Extraction, Labeling, and Purification of Lineage-Specific Cells from Human Antral Follicles

Summary

Here, we present protocols for the identification and purification of ovarian cells from antral follicles. We elaborate on methods for processing whole ovaries for the cryopreservation of cortical strips while also harvesting intact antral follicles that are treated enzymatically to liberate multiple follicle resident cell types, including granulosa, theca, endothelial, hematopoietic, and stromal cells.

Abstract

The activation, growth, development, and maturation of oocytes is a complex process that is coordinated not just between multiple cell types of the ovary but also across multiple points of control within the hypothalamic/pituitary/ovarian circuit. Within the ovary, multiple specialized cell types grow in close association with the oocyte within the ovarian follicles. The biology of these cells has been well described at the later stages, when they are easily recovered as byproducts of assisted reproductive treatments. However, the in-depth analysis of small antral follicles isolated directly from the ovary is not commonly carried out due to the scarcity of human ovarian tissue and the limited access to the ovary in patients undergoing assisted reproductive treatments.

These methods for processing whole ovaries for the cryopreservation of cortical strips with the concurrent identification/isolation of ovary resident cells enable the high-resolution analysis of the early stages of antral follicle development. We demonstrate protocols for isolating discrete cell types by treating antral follicles enzymatically and separating the granulosa, theca, endothelial, hematopoietic, and stromal cells. The isolation of cells from the antral follicles at various sizes and developmental stages enables the comprehensive analysis of the cellular and molecular mechanisms that drive follicle growth and ovarian physiology and provides a source of viable cells that can be cultured in vitro to recapitulate the follicle microenvironment.

Introduction

The primary functional elements of the human ovary are the follicles, which govern the growth and development of oocytes. Protocols for the isolation of follicular cells have been well established in the context of in vitro fertilization, but these are appropriate only for the collection of cells from luteinized follicles at the point of oocyte retrieval¹. We have developed a protocol that enables the isolation of discrete cell populations from antral follicles at different developmental stages that arise from native ovaries or xenotransplanted ovarian tissue². Although there is consensus that the contributions ....

Protocol

All procedures involving mice were approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) at Weill Cornell Medicine. All xenotransplantation experiments using ovarian tissue were performed in accordance with relevant guidelines and regulations. Both ovaries were isolated from a 14-year-old brain-dead organ donor with no history of radio/chemotherapy and no documented history of endocrine or reproductive conditions. The institutional review board (IRB) Committee of Weill Cornell Medicine approved the collecti.......

Discussion

Better resolution of the cellular diversity within the ovarian follicles is clinically important for several reasons. In applying the above protocol to the isolation of the unique phenotypic subtypes that reside within antral stage follicles, several factors should be considered. First, the health and viability of the ovarian tissue from which the antral follicle is derived is critical in determining the quality of the cells and the success of downstream applications. This can be optimized by minimizing the ischemic inte.......

Materials

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
Chemicals, reagents
Antibiotic-Antimycotic 100x	Thermo Fisher Scientific	15240062	Anti-Anti
Antifade Mountant solution	Thermo Fisher Scientific	P36930	ProLong Gold
Collagenase from Clostridium histolyticum	Millipore Sigma	C 2674
DAPI	Thermo Fisher Scientific	D1306
Dispase II, powder	Thermo Fisher Scientific	17105041
DMSO	Millipore Sigma	D 2650	Dimethyl sulfoxide
DPBS, no calcium, no magnesium	Thermo Fisher Scientific	14190144
Enzyme Cell Detachment Medium	Thermo Fisher Scientific	00-4555-56	Accutase
Fetal Bovine Serum, heat-inactivated	Thermo Fisher Scientific	10438026
Hanks′ Balanced Salt solution	Thermo Fisher Scientific	14175079	no calcium, no magnesium, no phenol red
Leibovitz’s L-15 medium	Thermo Fisher Scientific	11415064
Normal Saline	Quality Biological	114-055-101
Sucrose	Millipore Sigma	S 1888
Freezing Medium (100 mL, filtered through a 0.2 micron filter)
- 69.64 mL of Leibovitz's L-15
- 17.66 mL of fetal bovine serum
- 3.42 g of sucrose
- 10.65 mL of DMSO
- 1 mL of antibiotic-antimycotic
Lab Plasticware and Supplies
6-well Clear Flat Bottom Not Treated	Corning	351146	Falcon
Cell Strainer 100 µm	Fisher scientific	352360	Corning, Falcon
Cryovials	Thermo Fisher Scientific	377267	CryoTube 1.8 mL
Petri dish, D x H 150 mm x 25 mm	Millipore Sigma	CLS430599	60EA
Round-Bottom Polystyrene Test Tubes with Cell Strainer Snap Cap, 5 mL	Fisher scientific	352235	Corning, Falcon
Vacuum Filter/Storage Bottle System, 0.22 µm	Corning	431154
Antibodies
ANPEP	BioLegend	301703
CD34	R&D Systems	FAB7227A
CD45	BioLegend	304019
CD55	BioLegend	311306
CD 99	BioLegend	371308
PVRL	BioLegend	340404
Surgical tools
long forceps (~150 mm length)	Fisherbrand	12-000-128	Fisher Scientific
medium forceps (~110 mm length)	Fisherbrand	12-000-157	Fisher Scientific
number 21 scalpel	Andwin Scientific	EF7281H	Fisher Scientific
number 11 scalpel	Andwin Scientific	FH/CX7281A	Fisher Scientific
sharp fine curved scissors	Roboz Surgical	RS-5881
Instruments
FACSJazz Flourescence activated cell sorter	BD
LSM 710 META Confocal microscope	Zeiss