Fibro-Adipogenic Progenitor Isolation, Expansion, and Differentiation from the Spiny Mouse Model

Summary

This protocol outlines the isolation of skeletal and cardiac muscle fibro-adipogenic progenitors (FAPs) from spiny mouse (Acomys) via enzymatic dissociation and fluorescence-activated cell sorting. The FAPs obtained from this protocol can be effectively expanded and differentiated to myofibroblasts and adipocytes.

Abstract

Due to its exceptional repair program, the spiny mouse is an emerging research model for regenerative medicine. Fibro-adipogenic progenitors are tissue-resident cells that are able to differentiate into adipocytes, fibroblasts, and chondrocytes. Fibro-adipogenic progenitors are fundamental for orchestrating tissue regeneration as they are responsible for extracellular matrix remodeling after injury. This study focuses on investigating the specific role of fibro-adipogenic progenitors in spiny mouse cardiac repair and skeletal muscle regeneration. To this end, a protocol has been optimized for the purification of spiny mouse fibro-adipogenic progenitors by flow cytometry from enzymatically dissociated skeletal and cardiac muscle. The population obtained from this protocol is capable of expanding in vitro, and can be differentiated to myofibroblasts and adipocytes. This protocol offers a valuable tool for researchers to examine the distinctive properties of spiny mouse, and to compare them to the Mus musculus. This will provide insights that could advance the understanding of regenerative mechanisms in this intriguing model.

Introduction

Initially recognized for its exceptionally fragile skin and remarkable ability to repair skin injuries, spiny mouse has demonstrated superior regenerative capacity in various organ systems, such as musculoskeletal, renal, central nervous system, and cardiovascular, when compared to Mus musculus^1,2.

Fibro-adipogenic progenitors (FAPs) are a subset of stromal cells that are resident in various tissues, including skeletal and cardiac muscle. These cells possess a unique capacity to commit to fibrogenic and adipogenic lineages in vivo and in vitro

Protocol

All animal maintenance and experimental procedures were conducted in accordance with the approval of the University of British Columbia Animal Care Committee and the regulations at the University of British Columbia. Animals were housed in an enclosed pathogen-free facility under standard conditions (12:12 light-dark cycle, 21-23 °C, and 40%-60% humidity level) and provided a protein-rich mouse diet and water ad libitum. Adult (4 to 6 months old, 50-60 g) female and male Acomys dimidiatus mice were.......

Discussion

Spiny mouse tissues are more sensitive to the stresses in tissue dissociation, and there are several aspects of this protocol aimed at minimizing stress to improve cell viability. Serial enzymatic dissociation technique is employed for sample preparation to lower the concentration of the enzyme required. As enzymatic digestion proceeds, the enzymatic activity decreases. By replacing it with fresh enzymes, consistent enzymatic activity throughout the entire digestion can be better achieved, and high concentrations of the .......

Materials

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
0.5M EDTA	Invitrogen	15575–038
1.7 mL Microcentrifuge tubes	VWR	87003-294
15 mL centrifuge tube	Falcon	352096
1x Dulbecco’s Phosphate Buffered Saline (DPBS)	Gibco	14190-144
20 mL syringe	BD	309661
4′,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI)	Invitrogen	D3571
40 μm cell strainer	Falcon	352340
48 well flat-bottom tissue culture plate	Falcon	53078
5 mL polypropylene	Falcon	352063
5 mL polystyrene round-bottom tube with cell-strainer cap	Falcon	352235
5 mL syringe	BD	309646
50 mL centrifuge tube	Falcon	352070
60 mm Petri dish	Falcon	353002
96 well V-bottom tissue culture plate	Corning	3894
Acomys dimidiatus mice (spiny mice)			kindly gifted by Dr. Ashley W. Seifert (University of Kentucky).
Ammonium-chloride-potassium (ACK) lysing buffer	Gibco	A10492-01
Anti-perilipin (1:100)	Sigma	P1873
Anti-SMA (1:100)	Invitrogen	14-9760-82
APC PDGFRa (1:800)	Abcam	ab270085
BD PrecisionGlide Needle 18 G	BD	305195
BD PrecisionGlide Needle 23 G	BD	305145
Bovine serum albumin	Sigma	A7906-100g
BV605 CD31 (1:500)	BD biosciences	744359
CaCl2	Sigma-Aldrich	C4901
Centrifuge	Eppendorf	5810R
DMEM/F12	Gibco	11320033
Donkey anti-mouse Alexa 555 (1:1000)	Invitrogen	A31570
Donkey anti-rabbit Alexa 647 (1:1000)	Invitrogen	A31573
Donkey serum	Sigma	S30-100ML
FACS sorter - MoFlo Astrios 5 lasers	Beckman coulter	B52102
Fetal bovine serum	Gemini	100-500
Fine scissors	FST	14058-11
Fluoromount-G	SouthernBiotech	0100-01
Forceps	FST	11051-10
Hemostat	FST	91308-12
human FGF-basic recombinant protein (bFGF)	Gibco	13256029
Human TGF beta 1 recombinant protein (TGFb1)	eBiosciences	14-8348-62
Incubator - Heracell 160i CO2	ThermoFisher	51033557
Inverted microscope - Revolve	ECHO	n/a
Liberase	Roche	5401127001
Mouse MesenCult Adipogenic Differentiation 10x Supplement	STEMCELL technologies	5507
Mouse on mouse (MOM) blocking reagent	Vector Laboratories	MKB-2213
Paraformaldehyde	Sigma	P1648-500g
Penicillin-Streptomycin	Gibco	15140–122
PicoLab Mouse Diet 20	LabDiet	3005750-220
Propidium iodide (PI)	Invitrogen	P3566
Transport vial 5mL tube	Caplugs Evergreen	222-3005-080
Triton X-100	Sigma	9036-19-5