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Method Article
* These authors contributed equally
This protocol efficiently studies mammalian cell division in 3D collagen matrices by integrating synchronization of cell division, monitoring of division events in 3D matrices using live-cell imaging technique, time-resolved confocal reflection microscopy and quantitative imaging analysis.
The study of how mammalian cell division is regulated in a 3D environment remains largely unexplored despite its physiological relevance and therapeutic significance. Possible reasons for the lack of exploration are the experimental limitations and technical challenges that render the study of cell division in 3D culture inefficient. Here, we describe an imaging-based method to efficiently study mammalian cell division and cell-matrix interactions in 3D collagen matrices. Cells labeled with fluorescent H2B are synchronized using the combination of thymidine blocking and nocodazole treatment, followed by a mechanical shake-off technique. Synchronized cells are then embedded into a 3D collagen matrix. Cell division is monitored using live-cell microscopy. The deformation of collagen fibers during and after cell division, which is an indicator of cell-matrix interaction, can be monitored and quantified using quantitative confocal reflection microscopy. The method provides an efficient and general approach to study mammalian cell division and cell-matrix interactions in a physiologically relevant 3D environment. This approach not only provides novel insights into the molecular basis of the development of normal tissue and diseases, but also allows for the design of novel diagnostic and therapeutic approaches.
Cell mitosis is a critical event in cellular life, the regulation of which plays crucial roles in tissue and organ development. Abnormal mitosis is implicated in natural genetic variations, human aging processes, and the progression of cancer1,2,3,4,5. The increased rate of proliferation of tumor cells compared with normal cells is one of the hallmarks of cancer, despite the fact that cell behaviors are quite heterogeneous among different types of tumors and even among patients. In spite of promising preclinical results, some newly-developed antimitotic drugs have not shown to be effective in clinical trials6,7,8,9,10,11.The relevance of experimental and preclinical models has to be considered. Many types of normal mammalian and cancer cells divide in three-dimensional (3D) matrices, such as fibroblasts and fibrosarcoma cells in collagen I-rich 3D connective tissues, and metastatic cancer cells in the 3D stromal extracellular matrix (ECM). However, the vast majority of mammalian cell division experiments and assays have been performed on cells cultured on two-dimensional (2D) substrates. An engineered 3D matrix could better recapitulate the microstructure, mechanical properties, and biochemical signals of the 3D ECM of both normal and pathologic tissues12,13,14,15,16,17.
The study of how mammalian cell division is regulated in 3D environments remains largely unexplored despite both the physiological relevance and the therapeutic significance18,19. Possible reasons include the technical difficulties and experimental challenges associated with studying cell division in 3D matrices. Cell mitosis constitutes a small temporal fraction in the whole cell cycle20. Previous work has shown that the proliferation rate of many mammalian cells, such as human breast adenocarcinoma MCF-7, human osteosarcoma U2OS, and human liver HepG2, is much lower in 3D matrices compared with their counterparts on 2D substrates21,22. Furthermore, cells embedded in 3D matrices move in and out of focus during live-cell imaging. All of these factors contribute to the extremely low efficiency of capturing cell-division events in 3D culture using imaging techniques.
Interactions between the ECM and cells play critical roles in regulating cell divisions. Here, we describe an approach to efficiently study mammalian cell division in 3D collagen matrices. The method includes the incorporation of mitotic markers to the cells, synchronization of cell division, as well as the monitoring of division events in 3D matrices using the live-cell imaging technique, time-resolved confocal reflection microscopy, and quantitative imaging analysis. Fluorescence-labeled histone protein H2B is first introduced into the cells as a marker to differentiate mitotic and interphase cells. Then the cells are synchronized using the combination of thymidine blocking and nocodazole treatment, followed by a mechanical shake-off technique. Synchronized cells are then directly encapsulated into 3D collagen matrices. Cell division events of multiple cells are monitored efficiently using low-magnification time-lapse live-cell imaging. The deformation of collagen fibers, which is an indicator of cell-matrix interaction, is monitored using confocal reflection microscopy at high-magnification.
We have previously used this technique to monitor and quantify cell-matrix interaction before, during and after the mitosis of two metastatic cancer cell lines, human invasive ductal carcinoma MDA-MB-231 and human fibrosarcoma HT1080 cells, in 3D collagen matrices19. The methods presented here provide an efficient and general approach to study both mammalian cell division in a 3D environment and cell-matrix interactions. The MDA-MB-231 cell line is used as an example throughout the paper. This protocol provides novel insights into the molecular basis of the development of normal tissue and diseases, and could also allow for the design of novel diagnostic and therapeutic approaches.
The protocol provided follows the guidelines of The Homewood Institutional Review Board (HIRB).
1. Stable Expression of H2B-mCherry as a Marker for Cell Mitosis
2. Synchronization of the Cells Stably Expressing H2B-mCherry
3. Incorporation of the Synchronized Cells into the Collagen I Matrices
NOTE: Type I collagen is the most abundant protein in the human body and in the ECM of connective tissues, and thus is widely used to investigate how eukaryotic cell functions are modulated by a 3D environment17,23,24. Collagen is soluble in acetic acid. After neutralizing and warming the collagen solution to 20 - 37 °C, collagen monomers polymerize into a meshwork of collagen fibrils.
4. Live Cell Imaging of the Cells Dividing in the 3D Collagen Matrices (Low Magnification)
NOTE: Images of cells are collected at 2 min intervals using a charge coupled device (CCD) camera mounted on a phase contrast microscope that is equipped with a 10X objective and controlled by imaging software.
5. Collagen Network Deformation During Cell Division (High Magnification Microscopy)
The goal of this article is to present an imaging-based method to study mammalian cell division processes in 3D matrices, and to quantify the interactions between the cell and the 3D extracellular matrix during and after cell division. To facilitate the imaging of cell mitosis, we incorporated H2B-mCherry into MDA-MB-231 cells using lentiviral transduction. H2B conjugated with fluorescent proteins is used as a mitotic marker to distinguish mitotic cells from interphase cells, and to defin...
The previous study of cell division in 3D was not efficient due to experimental limitations and technical challenges18,19. The critical steps for efficient study of mammalian cell division in 3D collagen matrices are: (1) the incorporation of fluorescence-labeled mitotic markers to the cells; (2) the synchronization of cell division; and (3) the monitoring of division events in 3D matrices using live-cell imaging technique, time-resolved confocal reflection micro...
The authors declare that they have no competing financial interests.
This work was supported by NIH grants R01CA174388 and U54CA143868. The authors would like to acknowledge the PURA award from the Johns Hopkins University for support of Wei-tong Chen. This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship under Grant No. 1232825.
Name | Company | Catalog Number | Comments |
Human embryonic kidney 293T | ATCC | ||
MDA-MB-231 | Physical Sciences Oncology Center, NIH | ||
DMEM | Corning | 10-013-CV | |
DMEM powder | ThermoFisher Scientific | 12100-046 | |
Fetal bovine serum | Hyclone | SH30910.03 | |
Penicillin-Streptomycin 100X | Sigma-Aldrich | P0781 | |
Fugene HD | Promega | E2311 | |
Lipofectamine 2000 | Life technologies | 11668-07 | |
Plasmid encoding H2B-mCherry in a lentiviral vector | Addgene | plasmid 21217 | |
Thymidine | Sigma-Aldrich | T1895 | |
Nocodazole | Sigma-Aldrich | M1404 | |
Opti-MEM | Life Technologies | 31985-070 | |
Sodium bicarbonate | GibcoBRL | 11810-025 | |
HEPES | Sigma-Aldrich | 113375-100 | |
Collagen | Corning | 354236 | |
NaOH | J.T. Bake | 3722-01 | |
Millex-HV syringe filter unit, 0.45-μm, PVDF, 33 mm | Millipore | SLHVM33RS | |
Nikon TE2000E epifluorescence microscope | Nikon | TE2000E | |
Cascade 1K CCD camera | Roper Scientific | ||
NIS-Elements AR imaging software | Nikon | ||
Nikon A1 confocal microscope | Nikon | A1 |
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