Name: detection of trypanosoma brucei variant surface glycoprotein switching by magnetic activated cell sorting and flow cytometry
Uploaded: 2016-10-19T15:00:00
Description: Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Detection of Trypanosoma brucei Variant Surface Glycoprotein Switching by Magnetic Activated Cell Sorting and Flow Cytometry at JoVE.com

We would like to acknowledge George Cross for general advice on trypanosome biology. This work was also supported by a Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation GCE grant to DS, a NSF Graduate Research Fellowship (DGE-1325261) to MRM and an NIH/NIAID (grant #AI085973) to FNP. We thank Galadriel Hovel-Miner for use of the strain containing the I-SCEI gene and recognition site.

NOTE: Throughout the procedure, it is necessary to keep cells on ice. Cold media should also be used throughout.
1. Sample Harvesting
<ol>
	<li>Grow Lister 427 strain bloodstream trypanosomes to a density of 0.5 - 1 million/ml. It is best to start cultures with a small number of parasites. Spin down 50 x 106 cells/sample for 10 min at 1,500 x g. Be sure to leave 1 x 106 cells in culture for later use as positive and negative antibody controls. 
	NOTE: This protocol...

<ol>
	<li>Horn, D. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Antigenic+variation+in+African+trypanosomes.">Antigenic variation in African trypanosomes.</a> Molecular &amp; Biochemical Parasitology. 195 (2), 123-129 (2014).</li><li>Lamont, G. S., Tucker, R. S., Cross, G. A. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Analysis+of+antigen+switching+rates+in+Trypanosoma+brucei.">Analysis of antigen switching rates in Trypanosoma brucei.</a> Parasitology. 92 (Pt 2), 355-367 (1986).</li><li>Rudenko, G., McCulloch, R., Dirks-Mulder, A., Borst, P. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Telomere+exchange+can+be+an+important+mechanism+of+variant+surface+glycoprotein+gene+switching+in+Trypanosoma+brucei.">Telomere exchange can be an important mechanism of variant surface glycoprotein gene switching in Trypanosoma brucei.</a> Mol Biochem Parasitol. 80 (1), 65-75 (1996).</li><li>Turner, C. M., Barry, J. D. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=High+frequency+of+antigenic+variation+in+Trypanosoma+brucei+rhodesiense+infections.">High frequency of antigenic variation in Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense infections.</a> Parasitology. 99 (Pt 1), 67-75 (1989).</li><li>Miller, E. N., Turner, M. J. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Analysis+of+antigenic+types+appearing+in+first+relapse+populations+of+clones+of+Trypanosoma+brucei.">Analysis of antigenic types appearing in first relapse populations of clones of Trypanosoma brucei.</a> Parasitology. 82 (1), 63-80 (1981).</li><li>Horn, D., Cross, G. A. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Analysis+of+Trypanosoma+brucei+vsg+expression+site+switching+in+vitro.">Analysis of Trypanosoma brucei vsg expression site switching in vitro.</a> Mol Biochem Parasitol. 84 (2), 189-201 (1997).</li><li>Figueiredo, L. M., Janzen, C. J., Cross, G. A. M. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=A+histone+methyltransferase+modulates+antigenic+variation+in+African+trypanosomes.">A histone methyltransferase modulates antigenic variation in African trypanosomes.</a> PLoS Biol. 6 (7), e161 (2008).</li><li>Boothroyd, C. E., Dreesen, O., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=A+yeast-endonuclease-generated+DNA+break+induces+antigenic+switching+in+Trypanosoma+brucei.">A yeast-endonuclease-generated DNA break induces antigenic switching in Trypanosoma brucei.</a> Nature. 459 (7244), 278-281 (2009).</li><li>Engstler, M., Pfohl, T., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Hydrodynamic+Flow-Mediated+Protein+Sorting+on+the+Cell+Surface+of+Trypanosomes.">Hydrodynamic Flow-Mediated Protein Sorting on the Cell Surface of Trypanosomes.</a> Cell. 131 (3), 505-515 (2007).</li><li>Mugnier, M. R., Cross, G. A. M., Papavasiliou, F. N. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=The+in+vivo+dynamics+of+antigenic+variation+in+Trypanosoma+brucei.">The in vivo dynamics of antigenic variation in Trypanosoma brucei.</a> Science. 347 (6229), 1470-1473 (2015).</li></ol>

With respect to experimental technique, the most critical component of the protocol is keeping all the samples cold. Trypanosomes very rapidly internalize antibody bound to their surface9, but this process is motility dependent, and does not influence the assay as long as the cells are kept at 4 &#176;C. All samples should always be kept on ice, and pipetting should be done quickly to minimize exposure to the 25 &#176;C lab environment. Cold HMI-9 with serum should be available at the start of the experiment a...

The protozoan parasite, Trypanosoma brucei, is a causative agent of diseases that affect humans (via Trypanosoma brucei gambiense and Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense) and animals (via Trypanosoma brucei brucei) throughout Sub-Saharan Africa. It is transmitted to the mammalian host through the saliva of the tsetse fly vector. Both Human and Animal African Trypanosomiasis cause a severe economic burden in endemic regions, and few drugs are available or in development to treat either disease. Understanding mechanisms of immune evasion is critical for the development of drugs for trypanosomiasis. Antigenic variation of the dense, Variant Surface Glycoprotein (VSG) coat that covers the parasite is one of the primary means by which T. brucei evades the mammalian antibody response. Approximately 2,000 variants of the VSG gene exist in the trypanosome genome, but only one is transcribed at any given time from one of ~15 expression sites. &#39;Switching&#39; of the expressed VSG can occur either by copying a VSG gene into the active expression site, or by transcriptional activation of a previously silent expression site (reviewed in1).
Though much work has been devoted to understanding antigenic variation in T. brucei, the factors that influence switching frequency are still poorly understood. Studies to date have been hampered by the fact that while switching occurs stochastically in vitro, switching frequencies are very low, on the order of 1 in around 106 cells2. This makes it difficult to measure whether a given factor increases or decreases switching frequency, since switching is hard to detect in the first place. Prior to 2009, methods for isolating switchers in a given population were lengthy and labor intensive. These included passaging trypanosomes through mice immunized against the dominant VSG and then harvesting cells a day later3, or counting hundreds of cells by immunofluorescence4,5. Another strategy relies on selection for drug resistance to isolate switchers6. Because African trypanosomes grown in vitro are typically made up of a large population expressing one major variant, and a much smaller population of switchers expressing alternate variants, we refer to the major variant throughout this paper as the dominant, starting VSG. In doing so, we in no way wish to imply that this major variant has greater fitness than other variants in the population.
Here we describe a method that can reliably measure the number of trypanosomes expressing a non-dominant VSG in a given population in 3 - 4 hr. This method is particularly useful for when one wants to ascertain whether a given genetic manipulation or drug treatment increases the number of switched cells in a population. Instead of ridding the population of cells expressing the dominant, starting VSG through drugs or by immunological means, these cells are eliminated by first coating them with magnetic beads coupled to antibody against the dominant VSG and then isolating them on a magnetic column. The switched population is then collected in the flow-through and stained again with a fluorophore labeled anti-VSG antibody to identify contaminants. Quantification is achieved by adding a defined number of absolute counting beads to each sample so that the ratio of beads to cells can be determined and used to quantify the number of switchers in the population7.

<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="644">
	<tbody>
		<tr height="42">
			<td height="42" style="height:42px;width:216px;">unlabeled anti-VSG antibody</td>
			<td style="width:143px;">n/a</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">n/a</td>
			<td style="width:167px;">VSG antibody is made in house</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="42">
			<td height="42" style="height:42px;width:216px;">fluorophore labeled anti-VSG antibody</td>
			<td style="width:143px;">n/a</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">n/a</td>
			<td style="width:167px;">VSG antibody is made in house</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:216px;">HMI-9 media</td>
			<td style="width:143px;">n/a</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">n/a</td>
			<td style="width:167px;">HMI-9 is made in house</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:216px;">Propidium Iodide</td>
			<td style="width:143px;">BD Pharmingen</td>
			<td>556463</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="42">
			<td height="42" style="height:42px;width:216px;">CountBright absolute counting beads</td>
			<td style="width:143px;">Thermofisher Scientific</td>
			<td>C36950</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:216px;">LD columns</td>
			<td style="width:143px;">Miltenyi Biotech</td>
			<td>130-042-901</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:216px;">MACS magnet</td>
			<td style="width:143px;">Miltenyi Biotech</td>
			<td>130-042-303</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:216px;">MACS magnetic separator</td>
			<td style="width:143px;">Miltenyi Biotech</td>
			<td>130-042-302</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="42">
			<td height="42" style="height:42px;width:216px;">vortex adapter-60</td>
			<td style="width:143px;">ThermoFisher scientific</td>
			<td>AM10014</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:216px;">flow cytometer</td>
			<td style="width:143px;">Coulter</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">n/a</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="42">
			<td height="42" style="height:42px;width:216px;">flow cytometer analysis software</td>
			<td style="width:143px;">FloJo</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">n/a</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

detection of trypanosoma brucei variant surface glycoprotein switching by magnetic activated cell sorting and flow cytometry

Trypanosoma brucei, a protozoan parasite that causes both Human and Animal African Trypanosomiasis (known as sleeping sickness and nagana, respectively) cycles between a tsetse vector and a mammalian host. It evades the mammalian host immune system by periodically switching the dense, variant surface glycoprotein (VSG) that covers its surface. The detection of antigenic variation in Trypanosoma brucei can be both cumbersome and labor intensive. Here, we present a method for quantifying the number of parasites that have 'switched' to express a new VSG in a given population. The parasites are first stained with an antibody against the starting VSG, and then stained with a secondary antibody attached to a magnetic bead. Parasites expressing the starting VSG are then separated from the rest of the population by running the parasites over a column attached to a magnet. Parasites expressing the dominant, starting VSG are retained on the column, while the flow-through contains parasites that express a new VSG as well as some contaminants expressing the starting VSG. This flow-through population is stained again with a fluorescently labeled antibody against the starting VSG to label contaminants, and propidium iodide (PI), which labels dead cells. A known number of absolute counting beads that are visible by flow cytometry are added to the flow-through population. The ratio of beads to number of cells collected can then be used to extrapolate the number of cells in the entire sample. Flow cytometry is used to quantify the population of switchers by counting the number of PI negative cells that do not stain positively for the starting, dominant VSG. The proportion of switchers in the population can then be calculated using the flow cytometry data.

The method described here was used to demonstrate that double-strand breaks within the VSG expression site increased the number of switchers in a population8. Here, we show representative results from a population of trypanosomes that have been similarly induced to generate a double-strand break at the expression site. We compare these trypanosomes to those that have not been induced to generate a double-strand break. Figure 1 shows representative flow cytometr...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Detection of Trypanosoma brucei Variant Surface Glycoprotein Switching by Magnetic Activated Cell Sorting and Flow Cytometry at JoVE.com

Detection of Trypanosoma brucei Variant Surface Glycoprotein Switching by Magnetic Activated Cell Sorting and Flow Cytometry

African trypanosomes grown in vitro undergo antigenic variation at a low rate, such that populations are made up of parasites expressing a dominant variant surface glycoprotein (VSG) type and a small population of "switched" variants. This protocol describes a fast method for detecting and quantifying these populations.

Detection of Trypanosoma brucei Variant Surface Glycoprotein Switching by Magnetic Activated Cell Sorting and Flow Cytometry

Trypanosoma brucei, a protozoan parasite that causes both Human and Animal African Trypanosomiasis (known as sleeping sickness and nagana, respectively) ...

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