Surgical Equipment</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Dissecting microscope</td>
			<td>Zeiss</td>
			<td>ZEMSDV4L MFR # 435421-9901-000</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>3mm straight spring micro scissors</td>
			<td>Vannas</td>
			<td>72932-01</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>5SF Forceps</td>
			<td>Dumont</td>
			<td>11252-00</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Straight Kelly forceps</td>
			<td>Grainger</td>
			<td>17-050G</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Heating pad</td>
			<td>Sunbeam</td>
			<td>000771-810-000</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Isoflurane</td>
			<td>Abbott Labs</td>
			<td>0044-5260-05</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Rodent Anesthesia System</td>
			<td>Kent Scientific</td>
			<td>1205S</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Gauze, 10.16 x 10.16cm</td>
			<td>Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>13-761-52</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Name</td>
			<td>Company</td>
			<td>Catalog Number</td>
			<td>Comments</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Standard Equipment</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>1.5ml microcentrifuge tube</td>
			<td>Eppendorf</td>
			<td>22363204</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>6-0 monocryl sutures</td>
			<td>Ethicon</td>
			<td>MCP489G</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Petri dish</td>
			<td>Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>&#160;S35839</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Pipet-Aid, Plain, 110V</td>
			<td>Drummond</td>
			<td>4-000-110</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Mettler Toledo NewClassic ME Analytical Balances</td>
			<td>Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>01-912-402</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Low Cost Induction Chamber</td>
			<td>Kent Scientific</td>
			<td>SOMNO-0730</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

partial lobular hepatectomy: a surgical model for morphologic liver regeneration

Morphological organ regeneration following acute tissue loss is common among lower vertebrates, but is rarely observed in mammalian postnatal life. Adult liver regeneration after 70% partial hepatectomy results in hepatocyte hypertrophy with some replication in remaining lobes with restoration of metabolic activity, but with permanent loss of the injured lobe&#39;s morphology and architecture. Here, we detail a new surgical method in the neonate that leaves a physiologic environment conducive to regeneration. This model involves amputation of the left lobe apex and a subsequent conservative management regimen, and lacks the necessity for ligation of major liver vessels or chemical injury, leaving a physiologic environment where regeneration may occur. We extend this protocol to amputations on juvenile (P7-14) mice, during which the injured liver transitions from organ regeneration to compensatory growth by hypertrophy. The presented, brief 30 min protocol provides a framework to study the mechanisms of regeneration, its age-associated decline in mammals, and the characterization of putative hepatic stem or progenitors.

Figure 1A details a general timeline of the neonatal partial lobular hepatectomy (schematic in Figure 1B), and the expected length of time to wait until regeneration is observed. Subtle regeneration of the left lobe can be observed 7-14 days post surgery. Full regeneration was often observed after 56 days post surgery. Mice should show no signs of physiologic abnormalities after surgery.
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Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Partial Lobular Hepatectomy: A Surgical Model for Morphologic Liver Regeneration at JoVE.com

Partial Lobular Hepatectomy: A Surgical Model for Morphologic Liver Regeneration

Here, we present a new method for partial resection of the left hepatic lobe in neonatal (day 0) mice. This new protocol is suitable for studying acute liver injury and injury response in the neonatal setting.

Morphological organ regeneration following acute tissue loss is common among lower vertebrates, but is rarely observed in mammalian postnatal life. Adult ...

The overall goal of this surgical procedure is to induce morphologic liver regeneration via partial lobular hepatectomy. This method can answer key questions in the fields of stem cell biology and regenerative medicine about morphologic liver regeneration and liver specific stem cells. The main advantages of this technique are that it is minimally invasive and does not require chemical insults or cauterization.Prior to touching the animals, rub the bedding from the mother's cage onto the gloves. Then transfer all of the pups and some bedding from the mother's cage into an empty cage on top of a heating pad. Next, place a pup under a dissecting microscope.After confirming the appropriate level of sedation by lack of response to toe pinch, use a small gauze pad to disinfect the posterior abdominal wall of the animal with betadine. Use micro dissecting scissors and forceps to make a left midclavicular half centimeter incision immediately below the ribcage. Use the forceps to gently separate the skin.Then make a second deeper incision into the peritoneal cavity and use the back blunt edge of the micro dissecting scissors and forceps to apply gentle lateral pressure to both sides of the abdomen, forcing the apex of the left lobe out of the peritoneal cavity. When the left apex of the left lobe is visible, amputate the appropriate experimental amount of tissue from the lobe and place the tissue into a 1.5 milliliter tube of PBS on ice. Using a rolled piece of gauze, gently return the left lobe to the peritoneal cavity.Remove the gauze when the bleeding stops and wet the surgical site and surrounding area with gauze soaked with PBS. Close the surgical site with sutures and a running stitch. Then gently but thoroughly roll a PBS soaked gauze over the pup and wound site ensuring no blood or betadine remains.Allow the pup to recover near gauze pads exposed to the mother's feces and urine. When all of the pups have been hepatectomized return all of the animals and bedding to the mother's cage. After weighing the lobes, fix tissue samples in 2%paraformaldehyde for one hour at room temperature.At the end of the fixation, transfer the tissues into individual freezing molds containing optimal cutting temperature medium for freezing over dry ice. And acquire 7-10 micrometer sections of each lobe using any standard cryostat. Check the pups daily for at least 56 days to confirm that their wounds remain closed and inject analgesia 24 and 48 hours post surgery.At the appropriate experimental end point harvest and weigh the liver from each pup on block. Then carefully separate each individual lobe at its proximal attachment and compare the mass of the amputated left lobe to the mass of the whole liver to determine the extent of regeneration in each lobe. Subtle regeneration of the left lobe can be observed 7-14 days post surgery and full regeneration is often observed after 56 days.With no significant difference in hepatocyte areas in the regenerated liver revealed by histological analysis. Further, neonatal mouse injections with EdU indicates a significant increase in the number of proliferating cells in the injured regenerating left lobe compared to uninjured controls suggesting that cell proliferation contributes to left lobe regeneration in neonates. Hepatectomy in post natal day 14 juvenile mice results in a decreased regeneration in the left lobe with an increased compensation from the uninjured lobes, however.Indicating that by 14 days the injury response to acute resection switches from lobe specific regeneration to global compensation. Once mastered, this technique can be completed within 15 minutes if performed properly. While attempting this procedure, it is important to be as careful as possible so not to cause extra stress to the mother or the pups.Following this procedure, other methods such as serial hepatecomies or chronic liver injuries can be done to further assess the regenerative potential of the liver. After its development, this technique paved the way for researchers in the field of stem cell biology to explore liver regeneration in the neonatal mouse. After watching this video, you should have a good understanding of how to complete a lobe specific controlled amputation of the neonatal mouse liver.Don't forget that working with isoflurane is extremely hazardous and precautions such as a face mask and gloves should always be taken when performing this procedure.

partial-lobular-hepatectomy-surgical-model-for-morphologic-liver

Research

JoVE Journal

Developmental Biology

Kidney Regeneration in Adult Zebrafish by Gentamicin Induced Injury

The kidney is essential for fluid homeostasis, blood pressure regulation and filtration of waste from the body. The fundamental unit of kidney function is the nephron. Mammals are able to repair existing nephrons after injury, but lose the ability to form new nephrons soon after birth. In contrast to mammals, adult fish produce new nephrons (neonephrogenesis) throughout their lives in response to growth requirements or injury. Recently, lhx1a has been shown to mark nephron progenitor cells in the adult zebrafish kidney, however mechanisms controlling the formation of new nephrons after injury remain unknown. Here we show our method for robust and reproducible injury in the adult zebrafish kidney by intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of gentamicin, which uses a noninvasive visual screening process to select for fish with strong but nonlethal injury. Using this method, we can determine optimal gentamicin dosages for injury and go on to demonstrate the effect of higher temperatures on kidney regeneration in zebrafish.

Here we present a reliable method to study adult kidney regeneration by inducing acute kidney injury by gentamicin injection. We show that injury is dependent on gentamicin dosage and environmental temperature using in situ hybridization to label lhx1a+ developing new nephrons.

The kidney is essential for fluid homeostasis, blood pressure regulation and filtration of waste from the body. The fundamental unit of kidney function is ...

Deriving Retinal Pigment Epithelium (RPE) from Induced Pluripotent Stem (iPS) Cells by Different Sizes of Embryoid Bodies

Pluripotent stem cells possess the ability to proliferate indefinitely and to differentiate into almost any cell type. Additionally, the development of techniques to reprogram somatic cells into induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells has generated interest and excitement towards the possibility of customized personal regenerative medicine. However, the efficiency of stem cell differentiation towards a desired lineage remains low. The purpose of this study is to describe a protocol to derive retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) from iPS cells (iPS-RPE) by applying a tissue engineering approach to generate homogenous populations of embryoid bodies (EBs), a common intermediate during in vitro differentiation. The protocol applies the formation of specific size of EBs using microwell plate technology. The methods for identifying protein and gene markers of RPE by immunocytochemistry and reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) are also explained. Finally, the efficiency of differentiation in different sizes of EBs monitored by fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) analysis of RPE markers is described. These techniques will facilitate the differentiation of iPS cells into RPE for future applications.

Deriving Retinal Pigment Epithelium RPE from Induced Pluripotent Stem iPS Cells by Different Sizes of Embryoid Bodies

The objective of this report is to describe the protocols to derive the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) from induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells using different sizes of embryoid bodies.

Pluripotent stem cells possess the ability to proliferate indefinitely and to differentiate into almost any cell type. Additionally, the development of ...

Hepatocyte-specific Ablation in Zebrafish to Study Biliary-driven Liver Regeneration

The liver has a great capacity to regenerate. Hepatocytes, the parenchymal cells of the liver, can regenerate in one of two ways: hepatocyte- or biliary-driven liver regeneration. In hepatocyte-driven liver regeneration, regenerating hepatocytes are derived from preexisting hepatocytes, whereas, in biliary-driven regeneration, regenerating hepatocytes are derived from biliary epithelial cells (BECs). For hepatocyte-driven liver regeneration, there are excellent rodent models that have significantly contributed to the current understanding of liver regeneration. However, no such rodent model exists for biliary-driven liver regeneration. We recently reported on a zebrafish liver injury model in which BECs extensively give rise to hepatocytes upon severe hepatocyte loss. In this model, hepatocytes are specifically ablated by a pharmacogenetic means. Here we present in detail the methods to ablate hepatocytes and to analyze the BEC-driven liver regeneration process. This hepatocyte-specific ablation model can be further used to discover the underlying molecular and cellular mechanisms of biliary-driven liver regeneration. Moreover, these methods can be applied to chemical screens to identify small molecules that augment or suppress liver regeneration.

To help assess the molecular mechanisms underlying zebrafish biliary-driven liver regeneration, we established a liver injury model in which the nitroreductase-expressing hepatocytes are genetically ablated upon metronidazole treatment. In this protocol, we describe how to adeptly manipulate, monitor and analyze hepatocyte ablation and biliary-driven liver regeneration.

The liver has a great capacity to regenerate. Hepatocytes, the parenchymal cells of the liver, can regenerate in one of two ways: hepatocyte- or ...

Simultaneous Assessment of Cardiomyocyte DNA Synthesis and Ploidy: A Method to Assist Quantification of Cardiomyocyte Regeneration and Turnover

Although it is accepted that the heart has a limited potential to regenerate cardiomyocytes following injury and that low levels of cardiomyocyte turnover occur during normal ageing, quantification of these events remains challenging. This is in part due to the rarity of the process and the fact that multiple cellular sources contribute to myocardial maintenance. Furthermore, DNA duplication within cardiomyocytes often leads to a polyploid cardiomyocyte and only rarely leads to new cardiomyocytes by cellular division. In order to accurately quantify cardiomyocyte turnover discrimination between these processes is essential. The protocol described here employs long term nucleoside labeling in order to label all nuclei which have arisen as a result of DNA replication and cardiomyocyte nuclei identified by utilizing nuclei isolation and subsequent PCM1 immunolabeling. Together this allows the accurate and sensitive identification of the nucleoside labeling of the cardiomyocyte nuclei population. Furthermore, 4&#8242;,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole labeling and analysis of nuclei ploidy, enables the discrimination of neo-cardiomyocyte nuclei from nuclei which have incorporated nucleoside during polyploidization. Although this method cannot control for cardiomyocyte binucleation, it allows a rapid and robust quantification of neo-cardiomyocyte nuclei while accounting for polyploidization. This method has a number of downstream applications including assessing the potential therapeutics to enhance cardiomyocyte regeneration or investigating the effects of cardiac disease on cardiomyocyte turnover and ploidy. This technique is also compatible with additional downstream immunohistological techniques, allowing quantification of nucleoside incorporation in all cardiac cell types.

Quantification of cardiomyocyte turnover is challenging. The protocol described here makes an important contribution to this challenge by enabling accurate and sensitive quantification of neo-cardiomyocyte nuclei generation and nuclei ploidy.

Although it is accepted that the heart has a limited potential to regenerate cardiomyocytes following injury and that low levels of cardiomyocyte turnover ...

Development of an Ethanol-induced Fibrotic Liver Model in Zebrafish to Study Progenitor Cell-mediated Hepatocyte Regeneration

Sustained liver fibrosis with continuation of extracellular matrix (ECM) protein build-up results in the loss of cellular competency of the liver, leading to cirrhosis with hepatocellular dysfunction. Among multiple hepatic insults, alcohol abuse can lead to significant health problems including liver failure and hepatocellular carcinoma. Nonetheless, the identity of endogenous cellular sources that regenerate hepatocytes in response to alcohol has not been properly investigated. Moreover, few studies have effectively modeled hepatocyte regeneration upon alcohol-induced injury. We recently reported on establishing an ethanol (EtOH)-induced fibrotic liver model in zebrafish in which hepatic progenitor cells (HPCs) gave rise to hepatocytes upon near-complete hepatocyte loss in the presence of fibrogenic stimulus. Furthermore, through chemical screens using this model, we identified multiple small molecules that enhance hepatocyte regeneration. Here we describe in detail the procedures to develop an EtOH-induced fibrotic liver model and to perform chemical screens using this model in zebrafish. This protocol will be a critical tool to delineate the molecular and cellular mechanisms of how hepatocyte regenerates in the fibrotic liver. Furthermore, these methods will facilitate potential discovery of novel therapeutic strategies for chronic liver disease in vivo.

Sustained fibrosis with deposition of excessive extracellular matrix proteins leads to cirrhosis. Alcohol abuse is one of the main causes of severe liver disease. We established an ethanol-induced zebrafish fibrotic liver model to study the mechanisms and strategies of promoting hepatocyte regeneration upon alcohol-induced injury.

Sustained liver fibrosis with continuation of extracellular matrix (ECM) protein build-up results in the loss of cellular competency of the liver, leading ...

Surgical Ablation Assay for Studying Eye Regeneration in Planarians

In the study of adult stem cells and regenerative mechanisms, planarian flatworms are a staple in vivo model system. This is due in large part to their abundant pluripotent stem cell population and ability to regenerate all cell and tissue types after injuries that would be catastrophic for most animals. Recently, planarians have gained popularity as a model for eye regeneration. Their ability to regenerate the entire eye (comprised of two tissue types: pigment cells and photoreceptors) allows for the dissection of the mechanisms regulating visual system regeneration. Eye ablation has several advantages over other techniques (such as decapitation or hole punch) for examining eye-specific pathways and mechanisms, the most important of which is that regeneration is largely restricted to eye tissues alone. The purpose of this video article is to demonstrate how to reliably remove the planarian optic cup without disturbing the brain or surrounding tissues. The handling of worms and maintenance of an established colony is also described. This technique uses a 31 G, 5/16-inch insulin needle to surgically scoop out the optic cup of planarians immobilized on a cold plate. This method encompasses both single and double eye ablation, with eyes regenerating within 1-2 weeks, allowing for a wide range of applications. In particular, this ablation technique can be easily combined with pharmacological and genetic (RNA interference) screens for a better understanding of regenerative mechanisms and their evolution, eye stem cells and their maintenance, and phototaxic behavioral responses and their neurological basis.

This protocol shows how to consistently excise planarian eyes (optic cups) without disturbing surrounding tissues. Using an insulin needle and syringe, either one or both eyes can be ablated to facilitate investigations into the mechanisms regulating eye regeneration, the evolution of visual regeneration, and the neural basis of light-induced behavior.

In the study of adult stem cells and regenerative mechanisms, planarian flatworms are a staple in vivo model system. This is due in large part to their ...

Chemical Amputation and Regeneration of the Pharynx in the Planarian Schmidtea mediterranea

Planarians are flatworms that are extremely efficient at regeneration. They owe this ability to a large number of stem cells that can rapidly respond to any type of injury. Common injury models in these animals remove large amounts of tissue, which damages multiple organs. To overcome this broad tissue damage, we describe here a method to selectively remove a single organ, the pharynx, in the planarian Schmidtea mediterranea. We achieve this by soaking animals in a solution containing the cytochrome oxidase inhibitor sodium azide. Brief exposure to sodium azide causes extrusion of the pharynx from the animal, which we call &#34;chemical amputation.&#34;&#160;Chemical amputation removes the entire pharynx, and generates a small wound where the pharynx attaches to the intestine. After extensive rinsing, all amputated animals regenerate a fully functional pharynx in approximately one week. Stem cells in the rest of the body drive regeneration of the new pharynx. Here, we provide a detailed protocol for chemical amputation, and describe both histological and behavioral methods to assess successful amputation and regeneration.

Chemical Amputation and Regeneration of the Pharynx in the Planarian Schmidtea mediterranea

The planarian Schmidtea mediterranea is an excellent model for studying stem cells and tissue regeneration. This publication describes a method to selectively remove one organ, the pharynx, by exposing animals to the chemical sodium azide. This protocol also outlines methods for monitoring pharynx regeneration.

Planarians are flatworms that are extremely efficient at regeneration. They owe this ability to a large number of stem cells that can rapidly respond to ...

A Familial Hypercholesterolemia Human Liver Chimeric Mouse Model Using Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-derived Hepatocytes

Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is mostly caused by low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) mutations and results in an increased risk of early-onset cardiovascular disease due to marked elevation of LDL cholesterol (LDL-C) in blood. Statins are the first line of lipid-lowering drugs for treating FH and other types of hypercholesterolemia, but new approaches are emerging, in particular PCSK9 antibodies, which are now being tested in clinical trials. To explore novel therapeutic approaches for FH, either new drugs or new formulations, we need appropriate in vivo models. However, differences in the lipid metabolic profiles compared to humans are a key problem of the available animal models of FH. To address this issue, we have generated a human liver chimeric mouse model using FH induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived hepatocytes (iHeps). We used Ldlr-/-/Rag2-/-/Il2rg-/- (LRG) mice to avoid immune rejection of transplanted human cells and to assess the effect of LDLR-deficient iHeps in an LDLR null background. Transplanted FH iHeps could repopulate 5-10% of the LRG mouse liver based on human albumin staining. Moreover, the engrafted iHeps responded to lipid-lowering drugs and recapitulated clinical observations of increased efficacy of PCSK9 antibodies compared to statins. Our human liver chimeric model could thus be useful for preclinical testing of new therapies to FH. Using the same protocol, similar human liver chimeric mice for other FH genetic variants, or mutations corresponding to other inherited liver diseases, may also be generated.

Here, we present a protocol to generate a human liver chimeric mouse model of familial hypercholesterolemia using human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived hepatocytes. This is a valuable model for testing new therapies for hypercholesterolemia.

Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is mostly caused by low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) mutations and results in an increased risk of early-onset ...

A Simplified and Efficient Method to Isolate Primary Human Keratinocytes from Adult Skin Tissue

Primary human keratinocytes isolated from fresh skin tissues and their expansion in vitro have been widely used for laboratory research and for clinical applications. The conventional isolation method of human keratinocytes involves a two-step sequential enzymatic digestion procedure, which has been proven to be inefficient in generating primary cells from adult tissues due to the low cell recovery rate and reduced cell viability. We recently reported an advanced method to isolate human primary epidermal progenitor cells from skin tissues that utilizes the Rho kinase inhibitor Y-27632 in the medium. Compared with the traditional protocol, this new method is simpler, easier, and less time-consuming, and increases epithelial stem cell yield and enhances their stem cell characteristics. Moreover, the new methodology does not require the separation of the epidermis from the dermis, and, therefore, is suitable for isolating cells from different types of adult tissues. This new isolation method overcomes the major shortcomings of conventional methods and is more suitable for producing large numbers of epidermal cells with high potency both for laboratory and for clinical applications. Here, we describe the new method in detail.

Here we present a protocol to efficiently isolate primary human keratinocytes from adult skin tissues. This method simplifies the conventional procedure by using the ROCK Inhibitor Y-27632 in the inoculation medium to spontaneously separate epidermal cells from dermal cells.

Primary human keratinocytes isolated from fresh skin tissues and their expansion in vitro have been widely used for laboratory research and for clinical ...

Adult Mouse Digit Amputation and Regeneration: A Simple Model to Investigate Mammalian Blastema Formation and Intramembranous Ossification

Here, we present a protocol of adult mouse distal terminal phalanx (P3) amputation, a procedurally simple and reproducible mammalian model of epimorphic regeneration, which involves blastema formation and intramembranous ossification analyzed by fluorescence immunohistochemistry and sequential in-vivo microcomputed tomography (&#956;CT). Mammalian regeneration is restricted to amputations transecting the distal region of the terminal phalanx (P3); digits amputated at more proximal levels fail to regenerate and undergo fibrotic healing and scar formation. The regeneration response is mediated by the formation of a proliferative blastema, followed by bone regeneration via intramembranous ossification to restore the amputated skeletal length. P3 amputation is a preclinical model to investigate epimorphic regeneration in mammals, and is a powerful tool for the design of therapeutic strategies to replace fibrotic healing with a successful regenerative response. Our protocol uses fluorescence immunohistochemistry to 1) identify early-and-late blastema cell populations, 2) study revascularization in the context of regeneration, and 3) investigate intramembranous ossification without the need for complex bone stabilization devices. We also demonstrate the use of sequential in vivo &#956;CT to create high resolution images to examine morphological changes after amputation, as well as quantify volume and length changes in the same digit over the course of regeneration. We believe this protocol offers tremendous utility to investigate both epimorphic and tissue regenerative responses in mammals.

Here, we present a protocol of adult mouse terminal phalanx amputation to investigate mammalian blastema formation and intramembranous ossification, analyzed by fluorescent immunohistochemistry and sequential in-vivo microcomputed tomography.

Here, we present a protocol of adult mouse distal terminal phalanx (P3) amputation, a procedurally simple and reproducible mammalian model of epimorphic ...