Introduction to Equipment
<ol>
<li>Tissue is gently dissociated, using violet C Tubes into viable single-cell suspensions.</li>
<li>The PBS/BSA EDTA buffer is used to dissociate the cells. The buffer is prepared by adding 1 part of BSA Stock solution to 20 parts of autoMACS Rinsing Solution containing EDTA. </li>
<li>The MACS Pre-Separation Filters are used so that the dissociated tissue samples are free of all cell clumps, promoting successful MACS separation and subsequent analysis. </li>
</ol>
Dissociating the spleen cells
<ol>
<li>Whole spleens are disscociated into single-cell suspensions of splenocytes using the gentleMACS Dissociator.</li>
<li>To begin the procedure, load the C Tube with a volume of buffer according to the mass of the spleens. A healthy spleen of a young adult female BALB/c mouse weighs about 80-120 mg. Every 1 to 2 spleens of this mass require 3 mL of buffer. Spleens from older animals or animals with infections are often larger and must be weighed in buffer. The buffer volumes must be scaled accordingly. Do not exceed a total buffer volume of 10 mL.</li>
<li>Add the dissected spleen to the C Tube containing 3 ml of buffer.</li>
<li>Make sure that the C Tube cap is tight and attach the C Tube to the dissociator with the cap down.</li>
<li>Power up the dissociator. For 1-2 spleens, select program m_spleen_01. The program will take 56 seconds to complete. If the number of spleens is greater, use program m_spleen_04; this program can be used for up to 720 mg of spleen tissue.</li>
<li>After completion of the program the native spleen tissue is dissociated into a splenocyte suspension.</li>
<li>Spin down the whole cell suspension at 300xg at room temperature for about 30 sec. This will ensure that rotor and stator are freed of all cells which are collected at the bottom of the C Tube.</li>
<li>Remove the sample through the septum-sealed opening in the C Tube cap using a 1000 microliter pipetter. </li>
</ol>
Filtration step
<ol>
<li>To begin the filtration step, apply the dissociated tissue to the Pre-Separation Filter or a cell strainer with 30 &micro;m pore size. The strainer should fit a 15 mL tube for 1-2 spleens or a 50 mL tube for more than 2 spleens.</li>
<li>Let the cell suspension pass through. Then wash the filter by applying 5 mL of buffer.</li>
<li>Now, centrifuge the tube with the cell suspension at 300xg, at room temperature for 10 minutes to collect all splenocytes in a spleen cell pellet.</li>
<li>Now, that we have a pellet of dissociated splenocytes, we must aspirate the supernatant and resuspend the cell pellet in an appropriate amount of buffer.</li>
</ol>
Spleen dissociation using the gentleMACS Dissociator will yield a high percentage of viable splenocytes, which is demonstrated by flow cytometry using the MACSQuant Analyzer. Dead cells are stained by propidium iodide. In the example provided, the forward side scatter dot plot shows the prepared splenocytes.

All protocols and data sheets are available at <a href="http://www.miltenyibiotec.com">http://www.miltenyibiotec.com.</a>.

To avoid tedious and often painful manual dissociations, the gentleMACS Dissociator allows one to dissociate tissue very efficiently under controlled and reproducible conditions. The tissue dissociation procedure is gentle to cells and yields cell suspensions with a high viability rate. The gentleMACS Dissociator in combination with C Tubes is designed for the preparation of single-cell suspensions from various tissues. The instrument is equipped with a number of pre-set programs to dissociate mouse spleen, liver, lung, or neural tissue. The range of programs and protocols will be continuously expanded to include additional tissues.

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		<th>Material Name</th>
		<th>Type</th>
		<th>Company</th>
		<th>Catalogue Number</th>
		<th>Comment</th>
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<td>gentleMACS&#x2122; Starting Kit</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<td>Miltenyi Biotec</td>
<td>130-093-235</td>
<td><a href="http://www.miltenyibiotec.com/en/PG_709_763_gentleMACS_Dissociator.aspx">http://www.miltenyibiotec.com/en/PG_709_763_gentleMACS_Dissociator.aspx</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>C Tubes</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<td>Miltenyi Biotec </td>
<td>130-093-237</td>
<td><a href="http://www.miltenyibiotec.com/en/PG_709_765_gentleMACS_C_Tubes.aspx">http://www.miltenyibiotec.com/en/PG_709_765_gentleMACS_C_Tubes.aspx</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>13 mL Tubes</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<td>Miltenyi Biotec </td>
<td>130-091-596</td>
<td><a href="http://www.miltenyibiotec.com/en/PG_34_751_13_mL_Tubes_for_LS_Columns.aspx">http://www.miltenyibiotec.com/en/PG_34_751_13_mL_Tubes_for_LS_Columns.aspx</a></td>
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<tr>
<td>autoMACS&#x2122; Rinsing Solution </td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<td>Miltenyi Biotec </td>
<td>130-091-222</td>
<td><a href="http://www.miltenyibiotec.com/en/PG_134_155_autoMACS_Rinsing_Solution.aspx">http://www.miltenyibiotec.com/en/PG_134_155_autoMACS_Rinsing_Solution.aspx</a></td>
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<td>MACS&#174; BSA Stock Solution</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<td>Miltenyi Biotec </td>
<td>130-091-376</td>
<td><a href="http://www.miltenyibiotec.com/en/PG_33_295_MACS_BSA_Stock_Solution.aspx">http://www.miltenyibiotec.com/en/PG_33_295_MACS_BSA_Stock_Solution.aspx</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Pre-Separation Filters </td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<td>Miltenyi Biotec </td>
<td>130-041-407</td>
<td><a href="http://www.miltenyibiotec.com/en/PG_34_247_Pre_Separation_Filters.aspx">http://www.miltenyibiotec.com/en/PG_34_247_Pre_Separation_Filters.aspx</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>MACSQuant Analyzer</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<td>Miltenyi Biotec </td>
<td>130-092-197</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<tr>
<td>Propidium Iodide Solution</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<td>Miltenyi Biotec</td>
<td>130-093-233</td>
<td><a href="http://www.miltenyibiotec.com/en/PG_337_744_Propidium_Iodide_Solution.aspx">http://www.miltenyibiotec.com/en/PG_337_744_Propidium_Iodide_Solution.aspx</a></td>
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preparation of single-cell suspensions from mouse spleen with the gentlemacs dissociator

Single-cell suspensions are a prerequisite for experiments in cell separation, cell analysis and cell culture.  To avoid tedious and often painful manual dissociations the gentleMACS Dissociator allows one to dissociate tissue very efficiently under controlled and reproducible conditions.  The gentleMACS Dissociator can optimally dissociate mouse spleen, combining timesaving and standardization with user-safety.

This video describes how to dissociate mouse spleens using the gentleMACS Dissociator, an automated bench-top device that can mechanically disrupt tissues using special tubes to produce viable cell suspensions. Following dissociation, spleens are filtered, centrifuged, and resuspended for further applications.

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Preparation of Single-Cell Suspensions from Mouse Spleen with the gentleMACS Dissociator at JoVE.com

Preparation of Single-Cell Suspensions from Mouse Spleen with the gentleMACS Dissociator

This video describes a simple, time-saving technique for automated tissue dissociation using the gentleMACS Dissociator to prepare single-cell suspensions of mouse splenocytes.

Single-cell suspensions are a prerequisite for experiments in cell separation, cell analysis and cell culture.  To avoid tedious and often painful manual ...

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preparation-single-cell-suspensions-from-mouse-spleen-with-gentlemacs

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37.6K Views.  Miltenyi Biotec,GmbH.  中文 JapaneseVersion 

Video: Preparation of Single-Cell Suspensions from Mouse Spleen with the gentleMACS Dissociator

Standardized Preparation of Single-Cell Suspensions from Mouse Lung Tissue using the gentleMACS Dissociator

The preparation of single-cell suspensions from tissues is an important prerequisite for many experiments in cellular research. The process of dissociating whole organs requires specific parameters in order to obtain a high number of viable cells in a reproducible manner. The gentleMACS Dissociator optimizes this task with a simple, practical protocol. The instrument contains pre-programmed settings that are optimized for the efficient but gentle dissociation of a variety of tissue types, including mouse lungs. In this publication the use of the gentleMACS Dissociator on lung tissue derived from mice is demonstrated.

Dissociating cells from specific tissue types requires specific parameters for tissue agitation to obtain a high volume of viable, culturable cells. The Miltenyi gentleMACS dissociator optimizes this task with a simple, practical protocol. In this publication the use of this apparatus on lung tissue is explained.

The preparation of single-cell suspensions from tissues is an important prerequisite for many experiments in cellular research. The process of ...

Generation of Single-Cell Suspensions from Mouse Neural Tissue

Within the nervous system, hundreds of neuronal and glial cell types have been described. Each specific cell type in the brain or spinal cord has a repertoire of cell surface molecules, or molecular determinants, through which it can be identified and characterized. Currently, robust cell identification and separation technologies require single-cell preparations to be generated while simultaneously limiting cell death and destruction of characteristic surface protein. The gentleMACS Dissociator, when used in combination with trypsin or papain-based dissociation kits, can effectively and gently dissociate brain tissue while preserving antigen epitopes and limiting cell loss. Standardized preparation of single-cell suspensions is achieved using C Tubes and optimized, preset gentleMACS Programs. Once generated, single-cell suspensions can be treated with monoclonal conjugates like Anti-Prominin-1 MicroBeads, which identify neural progenitors, or purified further using Myelin Removal Beads.

Dissociating cells from specific tissue types requires specific parameters for tissue aggitation to obtain a high volume of viable, culturable cells. The Miltenyi gentleMACS Dissociator optimizes this task with a simple, practical protocol. In this publication the use of this apparatus on nerual tissue is explained.

Within the nervous system, hundreds of neuronal and glial cell types have been described. Each specific cell type in the brain or spinal cord has a ...

Single-cell Suction Recordings from Mouse Cone Photoreceptors

Rod and cone photoreceptors in the retina are responsible for light detection. In darkness, cyclic nucleotide-gated (CNG) channels in the outer segment are open and allow cations to flow steadily inwards across the membrane, depolarizing the cell. Light exposure triggers the closure of the CNG channels, blocks the inward cation current flow, and thus results in cell hyperpolarization. Based on the polarity of photoreceptors, a suction recording method was developed in 1970s that, unlike the classic patch-clamp technique, does not require penetrating the plasma membrane 1. Drawing the outer segment into a tightly-fitting glass pipette filled with extracellular solution allows recording the current changes in individual cells upon test-flash exposure. However, this well-established "outer-segment-in (OS-in)" suction recording is not suitable for mouse cone recordings, because of the low percentage of cones in the mouse retina (3%) and the difficulties in identifying the cone outer segments. Recently, an inner-segment-in (IS-in) recording configuration was developed to draw the inner segment/nuclear region of the photoreceptor into the recording pipette 2,3. In this video, we will show how to record from individual mouse cone photoresponses using single-cell suction electrode.

We will show how to record flash responses from single mouse cones using a suction electrode.

Rod and cone photoreceptors in the retina are responsible for light detection. In darkness, cyclic nucleotide-gated (CNG) channels in the outer segment ...

Generation of Mice Derived from Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells

The production of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from somatic cells provides a means to create valuable tools for basic research and may also produce a source of patient-matched cells for regenerative therapies. iPSCs may be generated using multiple protocols and derived from multiple cell sources. Once generated, iPSCs are tested using a variety of assays including immunostaining for pluripotency markers, generation of three germ layers in embryoid bodies and teratomas, comparisons of gene expression with embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and production of chimeric mice with or without germline contribution2. Importantly, iPSC lines that pass these tests still vary in their capacity to produce different differentiated cell types2. This has made it difficult to establish which iPSC derivation protocols, donor cell sources or selection methods are most useful for different applications.
The most stringent test of whether a stem cell line has sufficient developmental potential to generate all tissues required for survival of an organism (termed full pluripotency) is tetraploid embryo complementation (TEC)3-5. Technically, TEC involves electrofusion of two-cell embryos to generate tetraploid (4n) one-cell embryos that can be cultured in vitro to the blastocyst stage6. Diploid (2n) pluripotent stem cells (e.g. ESCs or iPSCs) are then injected into the blastocoel cavity of the tetraploid blastocyst and transferred to a recipient female for gestation (see Figure 1). The tetraploid component of the complemented embryo contributes almost exclusively to the extraembryonic tissues (placenta, yolk sac), whereas the diploid cells constitute the embryo proper, resulting in a fetus derived entirely from the injected stem cell line.
Recently, we reported the derivation of iPSC lines that reproducibly generate adult mice via TEC1. These iPSC lines give rise to viable pups with efficiencies of 5-13%, which is comparable to ESCs3,4,7 and higher than that reported for most other iPSC lines8-12. These reports show that direct reprogramming can produce fully pluripotent iPSCs that match ESCs in their developmental potential and efficiency of generating pups in TEC tests. At present, it is not clear what distinguishes between fully pluripotent iPSCs and less potent lines13-15. Nor is it clear which reprogramming methods will produce these lines with the highest efficiency. Here we describe one method that produces fully pluripotent iPSCs and "all- iPSC" mice, which may be helpful for investigators wishing to compare the pluripotency of iPSC lines or establish the equivalence of different reprogramming methods.

Generating induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) lines produces lines of differing developmental potential even when they pass standard tests for pluripotency. Here we describe a protocol to produce mice derived entirely from iPSCs, which defines the iPSC lines as possessing full pluripotency1.

The production of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from somatic cells provides a means to create valuable tools for basic research and may also ...

Simple and Efficient Technique for the Preparation of Testicular Cell Suspensions

Mammalian testes are very complex organs that contain over 30 different cell types, including somatic testicular cells and different stages of germline cells. This heterogeneity is an important drawback concerning the study of the bases of mammalian spermatogenesis, as pure or enriched cell populations in certain stages of sperm development are needed for most molecular analyses1.
 Various strategies such as Staput2,3, centrifugal elutriation1, and flow cytometry (FC)4,5 have been employed to obtain enriched or purified testicular cell populations in order to enable differential gene expression studies. 
It is required that cells are in suspension for most enrichment/ purification approaches. Ideally, the cell suspension will be representative of the original tissue, have a high proportion of viable cells and few multinucleates - which tend to form because of the syncytial nature of the seminiferous epithelium6,7 - and lack cell clumps1 . Previous reports had evidenced that testicular cell suspensions prepared by an exclusively mechanical method clumped more easily than trypsinized ones1 . On the other hand, enzymatic treatments with RNAses and/or disaggregating enzymes like trypsin and collagenase lead to specific macromolecules degradation, which is undesirable for certain downstream applications. The ideal process should be as short as possible and involve minimal manipulation, so as to achieve a good preservation of macromolecules of interest such as mRNAs. Current protocols for the preparation of cell suspensions from solid tissues are usually time-consuming, highly operator-dependent, and may selectively damage certain cell types1,8 . 
	The protocol presented here combines the advantages of a highly reproducible and extremely brief mechanical disaggregation with the absence of enzymatic treatment, leading to good quality cell suspensions that can be used for flow cytometric analysis and sorting4, and ulterior gene expression studies9 .

A novel protocol for the mechanical preparation of testicular cell suspensions from rodent material, avoiding enzymes and detergents, is described. The method is very simple, fast, reproducible, and renders good quality cell suspensions, which are suitable for flow sorting and RNA extraction.

Mammalian testes are very complex organs that contain over 30 different cell types, including somatic testicular cells and different stages of germline ...

Single-Cell Suspension Preparation from Nile Tilapia Intestine for Single-Cell Sequencing

Nile tilapia is one of the most commonly cultured freshwater fish species worldwide and is a widely used research model for aquaculture fish studies. The preparation of high-quality single-cell suspensions is essential for single-cell level studies such as single-cell RNA or genome sequencing. However, there is no ready-to-use protocol for aquaculture fish species, particularly for the intestine of tilapia. The effective dissociation enzymes vary depending on the tissue type. Therefore, optimizing the tissue dissociation protocol by selecting the appropriate enzyme or enzyme combination to obtain enough viable cells with minimum damage is essential. This study illustrates an optimized protocol to prepare a high-quality single-cell suspension from Nile tilapia intestine with an enzyme combination of collagenase/dispase. This combination is highly effective for dissociation with the utilization of bovine serum albumin and DNase to reduce cell aggregation after digestion. The cell output satisfies the requirements for single-cell sequencing, with 90% cell viability and a high cell concentration. This protocol can also be modified to prepare a single-cell suspension from the intestines of other fish species. This research provides an efficient reference protocol and reduces the need for additional trials in the preparation of single-cell suspensions for aquaculture fish species.

Here, we demonstrate the preparation of a high-quality single-cell suspension of tilapia intestine for single-cell sequencing.

Nile tilapia is one of the most commonly cultured freshwater fish species worldwide and is a widely used research model for aquaculture fish studies. The ...

Semi-Automated Isolation of Murine White Adipose Tissue

Semi-Automated Isolation of the Stromal Vascular Fraction from Murine White Adipose Tissue Using a Tissue Dissociator

The in vitro study of white, brown, and beige adipocyte differentiation enables the investigation of cell-autonomous functions of adipocytes and their mechanisms. Immortalized white preadipocyte cell lines are publicly available and widely used. However, the emergence of beige adipocytes in white adipose tissue in response to external cues is difficult to recapitulate to the full extent using publicly available white adipocyte cell lines. Isolation of the stromal vascular fraction (SVF) from murine adipose tissue is commonly executed to obtain primary preadipocytes and perform adipocyte differentiation. However, mincing and collagenase digestion of adipose tissue by hand can result in experimental variation and is prone to contamination. Here, we present a modified semi-automated protocol that utilizes a tissue dissociator for collagenase digestion to achieve easier isolation of the SVF, with the aim of reducing experimental variation, reducing contamination, and increasing reproducibility. The obtained preadipocytes and differentiated adipocytes can be used for functional and mechanistic analyses.

Author Spotlight: Semi-Automated Isolation of the Stromal Vascular Fraction from Murine White Adipose Tissue Using a Tissue Dissociator  

This protocol describes the semi-automated isolation of the stromal vascular fraction (SVF) from murine adipose tissue to obtain preadipocytes and achieve adipocyte differentiation in vitro. Using a tissue dissociator for collagenase digestion reduces experimental variation and increases reproducibility.

The in vitro study of white, brown, and beige adipocyte differentiation enables the investigation of cell-autonomous functions of adipocytes and their ...

Two-Step Cell Digestion of Mouse Carotid Artery

Preparation of a Single-Cell Suspension from Mouse Carotid Arteries for Single-Cell Sequencing

Carotid arteries are major blood vessels in the neck that supply blood and oxygen to the brain, but carotid stenosis occurs when carotid arteries are clogged by plaque. Revealing the cellular composition of the carotid artery at the single-cell level is essential for treating carotid atherosclerosis. However, there is no ready-to-use protocol for the preparation of single-cell suspensions from carotid arteries. To obtain a suitable protocol for the dissociation of normal carotid arteries at the single-cell level with less damage to cells, we designed a two-step digestion method by integrating the digestion process of collagenase/DNase and trypsin. Acridine orange/propidium iodide (AO/PI) dual-fluorescence counting was used to detect cell viability and concentration, and it was found that the single-cell suspension satisfied the requirements for single-cell sequencing, with the viability of cells over 85% and a high cell concentration. After single-cell data processing, a median of ~2500 transcripts per cell were detected in each carotid artery cell. Notably, a variety of cell types of the normal carotid artery, including vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs), fibroblasts, endothelial cells (ECs), and macrophages and dendritic cells (M&#966;/DCs), were concurrently detectable. This protocol may be applied to prepare a single-cell suspension of blood vessels from other tissues with appropriate modifications.

Author Spotlight: Vascular Tissue Dissociation and Exploring Single-Cell Subclusters for Targeted Therapy 

Here we describe a two-step cell digestion protocol for preparing a single-cell suspension of mouse carotid arteries.

Carotid arteries are major blood vessels in the neck that supply blood and oxygen to the brain, but carotid stenosis occurs when carotid arteries are ...

Isolation and Digestion of Mouse Carotid Artery for Single-Cell Suspension Preparation

Transcriptome Profiling for High-Throughput Drug Screening

Cost-Efficient Transcriptomic-Based Drug Screening

Transcriptomics allows&#160;to obtain comprehensive insights into cellular programs and their responses to perturbations. Despite a significant decrease in the costs of library production and sequencing in the last decade, applying these technologies at the scale necessary for drug screening remains prohibitively expensive, obstructing the immense potential of these methods. Our study presents a cost-effective system for transcriptome-based drug screening, combining miniaturized perturbation cultures with mini-bulk transcriptomics. The optimized mini-bulk protocol provides informative biological signals at cost-effective sequencing depth, enabling extensive screening of known drugs and new molecules. Depending on the chosen treatment and incubation time, this protocol will result in sequencing libraries within approximately 2 days. Due to several stopping points within this protocol, the library preparation, as well as the sequencing, can be performed time-independently. Processing simultaneously a high number of samples is possible; measurement of up to 384 samples was tested without loss of data quality. There are also no known limitations to the number of conditions and/or drugs, despite considering variability in optimal drug incubation times.

Author Spotlight: Cost-Effective Transcriptomic Drug Screening - Unlocking New Targets 

This protocol describes a workflow from ex vivo or in vitro cell cultures to transcriptomic data pre-processing for cost-effective transcriptome-based drug screening.

Transcriptomics allows&#160;to obtain comprehensive insights into cellular programs and their responses to perturbations. Despite a significant decrease ...

Methods Article

Preparation of Single-Cell Suspensions from Mouse Spleen with the gentleMACS Dissociator