Isolation of Pure Astrocytes and Microglia from the Adult Mouse Spinal Cord For In Vitro Assays and Transcriptomic Studies

Summary

This protocol outlines the isolation of purified astrocytes and microglia from the adult mouse spinal cord, facilitating subsequent applications such as RNA analysis and cell culture. It includes detailed cell dissociation methods and procedures designed to enhance both the quality and yield of isolated cells.

Abstract

Astrocytes and microglia play pivotal roles in central nervous system development, injury responses, and neurodegenerative diseases. These highly dynamic cells exhibit rapid responses to environmental changes and display significant heterogeneity in terms of morphology, transcriptional profiles, and functions. While our understanding of the functions of glial cells in health and disease has advanced substantially, there remains a need for in vitro, cell-specific analyses conducted in the context of insults or injuries to comprehensively characterize distinct cell populations. Isolating cells from the adult mouse offers several advantages over cell lines or neonatal animals, as it allows for the analysis of cells under pathological conditions and at specific time points. Furthermore, focusing on spinal cord-specific isolation, excluding brain involvement, enables research into spinal cord pathologies, including experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis, spinal cord injury, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. This protocol presents an efficient method for isolating astrocytes and microglia from the adult mouse spinal cord, facilitating immediate or future analysis with potential applications in functional, molecular, or proteomic downstream studies.

Introduction

Astrocytes and microglia are versatile glial cells that play vital roles in the central nervous system (CNS), encompassing responsibilities such as regulating neuronal function, contributing to CNS development, maintaining the blood-brain barrier, and participating in other critical processes^1,2,3,4. Besides their role in maintaining homeostasis, these glial cells also play a pivotal part in injury and repair mechanisms. Microglia are well-known for their phagocytic, inflammatory, and migratory capabilities following insults or injuries

Protocol

All animal care and experimental procedures were conducted following the approval of the Animal Care and Use Committee at The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences (Washington, D.C., USA; IACUC#2021-004). The study utilized male and female C57BL/6J wild-type (WT) mice aged 10 weeks to 5 months, which were sourced from a commercial supplier (see Table of Materials) and housed at The George Washington University. An overview of the protocol workflow is presented in

Discussion

The isolation of pure, viable primary cells is paramount for investigating the structure and function of specific cell types. In the adult mouse, particularly in the spinal cord, this task poses significant challenges, as existing protocols are often not tailored to the adult spinal cord^10,17. This protocol presents an efficient and cost-effective method applicable to various downstream applications, including cell culture, flow cytometry, histology, and transcri.......

Materials

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
2,2,2-Tribromoethanol	Sigma Aldrich	T48402
24 well tissue culture plate	Avantor	10861-558
2-Methyl-2-butanol, 98%	Thermo Fisher	A18304-0F
4',6-Diamidino-2-Phenylindole, Dihydrochloride	Invitrogen	D1306	1:1000
45% glucose solution	Corning	25-037-CI
5 mL capped tubes	Eppendorf	30122305
Acetic acid	Sigma-Adlrich	A6283
Adult Brain Dissociation Kit	Miltenyi	103-107-677
Anti-ACSA2 Microbead Kit	Miltenyi	130-097-679
Anti-Iba1	Wako	019-1974
Bioanalyzer	Agilent Technologies	G2939BA
C57BL/6J wild-type (WT) mice	Jackson Laboratories
CD11b (Microglia) MicroBeads	Miltenyi	130-093-634
Celltrics 30 µm filter	Sysmex Partec	04-004-2326
Counting Chamber (Hemacytometer)	Hausser Scientific Co	3200
Deoxyribonuclease I from bovine pancreas	Sigma Aldrich	D4527-40KU
Distilled water	TMO	15230001
DMEM/F12	Thermo Fisher	11320074
DNase for RNA purification	Qiagen	79254
Dulbecco's phosphate-buffered saline	Thermo Fisher	14040117
Fetal bovine serum	Thermo Fisher	A5209401
GFAP antibody (mouse)	Santa Cruz	sc-33673	1:500
GFAP antibody (rabbit)	Dako	Z0334	1:500
Goat anti-mouse 594 IgG	Invitrogen	a11032	1:500
Goat anti-mouse 594 IgM	Invitrogen	a21044	1:300
Goat anti-Rabbit 488 IgG	Invitrogen	a11008	1:500
Iba1 antibody (rabbit)	Wako	019-1974	1:500
MACS Separator	Miltenyi	130-042-303
Masterflex C/L Pump System	Thermo Fisher	77122-22
MEM	Corning	15-015-CV
Methanol	Sigma-Adlrich	439193
Mounting Medium	Vector Laboratories	H-1000-10
MS Columns	Miltenyi	130-042-401
O4 Antibody	R&D	MAB1326
Penicillin-Streptomycin	Gibco	15070063
Plugged 9" glass pasteur pipette	VWR	14672-412
RNeasy Plus Micro Kit	Qiagen	74034
Royal-tek Surgical scalpel blade no. 10	Fisher scientific	22-079-683
Small Vein Infusion Set, 23 G x 19 mm	Kawasumi	D3K2-23G