Stromal Cell Isolation From Hematopoietic Organs

Summary

Here we present protocols that enable isolation of stromal cells from murine bone, bone marrow, thymus and human thymic tissue compatible with single-cell multiomics.

Abstract

Single-cell sequencing has enabled the mapping of heterogeneous cell populations in the stroma of hematopoietic organs. These methodologies provide a lens through which to study previously unresolved heterogeneity at steady state, as well as changes in cell type representation induced by extrinsic stresses or during aging. Here, we present step-wise protocols for the isolation of high-quality stromal cell populations from murine and human thymus, as well as murine bone and bone marrow. Cells isolated through these protocols are suitable for generating high-quality single-cell multiomics datasets. The impacts of sample digestion, hematopoietic lineage depletion, FACS analysis/sorting, and how these factors influence compatibility with single-cell sequencing are discussed here. With examples of FACS profiles indicating successful and inefficient dissociation and downstream stromal cell yields in post-sequencing analysis, recognizable pointers for users are provided. Considering the specific requirements of stromal cells is crucial for acquiring high-quality and reproducible results that can advance knowledge in the field.

Introduction

In the healthy adult, de novo production of blood cells occurs in the bone marrow and the thymus. Stromal cells at these sites are essential for maintenance of hematopoiesis, but stroma constitutes less than 1% of the tissue^1,2,3,4. Obtaining pure isolates of hematopoiesis supporting stroma therefore constitutes a significant challenge, particularly for single-cell multiomics that requires expedient processing to obtain samples of high quality. Components of different digestion cocktails may interfere with certain steps in multiomics analysi....

Protocol

All work with human tissue was conducted after approval by the Massachusetts General Hospital Internal Review Board (IRB). All animal procedures were conducted in accordance with the Massachusetts General Hospital Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) guidelines. C57Bl/6 mice, 8-10 weeks old, and both males and females, were used for the present study. The animals were obtained from a commercial source (see Table of Materials).

1. Preparation of murine thym.......

Discussion

Stromal cells in hematopoietic organs are critical for normal blood production and hematopoietic stroma perturbations can result in severe impairments in hematopoietic maintenance and response to stress^9,23,24. Insight into hematopoietic stromal cells is essential for understanding hematological diseases^7,9,10,

Materials

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
0.25% Trypsin-EDTA	Thermo Fisher Scientific	25200-072
7AAD (7-aminoactinomycin D)	BD Biosciences	559925
Anti-Human Lineage Cocktail 3-FITC	BD Biosciences	643510
Bovine Serum Albumin	Millipore Sigma	A9647
C57Bl/6 mice	Jackson	664	Males or females, 8-12 weeks old
Calcein	Fisher Scientific	65-0853-78
Collagenase IV	Millipore Sigma	C5138
Corning Sterile Cell Strainers, White, Mesh Size: 70 µm	Fisher Scientific	08-771-2
DAPI (4',6-Diamidino-2-Phenylindole, Dilactate)	Biolegend	422801
Dispase II	Thermo Fisher Scientific	17105041
Dnase I Solution	Thermo Fisher Scientific	90083	2500 U/mL
Easysep mouse streptavidin RapidSpheres Isolation kit	StemCell Technologies	19860
Fetal Bovine Serum	Gibco	A31605-01	Qualified One Shot
Human Fc Block	BD Biosciences	564220
Liberase TM	Millipore Sigma	5401127001	Research Grade
Medium 199	Gibco	12350
Mouse anti-human CD235a-BV77	BD Biosciences	740785
Mouse anti-human CD31-PE/Dazzle594	Biolegend	303130
Mouse anti-human CD45-BV77	Biolegend	304050
Mouse anti-human CD4-BV605	BD Biosciences	562658
Mouse anti-human CD66b-FITC	BD Biosciences	555724
Mouse anti-human CD8-APC/Cy7	BD Biosciences	557760
Mouse anti-human EpCam-BV421	Biolegend	324220
Protector RNase Inhibitor	Millipore Sigma	3335402001
Rat anti-mouse CD105-PE /dazzle594	Biolegend	120424
Rat anti-mouse CD11b-Biotin	Biolegend	101204
Rat anti-mouse CD140a-APC	Fisher Scientific	17-1401-81
Rat Anti-Mouse CD16/CD32 (Mouse BD Fc Block)	BD Biosciences	553142
Rat anti-mouse CD31-BUV737	BD Biosciences	612802
Rat anti-mouse CD31-BV421	Biolegend	102424
Rat anti-mouse CD3-Biotin	Biolegend	100244
Rat anti-mouse CD45.2-Biotin	Biolegend	109804
Rat anti-mouse CD45-PE/Cy7	Biolegend	103114
Rat anti-mouse CD45-PE/Cy7	Biolegend	103114
Rat anti-mouse CD45R/B220-Biotin	Biolegend	103204
Rat anti-mouse CD51-PE	Biolegend	104106
Rat anti-mouse EpCam-BV711	BD Biosciences	563134
Rat anti-mouse Ly-6A/E(Sca-1)-AF700	Biolegend	108142
Rat anti-mouse Ly-6G/Ly-6C(Gr1)-Biotin	Biolegend	108404
Rat anti-mouse Ter119-Biotin	Biolegend	116204
Rat anti-mouse Ter119-PE	Biolegend	116208
Rat anti-mouse Ter119-PE/Cy7	Biolegend	116222
Stemxyme	Worthington Biochemical	LS004107