This work was supported by the University of Wisconsin-Madison Herman I. Shapiro Distinguished Graduate Fellowship (C.M.T.), NIH award AI072817 (A.M.P.) and American Heart Association Award 0840059N (L.J.K). 

1. Preparation of human foreskin fibroblasts (HFF)-coated coverslips
<ol>
<li>	Place a sterile round glass coverslip on the bottom of the wells of a 24-well tissue culture plate.</li>
<li>	To harvest HFFs from a confluent 150cm2 flask, rinse the flask twice with 1X PBS and add 2.5 ml of 0.025% trypsin-EDTA. Incubate flask at 37&deg;C for 5-10 minutes.</li>
<li>	Tapping the side of the flask against the palm of your hand can aid in detaching the cells from the flask. Once cells have released from the flask, add 150 ml of HFF medium (Dulbecco's Modified Eagle Medium [DMEM] with 10% FBS, 2 mM L-glutamine, and 1% penicillin-streptomycin) and use the medium to rinse the flask and collect the cells. </li>
<li>	Dispense 1 ml of cells per well with the coverslips. </li>
<li>	Allow cells to become confluent at 37&deg;C, 5% CO2.</li>
</ol>
2.	Preparing L929 conditioned medium (CM) for BMC development
<ol>
<li>	L929 is a murine aneuploid fibrosarcoma cell line that secretes macrophage colony stimulating factor after long periods of confluency. This secretion enables the CM from L929 cells to be used to develop mouse bone marrow cells into macrophages in cell culture1.</li>
<li>	Once L929 cells are confluent, let them incubate for an additional 7-9 days until they appear spherical and begin lifting off the flask. Collect supernatant and pellet any detached cells at 425 x g for 10 minutes. This supernatant is the CM. </li>
<li>	One 150 cm2 flask of L929 cells yields 30 ml of CM, which generates 150 ml of BMC medium. BMC medium is composed of 10% FBS, 20% CM, 1% penicillin-streptomycin, and 1% L-glutamine in DMEM. </li>
</ol>
3.	Isolation of bone marrow and cell culture of BMCs
<ol>
<li>	Sacrifice one C57BL/6 mouse by CO2 asphyxiation and surface sterilize with 70% ethanol.</li>
<li>	Expose the peritoneum by lifting the abdominal skin near the leg and cutting with scissors. Avoid puncturing the peritoneal cavity. Cut down to the leg to expose the tibia and the femur. Cut muscle tissue from the leg bones using scissors.</li>
<li>	To remove the femur, cut once below the knee and once near the hip. Place the bones in a bacteriological Petri dish containing cold 1X PBS. Do not use tissue culture treated Petri dishes for these steps because the BMCs will adhere permanently. Use a scalpel to scrape off extra muscle tissue. Cut the bone just above the knee to expose the marrow. </li>
<li>	Repeat steps (b) and (c) to collect bone marrow from the second femur.</li>
<li>	Use a 10cc syringe filled with cold 1X PBS and a 25 gauge needle to dislodge the bone marrow into a 50 ml conical tube. The bone should appear pure white once marrow is removed. </li>
<li>	Pass the PBS/marrow mixture through a 22 gauge needle to break up any bone marrow aggregates. </li>
<li>	Spin the mixture at 425 x g for 10 minutes, and remove the supernatant.</li>
<li>	Resuspend the pellet in 8 ml of BMC medium. Add 1 ml of cell suspension and 9 ml BMC medium to 8 bacteriological Petri dishes.</li>
<li>	Incubate at 37&deg;C, 5% CO2.</li>
<li>	On day 5, add 10 ml BMC medium to each plate. By day 7, the cells will be fully developed. BMCs may be passaged for 1-2 weeks after maturation.</li>
<li>	To split BMCs, remove the medium and add 5 ml of cold 1X PBS to each Petri dish. Incubate at 4&deg;C for 30 minutes, until the cells begin to lift. Rinse the BMCs off the plate with a sterile transfer pipette. </li>
<li>	Pool the BMCs in a 50 ml conical tube and pellet at 425 x g for 10 minutes. </li>
<li>	Resuspend the pellet in 10 ml BMC medium and count on a hemocytometer. Seed 2x105 BMCs per well in a 24-well plate with round glass coverslips on the bottom. Let the BMCs adhere overnight before infecting with T. gondii. Excess BMCs can be reseeded on Petri dishes for later use.</li>
</ol>
4. Infecting cells with T. gondii
<ol>
<li>	Infect 25 cm2 flask of confluent HFFs with 2x106 T. gondiiand grow until cells begin to lyse (about 2-3 days).</li>
<li>	Use a cell scraper to remove the infected host cell monolayer from the tissue culture flask then release the parasites from the host cells by passing the dislodged monolayer through a 27-gauge needle.</li>
<li>	Use a hemocytometer to determine the number of parasites in the medium.</li>
<li>	Infect 105 parasites per well with coverslip of HFF monolayers from Protocol 1, or BMCs from Protocol 3. Let the parasites invade for 3 hours at 37&deg;C, 5% CO2. </li>
</ol>
5. Initiating T. gondii bradyzoite development by environmental stresses
<ol>
<li>	Bradyzoite development in HFFs with medium pH increase and CO2 starvation
<ol class="lalpha">
<li> Prepare development medium. Development medium contains RPMI 1640 without bicarbonate, 1% FBS, 1% penicillin-streptomycin, and 42 mM HEPES. pH to 8.0 and filter sterilize.</li>
<li> Remove DMEM from infected HFFs, rinse with 1X PBS, and add 1ml of development medium.</li>
<li> Incubate for 3 days at 37&deg;C with ambient air.</li>
</ol></li>
<li>	Activation of BMCs
<ol class="lalpha">
<li> Prepare medium to activate BMCs. Activation medium is BMC medium 
supplemented with 100U/ml IFN-&gamma; and 100 ng/ml LPS. Sonicate LPS in a water bath for 2 minutes before use to disrupt aggregates.</li>
<li> Remove BMC medium from wells and replace with 1 ml of activation medium.</li>
<li> Incubate at 37&deg;C, 5% CO2 for 3 days. </li></ol></li>
</ol>
6. Immunofluorescence detection
<ol>
<li> Rinse infected wells three times with 1X PBS.</li>
<li> Fix the monolayer with 200ul of 3% formaldehyde for 20 minutes. </li>
<li> Remove fixative and rinse wells with 1X PBS.</li>
<li> Add 200&mu;l of 0.1 M glycine to wells and let sit for 5 minutes.</li>
<li> Remove glycine and rinse wells with 1X PBS.</li>
<li> Add 250 &mu;l of 3% BSA/0.2% TritonX-100 in 1X PBS to permeabilize and block the monolayer for 30 minutes.</li> 
<li> Remove blocking solution and rinse wells with 1X PBS.</li>
<li> Add 50 &mu;l of a 1:250 dilution of rhodamine Dolichos biflorus agglutinin in 3% BSA/0.2% Triton X-100 in 1X PBS.</li>
<li> Cover plate and place on platform shaker at room temperature for 1 hour</li>
<li> Wash the coverslips 3 times with 0.2% Triton X-100 in 1X PBS for 5 minutes each on a platform shaker.</li> 
<li> Mount coverslips using VectaShield mounting medium containing 4'6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI).</li>
<li>	Stained T. gondiican be visualized using a fluorescent microscope with a filter appropriate for rhodamine at a magnification of 100x. </li>
</ol>
7. Representative results
Figure 1 shows representative DBA staining of T. gondii in activated BMMs and HFFs under pH stress. Both show DBA staining around parasite containing vacuoles, indicating the presence of cyst wall components. The activated BMM image shows DBA staining that is consistent with the surface of the vacuole. The cross section of T. gondii in pH stressed HFFs shows the cyst wall with no internal structures stained.
<img src="/files/ftp_upload/2091/2091fig1.jpg" alt="Figure 1" /> 
Figure 1. DBA staining of stressed T. gondii. Intracellular parasites under stress conditions, activated BMMs or pH stressed HFFs, were stained with rhodamine conjugated DBA (red). Differential interference contrast (DIC) shows the outline of the cyst and the black scale bar equals 2 &mu;M.

Experiments on Animals
Experiments on animals were performed in accordance with the guidelines and regulations set forth by University of Wisconsin Animal Care and Use Committee.

<ol>
	<li>Tomida, M., Yamamoto-Yamaguchi, Y., Hozumi, M. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Purification+of+a+factor+inducing+differentiation+of+mouse+myeloid+leukemic+M1+cells+from+conditioned+medium+of+mouse+fibroblast+L929+cells.">Purification of a factor inducing differentiation of mouse myeloid leukemic M1 cells from conditioned medium of mouse fibroblast L929 cells.</a> J Biol Chem. 259 (17), 10978-10980 (1984).</li><li>Matrajt, M., Donald, R. G., Singh, U., Roos, D. S. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Identification+and+characterization+of+differentiation+mutants+in+the+protozoan+parasite+Toxoplasma+gondii.">Identification and characterization of differentiation mutants in the protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii.</a> Mol Microbiol. 44, 735-747 (2002).</li><li>Singh, U., Brewer, J. L., Boothroyd, J. C. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Genetic+analysis+of+tachyzoite+to+bradyzoite+differentiation+mutants+in+Toxoplasma+gondii+reveals+a+hierarchy+of+gene+induction.">Genetic analysis of tachyzoite to bradyzoite differentiation mutants in Toxoplasma gondii reveals a hierarchy of gene induction.</a> Mol Microbiol. 44, 721-733 (2002).</li><li>J, P., Knoll, L. J. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Isolation+of+Toxoplasma+gondii+development+mutants+identifies+a+potential+proteophosphogylcan+that+enhances+cyst+wall+formation.+Molecular+and+Biochemical+Parasitology.">Isolation of Toxoplasma gondii development mutants identifies a potential proteophosphogylcan that enhances cyst wall formation. Molecular and Biochemical Parasitology.</a> 169 (2), 120-123 (2010).</li><li>Bohne, W., Heesemann, J., Gross, U. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Induction+of+Bradyzoite-Specific+Toxoplasma+gondii+Antigens+in+Gamma+Interferon-Treated+Mouse+Macrophages.">Induction of Bradyzoite-Specific Toxoplasma gondii Antigens in Gamma Interferon-Treated Mouse Macrophages.</a> Infection and Immunity. 61 (3), 1141-1145 (1993).</li><li>Ibrahim, H. M., Bannai, H., Xuan, X., Nishikawa, Y. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Toxoplasma+gondii+Cyclophilin+18-Mediated+Production+of+Nitric+Oxide+Induces+Bradyzoite+Conversion+in+a+CCR5-Dependent+Manner.">Toxoplasma gondii Cyclophilin 18-Mediated Production of Nitric Oxide Induces Bradyzoite Conversion in a CCR5-Dependent Manner.</a> Infection and Immunity. 77 (9), 3686-3695 (2009).</li><li>Lyons, R. E., McLeod, R., Roberts, C. W. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Toxoplasma+gondii+tachyzoite-bradyzoite+interconversion.">Toxoplasma gondii tachyzoite-bradyzoite interconversion.</a> Trends in Parasitology. 18 (5), 198-201 (2002).</li><li>Berghaus, L. J., Moore, J. N., Hurley, D. J., Vandenplas, M. L., Fortes, B. P., Wolfert, M. A., Boons, G. J. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Innate+immune+responses+of+primary+murine+macrophage-lineage+cells+and+RAW+264.7+cells+to+ligands+of+Toll-like+receptors+2,+3,+and+4.">Innate immune responses of primary murine macrophage-lineage cells and RAW 264.7 cells to ligands of Toll-like receptors 2, 3, and 4.</a> Comp Immunol Microbiol Infect Dis. , (2009).</li><li>Mordue, D. G., Scott-Weathers, C. F., Tobin, C. M., Knoll, L. J. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=A+patatin-like+protein+protects+Toxoplasma+gondii+from+degradation+in+activated+macrophages.">A patatin-like protein protects Toxoplasma gondii from degradation in activated macrophages.</a> Mol Microbiol. 63 (2), 482-496 (2007).</li><li>Bohne, W., Heesemann, J., Gross, U. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Reduced+replication+of+Toxoplasma+gondii+is+necessary+for+induction+of+bradyzoite-specific+antigens:+a+possible+role+for+nitric+oxide+in+triggering+stage+conversion.">Reduced replication of Toxoplasma gondii is necessary for induction of bradyzoite-specific antigens: a possible role for nitric oxide in triggering stage conversion.</a> Infection and Immunity. 62 (5), 1761-1777 (1994).</li></ol>

No conflicts of interest declared.

While the mechanism of bradyzoite development is not fully understood, molecular genetic analyses of T. gondii stage conversion in tissue culture has led to the discovery of genes that are involved in bradyzoite cyst formation2,3,4. The analyses also led to the observation that some bradyzoite markers are expressed in other prolonged stress conditions, including growth in activated macrophages5,6. The above methods describe how to grow T. gondii and induce development a DBA positiv...

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		<div>
		<table border="1">
		<thead>
		<tr>
		<th>Material Name</th>
		<th>Type</th>
		<th>Company</th>
		<th>Catalogue Number</th>
		<th>Comment</th>
		</tr>
		</thead>
		<tbody>
		
<tr>
<td>Bovine serum albumin</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<td>Sigma</td>
<td>A7906</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<tr>
<td>Dulbecco's Modified Eagle Medium (DMEM)</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<td>Gibco</td>
<td>11960-051</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<tr>
<td>Fetal Bovine Serum (FBS)</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<td>Atlanta Biologicals</td>
<td>S11150</td>
<td>heat inactivate </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Rhodamine Dolichos biflorus agglutinin</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<td>Vector Laboratories</td>
<td>RL-1032</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<tr>
<td>Formaldehyde (16%)</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<td>Polysciences</td>
<td>18814</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<tr>
<td>Glycine</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<td>Fisher Scientific</td>
<td>BP381-5</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<tr>
<td>HEPES</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<td>Fisher Scientific</td>
<td>BP310-1</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<tr>
<td>IFN&gamma;</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<td>PeproTech</td>
<td>315-05</td>
<td>Store in single use aliquots</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>L-glutamine (200mM)</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<td>Gibco</td>
<td>25030</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<tr>
<td>Lipopolysaccharide (LPS)</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<td>Sigma</td>
<td>L4391-1MG</td>
<td>Store in single use aliquots</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Microscope Cover Glass</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<td>Fisher Scientific</td>
<td>12-545-80 12CIR-1</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<tr>
<td>Penicillin-Streptomycin</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<td>Gibco</td>
<td>15140</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<tr>
<td>RPMI medium 1640 powder (with L-glutamine, without bicarbonate)</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<td>Gibco</td>
<td>31800-022</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<tr>
<td>Triton-X-100</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<td>Fisher Scientific</td>
<td>BP151-500</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<tr>
<td>Trypsin-EDTA (0.25%)</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<td>Gibco</td>
<td>25200</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<tr>
<td>VectaShield mounting media with DAPI</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<td>Vector Laboratories</td>
<td>H-1200</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>		</tbody>
		</table>
		</div>

toxoplasma gondii cyst wall formation in activated bone marrow-derived macrophages and bradyzoite conditions

Toxoplasma gondii is an obligate intracellular parasite that can invade any nucleated cell of warm-blooded animals. During infection, T. gondii disseminates as a fast replicating form called the tachyzoite. Tachyzoites convert into a slow-growing encysted form called the bradyzoite by a signaling process that is not well characterized. Within animals, bradyzoite cysts are found in the central nervous system and muscle tissue and represent the chronic stage of infection. Conversion to bradyzoites can be simulated in tissue culture by CO2 starvation, using medium with high a pH, or the addition of interferon gamma (IFN&gamma;). Bradyzoites are characterized by the presence of a cyst wall, to which the lectin Dolichos biflorus agglutinin (DBA) binds. Fluorescently labeled DBA is used to visualize the cyst wall in parasites grown in human foreskin fibroblasts (HFFs) that have been exposed to low CO2 and high pH medium. Similarly, parasites residing in murine bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMMs) display a cyst wall detectable by DBA after the BMMs are activated with IFN&gamma; and lipopolysaccharide (LPS). This protocol will demonstrate how to induce conversion of T. gondii to bradyzoites using a high pH growth medium with low CO2 and activation of BMMs. Host cells will be cultured on coverslips, infected with tachyzoites and either activated with addition of IFN&gamma; and LPS (BMMs) or exposed to a high pH growth medium (HFFs) for three days. Upon completion of infections, host cells will be fixed, permeabilized, and blocked. Cyst walls will be visualized using rhodamine DBA with fluorescence microscopy.

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Toxoplasma gondii Cyst Wall Formation in Activated Bone Marrow-derived Macrophages and Bradyzoite Conditions at JoVE.com

Toxoplasma gondii Cyst Wall Formation in Activated Bone Marrow-derived Macrophages and Bradyzoite Conditions

Toxoplasma gondii converts to a cyst form in response to environmental stresses, which can be mimicked in tissue culture models. This video demonstrates techniques to examine cyst wall formation by activating bone marrow-derived macrophages or changing growth medium pH in fibroblast cells.

Toxoplasma gondii Cyst Wall Formation in Activated Bone Marrow-derived Macrophages and Bradyzoite Conditions

Toxoplasma gondii is an obligate intracellular parasite that can invade any nucleated cell of warm-blooded animals. During infection, T. gondii ...

toxoplasma-gondii-cyst-wall-formation-activated-bone-marrow-derived

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Immunology and Infection

16.1K Views.  University of Wisconsin. Toxoplasma gondii converts to a cyst form in response to environmental stresses, which can be mimicked in tissue culture models. This video demonstrates techniques to examine cyst wall formation by activating bone marrow-derived macrophages or changing growth medium pH in fibroblast cells.

Video: Toxoplasma gondii Cyst Wall Formation in Activated Bone Marrow-derived Macrophages and Bradyzoite Conditions

Obtaining Highly Purified Toxoplasma gondii Oocysts by a Discontinuous Cesium Chloride Gradient

Toxoplasma gondii is an obligate intracellular protozoan pathogen that commonly infects humans. It is a well characterized apicomplexan associated with causing food- and water-borne disease outbreaks. The definitive host is the feline species where sexual replication occurs resulting in the development of the highly infectious and environmentally resistant oocyst. Infection occurs via ingestion of tissue cysts from contaminated meat or oocysts from soil or water. Infection is typically asymptomatic in healthy individuals, but results in a life-long latent infection that can reactivate causing toxoplasmic encephalitis and death if the individual becomes immunocompromised. Meat contaminated with T. gondii cysts have been the primary source of infection in Europe and the United States, but recent changes in animal management and husbandry practices and improved food handling and processing procedures have significantly reduced the prevalence of T. gondii cysts in meat1, 2. Nonetheless, seroprevalence in humans remains relatively high suggesting that exposure from oocyst contaminated soil or water is likely. Indeed, waterborne outbreaks of toxoplasmosis have been reported worldwide supporting the theory exposure to the environmental oocyst form poses a significant health risk3-5. To date, research on understanding the prevalence of T. gondii oocysts in the water and environment are limited due to the lack of tools to detect oocysts in the environment 5, 6. This is primarily due to the lack of efficient purification protocols for obtaining large numbers of highly purified T gondii oocysts from infected cats for research purposes. This study describes the development of a modified CsCl method that easily purifies T. gondii oocysts from feces of infected cats that are suitable for molecular biological and tissue culture manipulation7.

Obtaining Highly Purified Toxoplasma gondii Oocysts by a Discontinuous Cesium Chloride Gradient

This study describes the development of a modified CsCl method that easily purifies T. gondii oocysts from feces of infected cats that are suitable for molecular biological and tissue culture manipulation

Toxoplasma gondii is an obligate intracellular protozoan pathogen that commonly infects humans. It is a well characterized apicomplexan associated with ...

A Genetic Screen to Isolate Toxoplasma gondii Host-cell Egress Mutants

The widespread, obligate intracellular, protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii causes opportunistic disease in immuno-compromised patients and causes birth defects upon congenital infection. The lytic replication cycle is characterized by three stages: 1. active invasion of a nucleated host cell; 2. replication inside the host cell; 3. active egress from the host cell. The mechanism of egress is increasingly being appreciated as a unique, highly regulated process, which is still poorly understood at the molecular level. The signaling pathways underlying egress have been characterized through the use of pharmacological agents acting on different aspects of the pathways1-5. As such, several independent triggers of egress have been identified which all converge on the release of intracellular Ca2+, a signal that is also critical for host cell invasion6-8. This insight informed a candidate gene approach which led to the identification of plant like calcium dependent protein kinase (CDPK) involved in egress9. In addition, several recent breakthroughs in understanding egress have been made using (chemical) genetic approaches10-12. To combine the wealth of pharmacological information with the increasing genetic accessibility of Toxoplasma we recently established a screen permitting the enrichment for parasite mutants with a defect in host cell egress13. Although chemical mutagenesis using N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea (ENU) or ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS) has been used for decades in the study of Toxoplasma biology11,14,15, only recently has genetic mapping of mutations underlying the phenotypes become routine16-18. Furthermore, by generating temperature-sensitive mutants, essential processes can be dissected and the underlying genes directly identified. These mutants behave as wild-type under the permissive temperature (35 &deg;C), but fail to proliferate at the restrictive temperature (40 &deg;C) as a result of the mutation in question. Here we illustrate a new phenotypic screening method to isolate mutants with a temperature-sensitive egress phenotype13. The challenge for egress screens is to separate egressed from non-egressed parasites, which is complicated by fast re-invasion and general stickiness of the parasites to host cells. A previously established egress screen was based on a cumbersome series of biotinylation steps to separate intracellular from extracellular parasites11. This method also did not generate conditional mutants resulting in weak phenotypes. The method described here overcomes the strong attachment of egressing parasites by including a glycan competitor, dextran sulfate (DS), that prevents parasites from sticking to the host cell19. Moreover, extracellular parasites are specifically killed off by pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate (PDTC), which leaves intracellular parasites unharmed20. Therefore, with a new phenotypic screen to specifically isolate parasite mutants with defects in induced egress, the power of genetics can now be fully deployed to unravel the molecular mechanisms underlying host cell egress.

A Genetic Screen to Isolate Toxoplasma gondii Host-cell Egress Mutants

Forward genetics is a powerful method to unravel the molecular level of how Toxoplasma egresses from its host cell. Protocols are provided to chemically mutagenize parasites, enrich for mutants with defects in induced egress, and validate the phenotype of cloned mutants.

The widespread, obligate intracellular, protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii causes opportunistic disease in immuno-compromised patients and causes birth ...

Investigation of Macrophage Polarization Using Bone Marrow Derived Macrophages

The article describes a readily easy adaptive in vitro model to investigate macrophage polarization. In the presence of GM-CSF/M-CSF, hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells from the bone marrow are directed into monocytic differentiation, followed by M1 or M2 stimulation. The activation status can be tracked by changes in cell surface antigens, gene expression and cell signaling pathways.

The article describes a readily easy adaptive in vitro model to investigate macrophage polarization. In the presence of GM-CSF/M-CSF, hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells from the bone marrow are directed into monocytic differentiation, followed by M1 or M2 stimulation. The activation status can be tracked by changes in cell surface antigens, gene expression and cell signaling pathways.

The article describes a readily easy adaptive in vitro model to investigate macrophage polarization. In the presence of GM-CSF/M-CSF, hematopoietic ...

Genetic Manipulation in &Delta;ku80 Strains for Functional Genomic Analysis of Toxoplasma gondii

Targeted genetic manipulation using homologous recombination is the method of choice for functional genomic analysis to obtain a detailed view of gene function and phenotype(s). The development of mutant strains with targeted gene deletions, targeted mutations, complemented gene function, and/or tagged genes provides powerful strategies to address gene function, particularly if these genetic manipulations can be efficiently targeted to the gene locus of interest using integration mediated by double cross over homologous recombination.
Due to very high rates of nonhomologous recombination, functional genomic analysis of Toxoplasma gondii has been previously limited by the absence of efficient methods for targeting gene deletions and gene replacements to specific genetic loci. Recently, we abolished the major pathway of nonhomologous recombination in type I and type II strains of T. gondii by deleting the gene encoding the KU80 protein1,2. The &Delta;ku80 strains behave normally during tachyzoite (acute) and bradyzoite (chronic) stages in vitro and in vivo and exhibit essentially a 100% frequency of homologous recombination. The &Delta;ku80 strains make functional genomic studies feasible on the single gene as well as on the genome scale1-4.
Here, we report methods for using type I and type II &Delta;ku80&Delta;hxgprt strains to advance gene targeting approaches in T. gondii. We outline efficient methods for generating gene deletions, gene replacements, and tagged genes by targeted insertion or deletion of the hypoxanthine-xanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase (HXGPRT) selectable marker. The described gene targeting protocol can be used in a variety of ways in &Delta;ku80 strains to advance functional analysis of the parasite genome and to develop single strains that carry multiple targeted genetic manipulations. The application of this genetic method and subsequent phenotypic assays will reveal fundamental and unique aspects of the biology of T. gondii and related significant human pathogens that cause malaria (Plasmodium sp.) and cryptosporidiosis (Cryptosporidium).

Genetic Manipulation in &lt;em&gt;&amp;Delta;ku80&lt;/em&gt; Strains for Functional Genomic Analysis of &lt;em&gt;Toxoplasma gondii&lt;/em&gt;

Here we report a method for using type I and type II &Delta;ku80 strains of Toxoplasma gondii to efficiently generate targeted gene deletions and gene replacements for functional genomic analysis.

Targeted genetic manipulation using homologous recombination is the method of choice for functional genomic analysis to obtain a detailed view of gene ...

Bone Marrow-derived Macrophage Production

Macrophages are critical components of the innate and adaptive immune responses, and they are the first line of defense against foreign invaders because of their powerful microbicidal activities. Macrophages are widely distributed throughout the body and are present in the lymphoid organs, liver, lungs, gastrointestinal tract, central nervous system, bone, and skin. Because of their repartition, they participate in a wide range of physiological and pathological processes. Macrophages are highly versatile cells that are able to recognize microenvironmental alterations and to maintain tissue homeostasis. Numerous pathogens have evolved mechanisms to use macrophages as Trojan horses to survive, replicate in, and infect both humans and animals and to propagate throughout the body. The recent explosion of interest in evolutionary, genetic, and biochemical aspects of host-pathogen interactions has renewed scientific attention regarding macrophages. Here, we describe a procedure to isolate and cultivate macrophages from murine bone marrow that will provide large numbers of macrophages for studying host-pathogen interactions as well as other processes.

Macrophages have long been recognized as a critical component of the innate and adaptive immune responses. The recent explosion of knowledge pertaining to evolutionary, genetic, and biochemical aspects of the interaction between macrophages and microbes has renewed scientific attention to macrophages. This article describes a method to differentiate macrophages from mouse bone marrow.

Macrophages are critical components of the innate and adaptive immune responses, and they are the first line of defense against foreign invaders because ...

Isolation and Intravenous Injection of Murine Bone Marrow Derived Monocytes

As a subtype of leukocytes and progenitors of macrophages, monocytes are involved in many important processes of organisms and are often the subject of various fields in biomedical science. The method described below is a simple and effective way to isolate murine monocytes from heterogeneous bone marrow.
Bone marrow from the femur and tibia of Balb/c mice is harvested by flushing with phosphate buffered saline (PBS). Cell suspension is supplemented with macrophage-colony stimulating factor (M-CSF) and cultured on ultra-low attachment surfaces to avoid adhesion-triggered differentiation of monocytes. The properties and differentiation of monocytes are characterized at various intervals. Fluorescence activated cell sorting (FACS), with markers like CD11b, CD115, and F4/80, is used for phenotyping. At the end of cultivation, the suspension consists of 45%&#177; 12% monocytes. By removing adhesive macrophages, the purity can be raised up to 86%&#177; 6%. After the isolation, monocytes can be utilized in various ways, and one of the most effective and common methods for in vivo delivery is intravenous tail vein injection. 
This technique of isolation and application is important for mouse model studies, especially in the fields of inflammation or immunology. Monocytes can also be used therapeutically in mouse disease models.

Here we present a protocol that generates large amounts of murine monocytes from heterogeneous bone marrow for translational applications. In comparison to others, this new method helps reduce the number of sacrificed animals and lowers costs by avoiding expensive methods such as high gradient magnetic cell separation (MACS).

As a subtype of leukocytes and progenitors of macrophages, monocytes are involved in many important processes of organisms and are often the subject of ...

Forward Genetics Screens Using Macrophages to Identify Toxoplasma gondii Genes Important for Resistance to IFN-&#947;-Dependent Cell Autonomous Immunity

Toxoplasma gondii, the causative agent of toxoplasmosis, is an obligate intracellular protozoan pathogen. The parasite invades and replicates within virtually any warm blooded vertebrate cell type. During parasite invasion of a host cell, the parasite creates a parasitophorous vacuole (PV) that originates from the host cell membrane independent of phagocytosis within which the parasite replicates. While IFN-dependent-innate and cell mediated immunity is important for eventual control of infection, innate immune cells, including neutrophils, monocytes and dendritic cells, can also serve as vehicles for systemic dissemination of the parasite early in infection. An approach is described that utilizes the host innate immune response, in this case macrophages, in a forward genetic screen to identify parasite mutants with a fitness defect in infected macrophages following activation but normal invasion and replication in na&#239;ve macrophages. Thus, the screen isolates parasite mutants that have a specific defect in their ability to resist the effects of macrophage activation. The paper describes two broad phenotypes of mutant parasites following activation of infected macrophages: parasite stasis versus parasite degradation, often in amorphous vacuoles. The parasite mutants are then analyzed to identify the responsible parasite genes specifically important for resistance to induced mediators of cell autonomous immunity. The paper presents a general approach for the forward genetics screen that, in theory, can be modified to target parasite genes important for resistance to specific antimicrobial mediators. It also describes an approach to evaluate the specific macrophage antimicrobial mediators to which the parasite mutant is susceptible. Activation of infected macrophages can also promote parasite differentiation from the tachyzoite to bradyzoite stage that maintains chronic infection. Therefore, methodology is presented to evaluate the importance of the identified parasite gene to establishment of chronic infection.

Forward Genetics Screens Using Macrophages to Identify Toxoplasma gondii Genes Important for Resistance to IFN-&amp;#947;-Dependent Cell Autonomous Immunity

Forward genetics is a powerful approach to identify genes in intracellular pathogens important for resistance to cell autonomous immunity. The current approach uses innate immune cells, specifically macrophages, to identify novel Toxoplasma gondii genes important for immune evasion.

Toxoplasma gondii, the causative agent of toxoplasmosis, is an obligate intracellular protozoan pathogen. The parasite invades and replicates within ...

Metabolic Characterization of Polarized M1 and M2 Bone Marrow-derived Macrophages Using Real-time Extracellular Flux Analysis

Specific metabolic pathways are increasingly being recognized as critical hallmarks of macrophage subsets. While LPS-induced classically activated M1 or M(LPS) macrophages are pro-inflammatory, IL-4 induces alternative macrophage activation and these so-called M2 or M(IL-4) support resolution of inflammation and wound healing. Recent evidence shows the crucial role of metabolic reprogramming in the regulation of M1 and M2 macrophage polarization. 
In this manuscript, an extracellular flux analyzer is applied to assess the metabolic characteristics of naive, M1 and M2 polarized mouse bone marrow-derived macrophages. This instrument uses pH and oxygen sensors to measure the extracellular acidification rate (ECAR) and oxygen consumption rate (OCR), which can be related to glycolytic and mitochondrial oxidative metabolism. As such, both glycolysis and mitochondrial oxidative metabolism can be measured in real-time in one single assay.
Using this technique, we demonstrate here that inflammatory M1 macrophages display enhanced glycolytic metabolism and reduced mitochondrial activity. Conversely, anti-inflammatory M2 macrophages show high mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) and are characterized by an enhanced spare respiratory capacity (SRC). 
The presented functional assay serves as a framework to investigate how particular cytokines, pharmacological compounds, gene knock outs or other interventions affect the macrophage&#8217;s metabolic phenotype and inflammatory status.

Metabolic reprogramming is a characteristic and prerequisite for M1 and M2 macrophage polarization. This manuscript describes an assay for the measurement of fundamental parameters of glycolysis and mitochondrial function in mouse bone marrow-derived macrophages. This tool can be applied to investigate how particular factors affect the macrophage&#8217;s metabolism and phenotype.

Specific metabolic pathways are increasingly being recognized as critical hallmarks of macrophage subsets. While LPS-induced classically activated M1 or ...

Detection of Inflammasome Activation and Pyroptotic Cell Death in Murine Bone Marrow-derived Macrophages

Inflammasomes are innate immune signaling platforms that are required for the successful control of many pathogenic organisms, but also promote inflammatory and autoinflammatory diseases. Inflammasomes are activated by cytosolic pattern recognition receptors, including members of the NOD-like receptor (NLR) family. These receptors oligomerize upon the detection of microbial or damage-associated stimuli. Subsequent recruitment of the adaptor protein ASC forms a microscopically visible inflammasome complex, which activates caspase-1 through proximity-induced auto-activation. Following the activation, caspase-1 cleaves pro-IL-1&#946; and pro-IL-18, leading to the activation and secretion of these pro-inflammatory cytokines. Caspase-1 also mediates the inflammatory form of cell death termed pyroptosis, which features the loss of membrane integrity and cell lysis. Caspase-1 cleaves gasdermin D, releasing the N-terminal fragment which forms plasma membrane pores, leading to osmotic lysis.
In vitro, the activation of caspase-1 can be determined by labeling bone marrow-derived macrophages with the caspase-1 activity probe FAM-YVAD-FMK and by labeling the cells with antibodies against the adaptor protein ASC. This technique allows the identification of inflammasome formation and caspase-1 activation in individual cells using fluorescence microscopy. Pyroptotic cell death can be detected by measuring the release of cytosolic lactate dehydrogenase into the medium. This procedure is simple, cost effective and performed in a 96-well plate format, allowing adaptation for screening. In this manuscript, we show that activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome by nigericin leads to the co-localization of the adaptor protein ASC and active caspase-1, leading to pyroptosis.

We describe the detection of NLRP3 inflammasome activation on cellular basis using fluorescence microscopy and staining for active caspase-1 and the adaptor, ASC. A lactate dehydrogenase release assay is presented to detect pyroptotic lysis on a population basis. These techniques can be adapted to study many aspects of inflammasome biology.

Inflammasomes are innate immune signaling platforms that are required for the successful control of many pathogenic organisms, but also promote ...

Isolation and In vitro Culture of Bone Marrow-Derived Macrophages for the Study of NO-Redox Biology

Macrophages are derived from hematopoietic progenitor cells throughout the body, are central to inflammatory processes, and participate in innate and adaptive immune responses. In vitro study of macrophages can be undertaken by ex vivo culture from the peritoneum or through differentiation of myeloid bone marrow progenitor cells to form bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs). A common approach to macrophage differentiation from precursors involves the use of conditioned media from L929 cells (LCM). This media is easy to self-produce but suffers from batch variability, and its constituents are undefined. Similarly, Foetal Bovine Serum (FBS) is used to support growth but contains a vast mixture of undefined molecules that may vary between batches. These methods are not adequate for the study of nitric oxide biology and redox mechanisms as they both contain substantial amounts of small molecules that either interfere with redox mechanisms or supplement levels of cofactors, such as tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4), required for the production of NO from inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS). In this report, we present an optimized protocol allowing for control of the NO-redox environment by reducing the levels of exogenous biopterin while maintaining conditions suitable for cell growth and differentiation. Tight control of culture media composition helps ensure experimental reproducibility and facilitates accurate interpretation of results. In this protocol, BMDMs were obtained from a GTP cyclohydrolase (GCH)- deficient mouse model. Culture of BMDMs was performed with media containing either (i) conditioned LCM, or (ii) recombinant M-CSF and GM-CSF to produce minimal artifacts while obtaining BH4 and NO-deficient culture conditions - thus allowing for the reproducible study of NO-redox biology and immunometabolism in vitro.

Isolation and In vitro Culture of Bone Marrow-Derived Macrophages for the Study of NO-Redox Biology

This protocol has been established to culture tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4)- and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS)-deficient primary murine macrophages to study NO-redox biology. The study focuses on reducing potential contamination of BH4 and other artifacts found in traditional isolation and culture methods which may confound experimental outcomes and interpretation of results.

Macrophages are derived from hematopoietic progenitor cells throughout the body, are central to inflammatory processes, and participate in innate and ...