Investigating Aortic Valve Calcification via Isolation and Culture of T Lymphocytes using Feeder Cells from Irradiated Buffy Coat

Summary

In this study, we describe the process of T lymphocyte isolation from fresh samples of calcified aortic valves and the analytical steps of T cell-cloning for the characterization of the adaptive leukocyte subsets by using flow cytometry analysis.

Abstract

Calcific aortic valve disease (CAVD), an active disease process ranging from mild thickening of the valve to severe calcification, is associated with high mortality, despite new therapeutic options such as transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR).

The complete pathways that start with valve calcification and lead to severe aortic stenosis remain only partly understood. By providing a close representation of the aortic valve cells in vivo, the assaying of T lymphocytes from stenotic valve tissue could be an efficient way to clarify their role in the development of calcification. After surgical excision, the fresh aortic valve sample is dissected in small pieces and the T lymphocytes are cultured, cloned then analyzed using fluorescence activated cell sorting (FACS).

The staining procedure is simple and the stained tubes can also be fixed using 0.5% of paraformaldehyde and analyzed up to 15 days later. The results generated from the staining panel can be used to track changes in T cell concentrations over time in relation to intervention and could easily be further developed to assess activation states of specific T cell subtypes of interest. In this study, we show the isolation of T cells, performed on fresh calcified aortic valve samples and the steps of analyzing T cell clones using flow cytometry to further understand the role of adaptive immunity in CAVD pathophysiology.

Introduction

Calcific aortic valve disease (CAVD) is one of the most common heart valve disorders, with a heavy impact on healthcare. The frequency of aortic valve replacement in the last years has increased dramatically and is expected to increase further, due to the growing elderly population¹.

The underlying pathophysiology of CAVD is only partially known and the current therapeutic strategies are limited to conservative measures or aortic valve replacement, either through surgical or percutaneous procedures. To date, no effective medical treatment can hinder or reverse CAVD progression and high mortality is associated with ea....

Protocol

The study was conducted according to the Statute of the Charité for Ensuring Good Scientific Practice and the legal guidelines and provisions on privacy and ethics were respected. The Ethics Committee approved all human experiments and the privacy and anonymity of the patients were maintained in accordance with the rules reported on the Ethic Form.

NOTE: For the protocol described below fresh human stenotic valve samples were used.

1. Reagent preparation

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Discussion

Here we present a method to characterize T lymphocyte subpopulations isolated from stenotic aortic valve samples, using flow cytometry. This method requires the use of irradiated buffy coat to isolate the PBMCs. The radiation frequency to which the buffy coat bags must be subjected is 9000 Rad/90 Gray (Gy) and it represents a crucial step to halt the proliferation of the feeder cells. The role of the cells isolated from the buffy coat bags is to act only as feeder cells and provide nutrients for the T cells isolated from.......

Materials

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
50 mL plastic syringes	Fisherbrand	9000701
96- well U- bottom Multiwell plates	Greiner Bio-One	10638441
Bag Spike (needle free)	Sigma	P6148	Dilute to 4% with PBS
CD14 Brilliant violet 421	Biolegend	560349
CD25 PE	Biolegend	302621
CD3 PE/Cy7	Biolegend	300316
CD4 Alexa Fluor 488	Biolegend	317419
CD45 Brilliant violet 711	Biolegend	304137
CD8 Brilliant violet 510	Biolegend	301047
Eppendorf tube 1.5 mL	Eppendorf	13094697
Eppendorf tube 0.5 mL	Thermo Scientific	AB0533
Falcon 15 mL conical centrifuge tube	Falcon	10136120
Falcon 50 mL conical centrifuge tubes	Falcon	10788561
Falcon Round-Bottom Polystyrene Tubes	BD	2300E
Fast read 102 plastic counting chamber	KOVA INTERNATIONAL	630-1893
Filters for culture medium 250 mL	NalgeneThermo Fisher Scientific	168-0045
Filters for culture medium 500 mL	NalgeneThermo Fisher Scientific	166-0045
HB 101 Lyophilized Supplement	Irvine Scientific	T151
HB Basal Medium	Irvine Scientific	T000
Heat-Inactivated FBS (Fetal Bovine Serum)	Euroclone	ECS0180L
HS (Human serum)	Sigma Aldrich	H3667
Human IL-2 IS	Miltenyi Biotec	130-097-744
L-Glutamine	Gibco	11140050
Lymphoprep	Falcon	352057
Non-essential amino acids solution	Sigma	11082132001
Paraformaldehyde	Thermo Fisher Scientific	10538931
PBS (Phosphate-buffered saline)	Thermo Fisher Scientific	10010023
Penicillin/Streptomycin	Gibco	15070063	10000 U/mL
PHA (phytohemagglutinin)	Stem Cell Technologies	7811
Plastic Petri dishes	Thermo Scientific	R80115TS	10 0mm x 15 mm
RPMI 1640 Media	HyClone	15-040-CV
Sodium pyruvate	Gibco by Life technologies	11360070
Syringe Filters 0,45µl	Rotilabo-Spritzenfilter	P667.1
T-25 Cell culture flasks	InvitrogenThermo Fisher Scientific	AM9625
T-75 Cell culture flask	Thermo Fisher Scientific	10232771
β- Mercaptoethanol	Gibco	A2916801