Name: Murine Bone Marrow Staining for the Characterization of Myeloid Leukemia Microenvironment
Uploaded: 2023-11-10T13:00:00
Description: Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Murine Bone Marrow Staining for the Characterization of Myeloid Leukemia Microenvironment at JoVE.com

murine bone marrow staining for the characterization of myeloid leukemia microenvironment

Isolation and Characterization of Bone Marrow Microenvironment in Myeloid Neoplasms

The bone marrow microenvironment consists of hematopoietic cells, non-hematopoietic stromal cells, and the extracellular matrix1,2. This microenvironment can promote hematopoietic stem cell self-renewal, regulate lineage differentiation, and provide structural and mechanical support to the bone tissue1,2,3,4,5. The stromal niche includes osteolineage cells, fibroblasts, nerve cells, and endothelial cells6, while the hematopoietic niche consists of the lymphoid and myeloid populations1,2,3. In addition to supporting normal HSCs, the bone marrow microenvironment can also play a role in the development of hematopoietic stem cell disorders such as MDS and AML7,8,9,10,11. Mutations in osteolineage cells have been shown to promote the development of MDS, AML, and other myeloproliferative neoplasms10,12,13,14.
Myelodysplastic syndromes are a group of pre-leukemic disorders that arise from mutations in hematopoietic stem cells. MDS is frequently associated with a block in HSC differentiation and the production of dysplastic cells, which can often lead to bone marrow failure. MDS is the most commonly diagnosed myeloid neoplasm in the United States and is associated with a 3-year survival rate of 35%-45%15. MDS is often associated with a high risk of transformation to acute myeloid leukemia. This can be a fatal complication, as MDS-derived AML is resistant to most therapies and likely to relapse. AML that arises de novo due to translocations or mutations in hematopoietic stem and progenitors is also often resistant to standard chemotherapy16,17. Since MDS and AML are primarily diseases of the elderly, with the majority diagnosed over the age of 60 years, most patients are ineligible for curative bone marrow transplants. There is, thus, a significant need to identify novel regulators of disease progression. Since the bone marrow microenvironment can provide support for malignant cells14, defining changes in the bone marrow niche with disease progression may lead to the identification of novel therapeutics aimed at inhibiting tumor niche remodeling. There is, therefore, a significant need to identify novel regulators of disease progression. To this end, it is critical to identify and characterize changes in the bone marrow stromal cell populations that may provide support for the malignant cells.
Several murine models of AML and MDS have been generated and can be used to study changes in the bone marrow microenvironment during disease initiation and progression6,1,19,20,21,22. Here, protocols to identify changes in the bone marrow stromal cell populations using murine models of retrovirally induced AML6,20, as well as the commercially available Nup98-HoxD13 (NHD13) model of high-risk MDS to AML transformation19, are described. Mice transplanted with de novo AML cells succumb to the disease in 20-30 days6. The NHD13 mice develop cytopenias and bone marrow dysplasia around 15-20 weeks, which eventually transforms into AML, and nearly 75% of the mice succumb to the disease around 32 weeks. To analyze the murine model bone marrow microenvironment populations, bones are harvested, bone marrow and bone spicules are digested using enzymatic digestion, and the cells are then enriched for CD45-/Ter119- non-hematopoietic populations by magnetic sorting. While similar analyses have been previously described11,13,22,23,24,25, they often focus on either the bone marrow or the bone and do not incorporate cells from both sources in their analyses. The combined characterization of these populations, in conjunction with gene expression analyses, can provide a comprehensive understanding of how the cellular hematopoietic microenvironment provides support for disease initiation and progression (Figure 1). While the protocol described below focuses on retrovirally induced AML model and a genetic MDS model, these strategies can be easily adapted to study changes in the bone marrow niche of any murine model of interest.

Author Spotlight: Analyzing Bone Marrow Microenvironment in Murine Hematological Malignancies 

Identifying Bone Marrow Microenvironmental Populations in Myelodysplastic Syndrome and Acute Myeloid Leukemia

Our research aims to explore how the bone marrow's changing environment influences tumor growth. We developed a flow cytometry protocol to analyze the non-immune cells in bone marrow and bone tissues, focusing on murine hematological malignancies. This method is adaptable for studying bone marrow in various murine models.Our study focuses on isolating and identifying alterations in bone marrow stromal populations during cancer progression. Understanding their impact on disease onset and advancement could pave the way for new treatments that target these cancer-facilitating changes in the bone marrow stromal cells. Our protocol uniquely combines mechanical and enzymatic digestions, magnetic depletions, and flow cytometry to delineate the bone marrow microenvironment cellular makeup.It stands out by employing magnetic separation and incorporating cells from both bone and marrow, offering a more comprehensive representation of this microenvironment.

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Murine Bone Marrow Staining for the Characterization of Myeloid Leukemia Microenvironment at JoVE.com

Murine Bone Marrow Staining for the Characterization of Myeloid Leukemia Microenvironment  

To begin, mix the isolated murine bone marrow suspension with the bone spicule suspension. Pipette 10 microliters of the cell suspension onto a hemocytometer for counting. Centrifuge the cell suspension at 300 G for five minutes at four degrees Celsius.Then resuspend the pellet in 100 microliters of FACS buffer. To stain the cells with antibodies for magnetic depletion, add FC block, CD45 APC, and TER-119 APC. Then wash the cell suspension with FACS buffer.After centrifuging the remaining mixture, resuspend the pellet in 100 microliters of FACS buffer. To stain the cell suspension with microbeads for magnetic depletion, add mouse IgG and anti-APC microbeads. Incubate the mixture on ice for 20 minutes.Wash the LD column with two milliliters of MACS buffer. Resuspend the cells in the buffer, then filter it through a five milliliter test tube with a 35 micrometer cell strainer cap. Next, set the LD column on the magnetic separator stand and place a five milliliter test tube under the column to collect the eluted material.Pipette the cell suspension into the LD column and collect the negative fraction flow through in the test tube. Wash the column two times with one milliliter of MACS buffer and collect the eluent material in the same tube. Place the LD column over a new five milliliter test tube.With a pipette, dispense three milliliters of buffer into the column, then flush out the positively labeled cells into a five milliliter test tube. Centrifuge both the positive and negative fractions, then resuspend the pellet in 100 microliters of FACS buffer. To stain the CD45 TER-119 negative fraction add one microliter of each antibody for every 10 to the sixth cells.Place the suspension on ice for 20 minutes. Then wash the suspension with two milliliters of FACS buffer before centrifuging. Add one milliliter of the buffer to the pellet and pipette propidium iodide for live cell staining.Finally, filter the sample through a 35 micrometer cell strainer into a five milliliter test tube before analyzing the cells on a multicolor flow cytometer. Arteriolar endothelial cells significantly expanded in the acute myeloid leukemia microenvironment with a concomitant loss in the sinusoidal endothelial populations. A small expansion in the mesenchymal stromal cells were seen at eight weeks of age.

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Research

JoVE Journal

Cancer Research

The bone marrow microenvironment consists of distinct cell populations, such as mesenchymal stromal cells, endothelial cells, osteolineage cells, and fibroblasts, which provide support for hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). In addition to supporting normal HSCs, the bone marrow microenvironment also plays a role in the development of hematopoietic stem cell disorders, such as myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML). MDS-associated mutations in HSCs lead to a block in differentiation and progressive bone marrow failure, especially in the elderly. MDS can often progress to therapy-resistant AML, a disease characterized by a rapid accumulation of immature myeloid blasts. The bone marrow microenvironment is known to be altered in patients with these myeloid neoplasms. Here, a comprehensive protocol to isolate and phenotypically characterize bone marrow microenvironmental cells from murine models of myelodysplastic syndrome and acute myeloid leukemia is described. Isolating and characterizing changes in the bone marrow niche populations can help determine their role in disease initiation and progression and may lead to the development of novel therapeutics targeting cancer-promoting alterations in the bone marrow stromal populations.

Here a detailed protocol to isolate and characterize bone marrow microenvironmental populations from murine models of myelodysplastic syndromes and acute myeloid leukemia is presented. This technique identifies changes in the non-hematopoietic bone marrow niche, including the endothelial and mesenchymal stromal cells, with disease progression.

The bone marrow microenvironment consists of distinct cell populations, such as mesenchymal stromal cells, endothelial cells, osteolineage cells, and ...

Murine Bone Marrow Harvest and Isolation for the Characterization of Myeloid Leukemia Microenvironment 

To begin, remove the tissue from the bones of the euthanized dissected mouse. Place the cleaned bones into a new six-well plate containing FACS buffer placed on ice. Transfer the bones into a mortar with two to five milliliters of FACS buffer.Grind the bones in a circular motion until the bone marrow is released. With a three milliliter syringe, pull up and flush down the bone marrow to homogenize it. Pull the homogenate into another syringe, then filter it through a 70 micrometer cell strainer into a 50 milliliter tube.Rinse the tissue chunks from their filter back into the mortar with FACS buffer before homogenizing a second time. Filter the rinsed tissue as before. Next, rinse the remaining bone spicules back into the mortar with FACS buffer.Then flush the pieces into a 15 milliliter tube to ensure maximum yield. To digest the bone marrow, first centrifuge it at 300 G for five minutes at four degrees Celsius. Resuspend the bone marrow pellet in two milliliters of digestion mixture.Transfer the mixture to a 15 milliliter tube. Then incubate it at 37 degrees Celsius for 45 minutes on a rotator. Now, add 10 milliliters of FACS buffer to stop the enzymatic digestion.Filter the mixture through a 70 micrometer cell strainer into a 50 milliliter tube. Centrifuge the suspension at 400 G for seven minutes at four degrees Celsius. Resuspend the pellet in one milliliter of RBC lysis buffer.Next, add 10 milliliters of FACS buffer to halt the lysis. Then filter the mixture as before into a 50 milliliter tube. Lastly, centrifuge the mixture at 300 G for five minutes at four degrees celsius.After discarding the supernatant, resuspend the pellet in 100 microliters of FACS buffer. For the digestion of bone spicules, first, vortex the bone spicules. Decant the supernatant and retain the bones at the bottom.Next, resuspend the spicules in one milliliter of the bone spicule digestion mixture. Incubate the tube on a rotator for 60 minutes at 37 degrees Celsius. Finally, stop the digestion with 10 milliliters of FACS buffer.Filter the mixture into the 50 milliliter tube containing RBC lysed and digested bone marrow.