The authors wish to thank the Creative Services team at the University of Missouri Academic Support Center who produced this video. 
This work was supported by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health &amp; Human Development of the National Institutes of Health, grant number 
HD055231

1. Dissection of the mouse placenta
<ol>
 <li>Set up mating pairs of mice.</li>
 <li>On each of the following days, check for the presence of a copulatory plug. The day in which a plug is detected is considered 0.5 days post-coitus 
 (dpc)7.</li>
 <li>Placentas may be collected at the desired stage of pregnancy, with a clean dissection of the placenta possible beginning with the development of the mature placenta on d 10.5. Here, we demonstrate 14.5 dpc. At the given volumes, 40-60 placentas on 10.5 dpc, and 10-20 placentas on 14.5 dpc will yield a clearly visible trophoblast cell layer. </li>
 <li>Euthanize the pregnant mouse, and remove the uterus, cutting at the cervix, and along the mesometrium.</li>
 <li>Using sharp scissors, cut between each conceptus (Figure 1A).</li>
 <li>Using two pairs of forceps, grasp the uterine wall at the cut edge, and pull apart, removing the myometrium (Figure 1B). One pair serrated, moderately fine (curved or straight) forceps plus one pair very fine forceps (#5, for example) is recommended. </li>
 <li>Opposite the placenta, open the decidua with forceps or scissors, exposing placenta. Grasping uterine tissue with one forceps pair, slide another forceps beneath the placenta to separate (Figure 1C). If necessary, separate fetus and fetal membranes from placenta. It is not possible to remove all decidual tissue by dissection without also losing placental tissue, but additional decidual tissue (pale) can be removed from the surface of the placenta by gently peeling with forceps. We will rely on the Percoll gradient for further purification.</li>
 <li>Place each dissected placenta in 25 ml ice cold dissociation buffer in a 50 ml conical tube until all dissections are complete. At later stages, coarsely mince placental tissue with scissors or razor blade prior to transfer into dissociation buffer. </li>
</ol>
2. Isolation of trophoblast cells
<ol>
 <li>Loosely cap conical tube and place in a 37&deg;C bath for 45-60 minutes. Mix the dissociation solution vigorously by pipetting approximately every 10 min. The total digestion time should be monitored closely and will likely require some trial and error to achieve optimal cell recovery. Tissues should be able to be passed through a 10 ml pipet, but visible pieces of tissue will remain. Overdigestion will result in poor cell survival and plating efficiency. Optimal cell survival and plating efficiency will occur when clumps of a few cells are present, rather than when complete dissociation is achieved. Conversely, underdigestion will lead to reduced purity following percoll separation. When the proper digestion point has been reached, place tube on ice to stop collagenase activity.</li>
 <li>Pass the solution through a cell strainer to remove undigested materials, and centrifuge @ 500 x g for 5 minutes.</li>
 <li>To wash, remove supernatant and resuspend cells in 10 ml wash solution. Centrifuge @ 500 x g for 5 minutes.</li>
 <li>During the centrifugation, prepare percoll solution by mixing 9.6 ml percoll, 13.4 ml wash solution and 1.1 ml 10x medium 199 in a 50 ml tube appropriate for high speed centrifugation. </li>
 <li>Remove supernatant and resuspend cell pellet in 2 mL wash solution.</li>
 <li>Add cells to percoll solution and centrifuge @ 30,000 x g for 30 minutes at 4&deg;C.</li>
 <li>Remove tube from centrifuge without disturbing the gradient. To visualize the gradient, place tube in front of a bright light source. Locate the trophoblast band (Figure 2), and aspirate with a pipet, taking care not to disturb the red blood cell band below. Volume of the trophoblast band will be 5-8 ml.</li>
 <li>Transfer trophoblast cells to a 50 ml conical tube. Add wash solution to a total volume of 45ml.</li>
 <li>Centrifuge @ 500 x g for 5 minutes. Remove supernatant, and resuspend in culture medium (NCTC-135). Cells can be cultured on thin-layer matrigel or tissue culture plastic at 37&deg;C and 5% CO2. At day 10.5, each placenta yields roughly 50,000 live cells, of which 80-90% are cytokeratin positive. </li>
</ol>

3. Trophoblast invasion Assay
<ol>
 <li>Add 1-2 ml culture medium (NCTC-135) to each matrigel chamber and incubate at 37&deg;, 5% CO2 for 30-90 min. </li>
 <li>Remove medium, and add 1.5 ml x 105 freshly isolated cells in 2ml medium to upper chamber. Add 1 ml medium to lower chamber to cover lower membrane surface.</li>
 <li>Culture cells in inserts for 18-24 hours.</li>
 <li>Scrape cells and matrigel from the insert using a foam swab.</li>
 <li>Rinse the top and bottom of the chamber in 2 ml PBS.</li>
 <li>Fix for 5 min in 1 ml 4% paraformaldehyde in PBS.</li>
 <li>Stain by filling lower chamber with 400 &mu;l DAPI (300nM) and incubate for 30 min. </li>
 <li>Wash three times briefly in PBS.</li>
 <li>Remove membranes from inserts with a sharp scalpel blade.</li>
 <li>Add a 10 &mu;l drop of mounting medium (50% glycerol in PBS) to slide. Using forceps, lay membrane on drop. Add another 10 &mu;l drop of medium, then coverslip carefully.</li>
 <li>Photograph and count cells. Be sure to orient the membrane appropriately (cell-side up or cell-side down) for the microscope being used. Image J software 
 (National Institutes of Health) includes a manual counting feature that can be used for this purpose, as can Adobe Photoshop or a manual counter. </li>
</ol>

4. Representative Results

<img src="/files/ftp_upload/3202/3202fig1.jpg" alt="Figure 1" /> 
Figure 1. Dissection of the mouse placenta. (a) The uterus is removed by cutting along the oviducts (yellow), along the mesometrial surface, and at the cervix (bottom). Individual conceptuses can then be separated by cutting with scissors as shown. (b) The uterine wall is removed by placing two forceps in the cut uterine surface, and tearing along the anti-mesometrial side, near the fetus and away from the placenta. (c) The placenta is then isolated by grasping with a forceps and sliding another between the placenta and uterine tissue. Umbilical cord and other extraembryonic membranes can then be separated from the placenta.

<img src="/files/ftp_upload/3202/3202fig2.jpg" alt="Figure 2" /> 
Figure 2. Percoll separation of trophoblast cells. After centrifugation, three major bands will be visible as shown in cartoon at left, and photograph at right. The upper band contains cellular debris and fibroblasts and will be most apparent. A tight (red) band near the bottom containing red blood cells will be visible just below the diffuse trophoblast band. Cell aggregates will likely seen in the trophoblast band, as in the two shown just to the left of the arrow in the photograph. 

<img src="/files/ftp_upload/3202/3202fig3.jpg" alt="Figure 3" /> 
Figure 3. Invasive trophoblast cells (white arrow) will pass through the matrigel layer and the membrane pores, appearing on the bottom surface of the membrane. The pores are also visible (black arrowhead). The number of cells on the entire membrane surface or a representative sample area may be counted. A grayscale image of fluorescent DAPI nuclear staining has been inverted to improve visualization of cells. 

<img src="/files/ftp_upload/3202/3202fig4.jpg" alt="Figure 4" /> 
Figure 4.Trophoblast cells can be identified, and the purity of the isolated population assessed, by immunostaining for cytokeratin 7 (center,magenta). Cells are counterstained with DAPI (top,blue). Merged image, bottom.

<ol>
	<li>Thordarson, G., Folger, P., Talamantes, F. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Development+of+a+placental+cell+culture+system+for+studying+the+control+of+mouse+placental+lactogen+II+secretion.">Development of a placental cell culture system for studying the control of mouse placental lactogen II secretion.</a> Placenta. 8, 573-585 (1987).</li><li>Petroff, M. G., Phillips, T. A., Ka, H., Pace, J. L., Hunt, J. S. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Isolation+and+culture+of+term+human+trophoblast+cells.">Isolation and culture of term human trophoblast cells.</a> Methods. Mol. Med. 121, 203-217 (2006).</li><li>Kliman, H. J., Nestler, J. E., Sermasi, E., Sanger, J. M., Strauss, J. F. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Purification,+characterization,+and+in+vitro+differentiation+of+cytotrophoblasts+from+human+term+placentae.">Purification, characterization, and in vitro differentiation of cytotrophoblasts from human term placentae.</a> Endocrinology. 118, 1567-1582 (1986).</li><li>Blaschitz, A., Weiss, U., Dohr, G., Desoye, G. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Antibody+reaction+patterns+in+first+trimester+placenta:+implications+for+trophoblast+isolation+and+purity+screening.">Antibody reaction patterns in first trimester placenta: implications for trophoblast isolation and purity screening.</a> Placenta. 21, 733-741 (2000).</li><li>Librach, C. L. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=92-kD+type+IV+collagenase+mediates+invasion+of+human+cytotrophoblasts.">92-kD type IV collagenase mediates invasion of human cytotrophoblasts.</a> J. Cell. Biol. 113, 437-449 (1991).</li><li>Schulz, L. C., Widmaier, E. P. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=The+effect+of+leptin+on+mouse+trophoblast+cell+invasion.">The effect of leptin on mouse trophoblast cell invasion.</a> Biol. Reprod. 71, 1963-1967 (2004).</li><li>Tanaka, S., Kunath, T., Hadjantonakis, A. K., Nagy, A., Rossant, J. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Promotion+of+trophoblast+stem+cell+proliferation+by+FGF4.">Promotion of trophoblast stem cell proliferation by FGF4.</a> Science. 282, 2072-2075 (1998).</li></ol>

We have nothing to disclose.

In this video, we demonstrate the isolation of trophoblast cells from the mouse placenta. We then show an in vitro assay for trophoblast 
invasion. Using this procedure, a largely, but not entirely, pure population of trophoblast cells can be obtained. If further purity is required, magnetic 
bead separation or flow cytometry could be performed, as has been described for primary human trophoblast cells. The proper length of the collagenase 
dissociation step must be determined with each experiment, and will be learned wi...

Specific reagents and equipment:
Wash Solution (filter sterilize after mixing)
<table border='1'>
 <tbody>
 <tr>
 <td>Reagent</td>
 <td>Amount</td>
 <td>Final concentration</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>10x Medium 199</td>
 <td>50ml</td>
 <td>1X</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>Hepes</td>
 <td>2.383 g</td>
 <td>0.02M</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>sodium bicarbonate</td>
 <td>0.42 g</td>
 <td>0.01M</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>Penicllin-Streptomycin</td>
 <td>5 mL</td>
 <td>100 U- 100 &mu;g /ml</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>Sterile dH20</td>
 <td>to 500 mL</td>
 <td>&nbsp;</td>
 </tr>
 </tbody>
</table>

Dissociation solution (make fresh and filter sterilize)
<table border="1">
 <tbody>
 <tr>
 <td>Reagent</td>
 <td>Amount</td>
 <td>Final concentration</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>Wash Solution</td>
 <td>100 mL</td>
 <td>&nbsp;</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>DNase</td>
 <td>1 vial (2000 U)</td>
 <td>20 U/mL</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>Collagenase</td>
 <td>100 mg</td>
 <td>125 digestion units/mL</td>
 </tr>
 </tbody>
</table>


<table border="1">
 <tbody>
 <tr>
 <td>Name of the reagent</td>
 <td>Company</td>
 <td>Catalogue number</td>
 <td>Comments</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>Collagenase</td>
 <td>Sigma</td>
 <td>C9891</td>
 <td>This is Clostridium collagenase.
Bovine pancreatic collagenase would likely work as well</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>NCTC-135</td>
 <td>Sigma</td>
 <td>D4263</td>
 <td>Add FBS to 10%</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>Matrigel invasion chambers</td>
 <td>BD Biosciences</td>
 <td>354481</td>
 <td>&nbsp;</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>10x Medium 199</td>
 <td>Sigma</td>
 <td>M9163</td>
 <td>&nbsp;</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>Penicillin-Streptomycin</td>
 <td>Invitrogen</td>
 <td>15140</td>
 <td>&nbsp;</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>DNase</td>
 <td>Sigma</td>
 <td>D4263</td>
 <td>&nbsp;</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>100 &mu;m Cell strainer</td>
 <td>Fisher</td>
 <td>22363549</td>
 <td>&nbsp;</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>Antibody to cytokeratin 7</td>
 <td>DAKO</td>
 <td>M7018</td>
 <td>Used at 1:100 dilution</td>
 </tr>
 </tbody>
</table>

Equipment Standard cell culture equipment including a CO2 incubator is required. In addition, a centrifuge rotor capable of spinning 50 ml tubes at 30,000 x g is needed. Note that this exceeds the maximum speed of most conical centrifuge tubes and will likely require an Oak Ridge style tube.

isolation of primary mouse trophoblast cells and trophoblast invasion assay

The placenta is responsible for the transport of nutrients, gasses and growth factors to the fetus, as well as the elimination of wastes. 
Thus, defects in placental development have important consequences for the fetus and mother, and are a major cause of embryonic lethality. The major cell type of the 
fetal portion of the placenta is the trophoblast. Primary mouse placental trophoblast cells are a useful tool for studying normal and abnormal placental development, 
and unlike cell lines, may be isolated and used to study trophoblast at specific stages of pregnancy. In addition, primary cultures of trophoblast from transgenic
mice may be used to study the role of particular genes in placental cells. The protocol presented here is based on the description by Thordarson et al.1, in which a 
percoll gradient is used to obtain a relatively pure trophoblast cell population from isolated mouse placentas. It is similar to the more widely used methods for 
human trophoblast cell isolation2-3. Purity may be assessed by immunocytochemical staining of the isolated cells for cytokeratin 74. Here, the isolated cells are 
then analyzed using a matrigel invasion assay to assess trophoblast invasiveness in vitro5-6. The invaded cells are analyzed by immunocytochemistry and stained 
for counting.

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Isolation of Primary Mouse Trophoblast Cells and Trophoblast Invasion Assay at JoVE.com

Isolation of Primary Mouse Trophoblast Cells and Trophoblast Invasion Assay

In this protocol, we describe the dissection of placentae from the mouse on pregnancy d10.5, followed by isolation of trophoblast cells using a Percoll gradient. We then demonstrate use of the isolated cells in a matrigel invasion assay.

The placenta is responsible for the transport of nutrients, gasses and growth factors to the fetus, as well as the elimination of wastes.  
Thus, defects ...

isolation-primary-mouse-trophoblast-cells-trophoblast-invasion

Research

JoVE Journal

Biology

23.6K Views.  University of Missouri. In this protocol, we describe the dissection of placentae from the mouse on pregnancy d10.5, followed by isolation of trophoblast cells using a Percoll gradient. We then demonstrate use of the isolated cells in a matrigel invasion assay.

Video: Isolation of Primary Mouse Trophoblast Cells and Trophoblast Invasion Assay

Derivation of Mouse Trophoblast Stem Cells from Blastocysts

Specification of the trophectoderm is one of the earliest differentiation events of mammalian development. The trophoblast lineage derived from the trophectoderm mediates implantation and generates the fetal part of the placenta. As a result, the development of this lineage is essential for embryo survival. Derivation of trophoblast stem (TS) cells from mouse blastocysts was first described by Tanaka et al. 1998. The ability of TS cells to preserve the trophoblast specific property and their expression of stage- and cell type-specific markers after proper stimulation provides a valuable model system to investigate trophoblast lineage development whereby recapitulating early placentation events. Furthermore, trophoblast cells are one of the few somatic cell types undergoing natural genome amplification. Although the molecular pathways underlying trophoblast polyploidization have begun to unravel, the physiological role and advantage of trophoblast genome amplification remains largely elusive. The development of diploid stem cells into polyploid trophoblast cells in culture makes this ex vivo system an excellent tool for elucidating the regulatory mechanism of genome replication and instability in health and disease. Here we describe a protocol based on previous reports with modification published in Chiu et al. 2008.

In this video, we demonstrate the isolation of mouse blastocysts and the derivation of trophoblast stem cells from blastocysts. We also describe conditions for maintenance of the stem cell property as well as induction of differentiation in culture.

Specification of the trophectoderm is one of the earliest differentiation events of mammalian development. The trophoblast lineage derived from the ...

Isolation and Primary Culture of Rat Hepatic Cells

Primary hepatocyte culture is a valuable tool that has been extensively used in basic research of liver function, disease, pathophysiology, pharmacology and other related subjects. The method based on two-step collagenase perfusion for isolation of intact hepatocytes was first introduced by Berry and Friend in 1969 1 and, since then, has undergone many modifications. The most commonly used technique was described by Seglenin 1976 2. Essentially, hepatocytes are dissociated from anesthetized adult rats by a non-recirculating collagenase perfusion through the portal vein. The isolated cells are then filtered through a 100 &mu;m pore size mesh nylon filter, and cultured onto plates. After 4-hour culture, the medium is replaced with serum-containing or serum-free medium, e.g. HepatoZYME-SFM, for additional time to culture. These procedures require surgical and sterile culture steps that can be better demonstrated by video than by text. Here, we document the detailed steps for these procedures by both video and written protocol, which allow consistently in the generation of viable hepatocytes in large numbers.

Primary hepatocytes provide a valuable tool to evaluate biochemical, molecular, and metabolic functions in a physiologically relevant experimental system. We describe a reliable protocol for rat in situ liver perfusion, which consistently generates viable hepatocytes up to 1.0 &times; 108 cells per preparation with cell viability between 88 ~ 96%.

Primary hepatocyte culture is a valuable tool that has been extensively used in basic research of liver function, disease, pathophysiology, pharmacology ...

Isolation of Immune Cells from Primary Tumors

Tumors create a unique immunosuppressive microenvironment (tumor microenvironment, TME) whereby leukocytes are recruited into the tumor by various chemokines and growth factors 1,2. However, once in the TME, these cells lose the ability to promote anti-tumor immunity and begin to support tumor growth and down-regulate anti-tumor immune responses 3-4. Studies on tumor-associated leukocytes have mainly focused on cells isolated from tumor-draining lymph nodes or spleen due to the inherent difficulties in obtaining sufficient cell numbers and purity from the primary tumor. While identifying the mechanisms of cell activation and trafficking through the lymphatic system of tumor bearing mice is important and may give insight to the kinetics of immune responses to cancer, in our experience, many leukocytes, including dendritic cells (DCs), in tumor-draining lymph nodes have a different phenotype than those that infiltrate tumors 5,6 . Furthermore, we have previously demonstrated that adoptively-transferred T cells isolated from the tumor-draining lymph nodes are not tolerized and are capable of responding to secondary stimulation in vitro unlike T cells isolated from the TME, which are tolerized and incapable of proliferation or cytokine production 7,8. Interestingly, we have shown that changing the tumor microenvironment, such as providing CD4+ T helper cells via adoptive transfer, promotes CD8+ T cells to maintain pro-inflammatory effector functions 5. The results from each of the previously mentioned studies demonstrate the importance of measuring cellular responses from TME-infiltrating immune cells as opposed to cells that remain in the periphery. To study the function of immune cells which infiltrate tumors using the Miltenyi Biotech isolation system9, we have modified and optimized this antibody-based isolation procedure to obtain highly enriched populations of antigen presenting cells and tumor antigen-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes. The protocol includes a detailed dissection of murine prostate tissue from a spontaneous prostate tumor model (TRansgenic Adenocarcinoma of the Mouse Prostate -TRAMP) 10 and a subcutaneous melanoma (B16) tumor model followed by subsequent purification of various leukocyte populations.

In this report, we describe a protocol for isolating highly purified populations of leukocytes that infiltrate tumors. This protocol is adapted from the Miltenyi Biotech protocol to enhance yield and purity for isolating cells from complex tumor tissue.

Tumors create a unique immunosuppressive microenvironment (tumor microenvironment, TME) whereby leukocytes are recruited into the tumor by various ...

Isolation and Culture of Mouse Primary Pancreatic Acinar Cells

This protocol permits rapid isolation (in less than 1 hr) of murine pancreatic acini, making it possible to maintain them in culture for more than one week. More than 20 x 106 acinar cells can be obtained from a single murine pancreas. This protocol offers the possibility to independently process as many as 10 pancreases in parallel. Because it preserves acinar architecture, this model is well suited for studying the physiology of the exocrine pancreas in vitro in contrast to cell lines established from pancreatic tumors, which display many genetic alterations resulting in partial or total loss of their acinar differentiation.

In this publication, we describe a rapid and convenient procedure for isolating and culturing primary pancreatic acinar cells from the murine pancreas. This method constitutes a valuable approach to study the physiology of fresh primary normal/untransformed exocrine pancreatic cells.

This protocol permits rapid isolation (in less than 1 hr) of murine pancreatic acini, making it possible to maintain them in culture for more than one ...

Robust 3D DNA FISH Using Directly Labeled Probes

3D DNA FISH has become a major tool for analyzing three-dimensional organization of the nucleus, and several variations of the technique have been published. In this article we describe a protocol which has been optimized for robustness, reproducibility, and ease of use. Brightly fluorescent directly labeled probes are generated by nick-translation with amino-allyldUTP followed by chemical coupling of the dye. 3D DNA FISH is performed using a freeze-thaw step for cell permeabilization and a heating step for simultaneous denaturation of probe and nuclear DNA. The protocol is applicable to a range of cell types and a variety of probes (BACs, plasmids, fosmids, or Whole Chromosome Paints) and allows for high-throughput automated imaging. With this method we routinely investigate nuclear localization of up to three chromosomal regions.

We describe a robust and versatile protocol for analyzing nuclear architecture by 3D DNA FISH using directly labeled fluorescent probes.

3D DNA FISH has become a major tool for  analyzing three-dimensional organization of the nucleus, and several variations  of the technique have been ...

Isolation of Primary Myofibroblasts from Mouse and Human Colon Tissue

The myofibroblast is a stromal cell of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract that has been gaining considerable attention for its critical role in many GI functions. While several myofibroblast cell lines are commercially available to study these cells in vitro, research results from a cell line exposed to experimental cell culture conditions have inherent limitations due to the overly reductionist nature of the work. Use of primary myofibroblasts offers a great advantage in terms of confirming experimental findings identified in a cell line. Isolation of primary myofibroblasts from an animal model allows for the study of myofibroblasts under conditions that more closely mimic the disease state being studied. Isolation of primary myofibroblasts from human colon tissue provides arguably the most relevant experimental data, since the cells come directly from patients with the underlying disease. We describe a well-established technique that can be utilized to isolate primary myofibroblasts from both mouse and human colon tissue. These isolated cells have been characterized to be alpha-smooth muscle actin and vimentin-positive, and desmin-negative, consistent with subepithelial intestinal myofibroblasts. Primary myofibroblast cells can be grown in cell culture and used for experimental purposes over a limited number of passages.

The myofibroblast is an influential stromal cell of the gastrointestinal tract that regulates important physiologic processes in both normal and disease states. We describe a technique that allows for the isolation of primary myofibroblasts from both mouse and human colon tissue, which can be utilized for in vitro experimentation.

The myofibroblast is  a stromal cell of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract that has been gaining  considerable attention for its critical role in many GI ...

Isolation and Primary Culture of Mouse Aortic Endothelial Cells

The vascular endothelium is essential to normal vascular homeostasis. Its dysfunction participates in various cardiovascular disorders. The mouse is an important model for cardiovascular disease research. This study demonstrates a simple method to isolate and culture endothelial cells from the mouse aorta without any special equipment. To isolate endothelial cells, the thoracic aorta is quickly removed from the mouse body, and the attached adipose tissue and connective tissue are removed from the aorta. The aorta is cut into 1 mm rings. Each aortic ring is opened and seeded onto a growth factor reduced matrix with the endothelium facing down. The segments are cultured in endothelial cell growth medium for about 4 days. The endothelial sprouting starts as early as day 2. The segments are then removed and the cells are cultured continually until they reach confluence. The endothelial cells are harvested using neutral proteinase and cultured in endothelial cell growth medium for another two passages before being used for experiments. Immunofluorescence staining indicated that after the second passage the majority of cells were double positive for Dil-ac-LDL uptake, Lectin binding, and CD31 staining, the typical characteristics of endothelial cells. It is suggested that cells at the second to third passages are suitable for in vitro and in vivo experiments to study the endothelial biology. Our protocol provides an effective means of identifying specific cellular and molecular mechanisms in endothelial cell physiopathology.

The vascular endothelial cells play a significant role in many important cardiovascular disorders. This article describes a simple method to isolate and expand endothelial cells from the mouse aorta without using any special equipment. Our protocol provides an effective means of identifying mechanisms in endothelial cell physiopathology.

The vascular endothelium is essential to normal vascular homeostasis. Its dysfunction participates in various cardiovascular disorders. The mouse is an ...

Isolation and Culture of Primary Mouse Keratinocytes from Neonatal and Adult Mouse Skin

The keratinocyte (KC) is the predominant cell type in the epidermis, the outermost layer of the skin. Epidermal KCs play a critical role in providing skin defense by forming an intact skin barrier against environmental insults, such as UVB irradiation or pathogens, and also by initiating an inflammatory response upon those insults. Here we describe methods to isolate KCs from neonatal mouse skin and from adult mouse tail skin. We also describe culturing conditions using defined growth supplements (dGS) in comparison to chelexed fetal bovine serum (cFBS). Functionally, we show that both neonatal and adult KCs are highly responsive to high calcium-induced terminal differentiation, tight junction formation and stratification. Additionally, cultured adult KCs are susceptible to UVB-triggered cell death and can release large amounts of TNF upon UVB irradiation. Together, the methods described here will be useful to researchers for the setup of in vitro models to study epidermal biology in the neonatal mouse and/or the adult mouse.

Epidermal keratinocytes form a functional skin barrier and are positioned at the front line of host defense against external environmental insults. Here we describe methods for isolation and primary culture of epidermal keratinocytes from neonatal and adult mouse skin, and induction of terminal differentiation and UVB-triggered inflammatory response from keratinocytes.

The keratinocyte (KC) is the predominant cell type in the epidermis, the outermost layer of the skin. Epidermal KCs play a critical role in providing skin ...

Isolation, Characterization, And High Throughput Extracellular Flux Analysis of Mouse Primary Renal Tubular Epithelial Cells

Mitochondrial dysfunction in the renal tubular epithelial cells (TECs) can lead to renal fibrosis, a major cause of&#160;chronic kidney disease (CKD). Therefore, assessing mitochondrial function in primary TECs may provide valuable insight into the bioenergetic status of the cells, providing insight into the pathophysiology of CKD. While there are a number of complex protocols available for the isolation and purification of proximal tubules in different species, the field lacks a cost-effective method optimized for&#160;tubular cell isolation without the need for purification. Here, we provide an isolation protocol that allows for studies focusing on both primary mouse proximal and distal renal TECs. In addition to cost-effective reagents and minimal animal procedures required in this protocol, the isolated cells maintain high energy levels after isolation and can be sub-cultured up to four&#160;passages, allowing for continuous studies. Furthermore, using a high throughput extracellular flux analyzer, we assess the mitochondrial respiration directly in the isolated TECs in a 96-well plate for which we provide recommendations for the optimization of cell density and compound concentration. These observations suggest that this protocol can be used for renal tubular ex vivo studies with a consistent, well-standardized production of renal TECs. This protocol may have broader future applications to study mitochondrial dysfunction associated with renal disorders for drug discovery or drug characterization purposes.

This protocol provides a cost-effective approach to isolate and characterize mouse primary renal tubular cells that can subsequently be sub-cultured to assess renal biological functions ex vivo, including mitochondrial bioenergetics.

Mitochondrial dysfunction in the renal tubular epithelial cells (TECs) can lead to renal fibrosis, a major cause of&#160;chronic kidney disease (CKD). ...

Single Cell Collection of Trophoblast Cells in Peri-implantation Stage Human Embryos

Human implantation, the apposition and adhesion to the uterine surface epithelia and subsequent invasion of the blastocyst into the maternal decidua, is a critical yet enigmatic biological event that has been historically difficult to study due to technical and ethical limitations. Implantation is initiated by the development of the trophectoderm to early trophoblast and subsequent differentiation into distinct trophoblast sublineages. Aberrant early trophoblast differentiation may lead to implantation failure, placental pathologies, fetal abnormalities, and miscarriage. Recently, methods have been developed to allow human embryos to grow until day 13 post-fertilization in vitro in the absence of maternal tissues, a time-period that encompasses the implantation period in humans. This has given researchers the opportunity to investigate human implantation and recapitulate the dynamics of trophoblast differentiation during this critical period without confounding maternal influences and avoiding inherent obstacles to study early embryo differentiation events in vivo. To characterize different trophoblast sublineages during implantation, we have adopted existing two-dimensional (2D) extended culture methods and developed a procedure to enzymatically digest and isolate different types of trophoblast cells for downstream assays. Embryos cultured in 2D conditions have a relatively flattened morphology and may be suboptimal in modeling in vivo three-dimensional (3D) embryonic architectures. However, trophoblast differentiation seems to be less affected as demonstrated by anticipated morphology and gene expression changes over the course of extended culture. Different trophoblast sublineages, including cytotrophoblast, syncytiotrophoblast and migratory trophoblast can be separated by size, location, and temporal emergence, and used for further characterization or experimentation. Investigation of these early trophoblast cells may be instrumental in understanding human implantation, treating common placental pathologies, and mitigating the incidence of pregnancy loss.

Here, we describe a method for warming vitrified human blastocysts, culturing them through the implantation period in vitro, digesting them into single cells and collecting early trophoblast cells for further investigation.

Human implantation, the apposition and adhesion to the uterine surface epithelia and subsequent invasion of the blastocyst into the maternal decidua, is a ...