Authors acknowledge the assistance of Ander Lopez and Miren Telletxea for video recording and editing. ACR is funded by an Ikerbasque fellowship and a research project from Asociaci&#243;n de Celiacos Madrid (ACM). JRB is funded by Project ISCIII-PI16/00258 and co-funded by the European Union ERDF/ESF "A way to make Europe". IS is funded by a research project grant 2015111068 of the Basque Department of Health. IRG and AJM are supported by predoctoral fellowship grants from the UPV/EHU and the Basque Department of Education, respectively.

This study was approved by the Cruces University Hospital Ethics Board and analyses were performed after informed consent was obtained from all subjects or their parents.
1. Biopsy Collection
NOTE: Biopsy specimens from the distal duodenum of patients are obtained during routine diagnosis endoscopy managing biopsies that range between 2 and 10 mg in weight. Biopsied tissue is a complex tissue composed of different cell types including epithelial, immune and endothelial cells. Clinical gastroenterologists perform the endoscopy following established clinical guidelines.
<ol>
	<li>Place the biopsy on a sterile filter paper just after endoscopy.</li>
	<li>Use forceps to transfer the biopsies in 1.5 mL tubes, soak them with PBS, and place it into a cryotube.</li>
	<li>Keep tubes on ice until they arrive at the laboratory.
	<ol>
		<li>Start processing of fresh biopsies immediately.</li>
	</ol>
	</li>
	<li>For frozen biopsies, flash freeze the biopsy containing tubes and store in liquid nitrogen until use. 
	NOTE: It is important to keep the sample frozen until the cold supplemented buffer 1 is added.</li>
</ol>
2. Buffer Preparation
Note: Before starting, supplement the buffers as follows.
<ol>
	<li>Add 1 mM DTT (final concentration) and protease and phosphatase inhibitor cocktail (1x final concentration) to the hypotonic buffer 1 and hypertonic buffer 2 (Table 1).
	<ol>
		<li>Prepare 1.5 mL of buffer 1 and 150 &#181;L of buffer 2 per sample. DTT will prevent the oxidation of the samples.</li>
	</ol>
	</li>
	<li>Prepare nuclei wash buffer by adding 1% detergent (nonyl phenoxypolyethoxylethanol) to a final concentration of 0.1% to the already supplemented buffer 1. Prepare 1 mL of nuclei wash buffer per sample.</li>
</ol>
3. Biopsy Homogenization
<ol>
	<li>Fresh Biopsies
	<ol>
		<li>Place the disposable pestle in the motorized mixer. Ensure that the pestle reaches the bottom of the tube.</li>
		<li>Take the biopsy out from the cryotube and place it in a 1.5 mL tube with a pipette tip.</li>
		<li>Add 200 &#181;L of supplemented buffer 1 to the 1.5 mL tube.</li>
		<li>Homogenize the biopsy with the pestle until the tissue is completely disrupted and keep it on ice.</li>
		<li>Once all the biopsies are homogenized proceed with step 4. 
		Note: Disposable pestles must be changed between biopsies.</li>
	</ol>
	</li>
	<li>Frozen Biopsies 
	CAUTION: Handle liquid nitrogen carefully; contact of liquid nitrogen with the skin or eyes may cause serious freezing injury. Protect hands and eyes always when working with liquid nitrogen .
	<ol>
		<li>Take some liquid nitrogen in a box to store the cryotubes retrieved from the nitrogen tank.</li>
		<li>Find the biopsy in the nitrogen tank and place the cryotube in the box with the liquid nitrogen. Repeat this step for all the biopsies.</li>
		<li>Transfer the biopsy from the cryotube to a 1.5 mL tube. 
		NOTE: Biopsies will be attached to the frozen tube. Push the biopsy with a sterile pipette tip so it will detach from the tube.</li>
		<li>Add 200 &#181;L of supplemented buffer 1.</li>
		<li>Homogenize the tissue using the pestle and mortar until the tissue is completely disrupted, maintaining the temperature at 4 &#176;C throughout all the procedure. 
		Note: Do not let biopsies thaw before adding the buffer.</li>
	</ol>
	</li>
</ol>
4. Cytoplasm Isolation
<ol>
	<li>Incubate the homogenized biopsy on ice for 10 min.</li>
	<li>Add 10 &#181;L of 1% detergent (nonyl phenoxypolyethoxylethanol) to each sample to a final concentration of 0.05%. 
	NOTE: Cells will swell and burst by osmotic lysis as the mild detergent will disrupt the cell membrane.</li>
	<li>Incubate on ice for 5 minutes.</li>
	<li>Vortex briefly and centrifuge at 400 x g at 4 &#730;C for 2 min.</li>
	<li>After vortexing, remove the supernatant and transfer it to a new clean 1.5 mL tube ; this will be the cytoplasmic fraction. Do not discard the pellet.</li>
</ol>
5. Nuclear Isolation
<ol>
	<li>Resuspend the pellet from the previous step with 200 &#181;L of nuclei wash buffer.</li>
	<li>Centrifuge the tube for 2 min at 400 x g and 4 &#176;C.</li>
	<li>Discard the supernatant and repeat the washing procedure two more times. 
	NOTE: The washes will remove cytoplasmic contamination in the nuclear fraction.</li>
	<li>After the third wash, resuspend the pellet in 100 &#181;L of buffer 2.</li>
	<li>Shake the sample vigorously at 4 &#730;C for 30 min. Alternatively, incubate the sample on ice and vortex every 5 min.</li>
	<li>After shaking, centrifuge the sample for 10 min at top speed (&#62; 12,000 x g) and 4 &#176;C.</li>
	<li>After vortexing, transfer the supernatant into a new clean 1.5. mL tube. This will be the nuclear fraction.</li>
</ol>
6. Protein Quantification
Note: Quantify the proteins with a bicinchoninic acid (BCA) protein assay kit. The concentration of proteins in the fractions will range between 0.5 and 5 &#181;g/&#181;L, being lower in the nuclear fraction (see Table 2 for protein concentrations resultant from 2 mg biopsies).
<ol>
	<li>Prepare a standard curve with the following bovine serum albumin (BSA) amounts (&#181;g)12: 0-0.5-1-2-3-4-5-6.</li>
	<li>Prepare the reagents needed to use 100 &#181;L of final BCA mix per sample.</li>
	<li>Pipette 2 &#181;L of each protein fraction in a 96 well plate, add the BCA mix and follow the manufacturer&#39;s instructions for the reading.</li>
</ol>

<ol>
	<li>Cox, B., Emili, A. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Tissue+subcellular+fractionation+and+protein+extraction+for+use+in+mass-spectrometry-based+proteomics.">Tissue subcellular fractionation and protein extraction for use in mass-spectrometry-based proteomics.</a> Nature Protocols. 1 (4), 1872-1878 (2006).</li><li>Itzhak, D. N., Tyanova, S., Cox, J., Borner, G. H. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Global,+quantitative+and+dynamic+mapping+of+protein+subcellular+localization.">Global, quantitative and dynamic mapping of protein subcellular localization.</a> eLife. 5, (2016).</li><li>Preedy, V. R., Watson, R. R., Ronald, R. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=.">.</a> Methods in disease investigating the gastrointestinal tract. , (1998).</li><li>Alex, P., Gucek, M., Li, X. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Applications+of+proteomics+in+the+study+of+inflammatory+bowel+diseases:+Current+status+and+future+directions+with+available+technologies.">Applications of proteomics in the study of inflammatory bowel diseases: Current status and future directions with available technologies.</a> Inflammatory bowel diseases. 15 (4), 616-629 (2009).</li><li>Ericsson, C., Franz&#233;n, B., Nist&#233;r, M. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Frozen+tissue+biobanks.+Tissue+handling,+cryopreservation,+extraction,+and+use+for+proteomic+analysis.">Frozen tissue biobanks. Tissue handling, cryopreservation, extraction, and use for proteomic analysis.</a> Acta oncologica (Stockholm, Sweden). 45 (6), 643-661 (2006).</li><li>Hoffmann, K., 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=New+application+of+a+subcellular+fractionation+method+to+kidney+and+testis+for+the+determination+of+conjugated+linoleic+acid+in+selected+cell+organelles+of+healthy+and+cancerous+human+tissues.">New application of a subcellular fractionation method to kidney and testis for the determination of conjugated linoleic acid in selected cell organelles of healthy and cancerous human tissues.</a> Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry. 381 (6), 1138-1144 (2005).</li><li>Foster, L. J., 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+Mammalian+Organelle+Map+by+Protein+Correlation+Profiling.">A Mammalian Organelle Map by Protein Correlation Profiling.</a> Cell. 125 (1), 187-199 (2006).</li><li>Baghirova, S., Hughes, B. G., Hendzel, M. J., Schulz, R. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Sequential+fractionation+and+isolation+of+subcellular+proteins+from+tissue+or+cultured+cells.">Sequential fractionation and isolation of subcellular proteins from tissue or cultured cells.</a> MethodsX. 2, e440-e445 (2015).</li><li>B&#246;rner, A., 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=Subcellular+protein+extraction+from+human+pancreatic+cancer+tissues.">Subcellular protein extraction from human pancreatic cancer tissues.</a> BioTechniques. 46 (4), 297-304 (2009).</li><li>Antalis, T. M., Shea-Donohue, T., Vogel, S. N., Sears, C., Fasano, A. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Mechanisms+of+disease:+protease+functions+in+intestinal+mucosal+pathobiology.">Mechanisms of disease: protease functions in intestinal mucosal pathobiology.</a> Nature clinical practice. Gastroenterology. 4 (7), 393-402 (2007).</li><li>Cutler, P. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=.">.</a> Protein purification protocols. , (2004).</li><li>Walker, J. M. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=The+Bicinchoninic+Acid+(BCA)+Assay+for+Protein+Quantitation.">The Bicinchoninic Acid (BCA) Assay for Protein Quantitation.</a> The Protein Protocols Handbook. , 11-14 (1996).</li><li>McLane, L. M., 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=Differential+localization+of+T-bet+and+Eomes+in+CD8+T+cell+memory+populations.">Differential localization of T-bet and Eomes in CD8 T cell memory populations.</a> Journal of immunology (Baltimore, Md.: 1950). 190 (7), 3207-3215 (2013).</li><li>Nguyen, K. T., Holloway, M. P., Altura, R. A. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=The+CRM1+nuclear+export+protein+in+normal+development+and+disease.">The CRM1 nuclear export protein in normal development and disease.</a> International journal of biochemistry and molecular biology. 3 (2), 137-151 (2012).</li></ol>

The authors have nothing to disclose.

The protocol described here is used for the nuclear and cytoplasmic fractionation of intestinal biopsies. The purified proteins are not denatured and can be used not only in western blot analysis as shown in Figure&#160;2 and 3 but also in assays requiring native-folded proteins such as immunoprecipitation, electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA) or native polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE).
The described method relies on mechanical hom...

Proteins participate in almost all biological functions within a cell and any variation in their structure, quantity or location can lead to a pathogenic scenario. Tissue sample fractionation methods are a useful approach to reduce the complexity of disease related protein analyses. Some studies use protein localization information or enrich a protein from a specific cellular compartment, so a protocol for reproducible fractionation of intact proteins is useful to answer certain biological questions. Determining the subcellular localization of proteins and monitoring their compartmental redistribution or interactions at basal and disease conditions will help identify disease related functional differences1,2. Thus, this method aims to reproducibly fractionate intestinal tissue biopsies, both fresh and frozen, into cytoplasmic and nuclear subcellular compartments.
Intestinal biopsy samples are routinely obtained during endoscopy procedures3 (Figure 1) and can be effectively used for protein quantification or immunoprecipitation studies. Since tissue samples from intestinal epithelial will contain proteins that may be directly involved in the disease pathogenesis4, intestinal biopsy samples are a very valuable source for the successful identification of intestinal disease-specific proteins. Stored frozen, patient tissue samples together with the clinical information are useful resources for protein analysis, and a simple and reproducible sample preparation is a key issue to provide cell compartmental information using limiting amounts of frozen tissue5.
There are several commercially available kits for the separation of cellular fractions, but these are more expensive and generally more time consuming than the protocol presented here. Protocols based on multiple-step gradient centrifugation and continuous gradients have also been previously used for the fractionation of diverse cellular compartments in different tissues6,7. However, maintaining the consistency of continuous gradients is often a difficult task. Similar protocols based on the sequential lysis of membranes have been previously described but they generally need more than two buffers and the hands on time is longer8 .
When fractionating tissue samples, bear in mind that tissue samples present cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions that are both not present in cultured cells and important when proceeding to protein extraction. The proper breakdown between cells and extracellular matrix without affecting the protein quality will be a critical factor in the intestinal tissue protein isolation9. In this protocol, cell-cell and cell-matrix contacts are first broken, releasing the cells and allowing the buffer to reach the individual cells. To avoid protein-compartment mixing prior to fractionation, the breakdown of the contacts must occur without altering the integrity of the cells or the nuclear membranes.
Due to the enrichment of various proteases in the intestinal mucosa10, it is important to control the protein degradation during extraction. To minimize the potential protein degradation, multiple protease inhibitor must be included in the protein extraction buffers. Additionally, if extracts are going to be used for functional assays, it is essential to avoid the denaturation of proteins or proteolysis as this will cause a loss of protein activity11. For this purpose, the protocol is performed at 4 &#176;C and fresh phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride (PMSF) is added to the buffers at a final concentration of 0.1 mM just prior to use to further inhibit proteolysis.
The first step in cell fractionation is tissue disruption and cell lysis. As mentioned previously, the objective is to disaggregate the cells and break them open with minimum damage. Intestinal tissue samples must be homogenized, and the cells lysed to achieve maximum breakage of the cell membrane. In this protocol, we use a motorized pestle mixer to break the intestinal tissue which is homogenized within seconds by means of high speed vortexing action. After homogenization, tissue cells are incubated in a hypotonic buffer that will burst the cell membrane but will keep the nuclei intact, followed by addition of a non-denaturing detergent (nonyl phenoxypolyethoxylethanol) and a short vortex to separate nuclei from the cytoplasmic fraction. After the removal of the cytoplasm, the cell nuclei membrane is burst into a hypertonic buffer with shaking.
The method presented here is an appropriate method for the subcellular fractionation of fresh and frozen intestinal biopsies that have been obtained during endoscopic procedures and range between 2 and 10 mg in weight. The protocol is easy and reproducible and could be performed using basic laboratory equipment and reagents in under an hour.

<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="width:657px;" width="658">
	<tbody>
		<tr height="22">
			<td height="22" style="height:23px;width:244px;">HEPES</td>
			<td style="width:128px;">Sigma Aldrich</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">H4034-1kg</td>
			<td style="width:167px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="22">
			<td height="22" style="height:23px;width:244px;">KCl</td>
			<td style="width:128px;">Sigma Aldrich</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">P9333-1kg</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="22">
			<td height="22" style="height:23px;width:244px;">EDTA</td>
			<td style="width:128px;">Sigma Aldrich</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">E9884-100G</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="22">
			<td height="22" style="height:23px;width:244px;">NaCl</td>
			<td style="width:128px;">Sigma Aldrich</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">5588886-1kg</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="22">
			<td height="22" style="height:23px;width:244px;">DTT</td>
			<td style="width:128px;">Sigma Aldrich</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">10197777001</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="22">
			<td height="22" style="height:23px;width:244px;">PMSF</td>
			<td style="width:128px;">Thermo Scientific</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">36978</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="22">
			<td height="22" style="height:23px;width:244px;">Proteinase and phosphatase inhibitors</td>
			<td style="width:128px;">Thermo Scientific</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">A32959</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="22">
			<td height="22" style="height:23px;width:244px;">NP-40&#160;</td>
			<td style="width:128px;">Sigma Aldrich</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">CA-630</td>
			<td>Detergent</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="22">
			<td height="22" style="height:23px;width:244px;">BCA assay</td>
			<td style="width:128px;">Thermo Scientific</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">23227</td>
			<td>Protein quantification kit</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="22">
			<td height="22" style="height:23px;width:244px;">Disposable plastic pestles</td>
			<td style="width:128px;">Sigma Aldrich</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">Z359947-100EA</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="22">
			<td height="22" style="height:23px;width:244px;">Dounce homogeneizer</td>
			<td style="width:128px;">VWR</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">431-0100</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="22">
			<td height="22" style="height:23px;width:244px;">Microcentrifuge</td>
			<td style="width:128px;">Eppendorf</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">5415-R</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="22">
			<td height="22" style="height:23px;width:244px;">Shacker</td>
			<td style="width:128px;">IKA</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">MS3 basic</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

subcellular fractionation from fresh and frozen gastrointestinal specimens

The purpose of this protocol is to fractionate human intestinal tissue obtained by endoscopy into nuclear and cytoplasmic compartments for the localization analysis of specific proteins or protein complexes in different tissue states (i.e., healthy vs. disease). This method is useful for the fractionation of both fresh and frozen intestinal tissue samples; it is easily accessible for all laboratories and not time consuming.

Figure 1&#160;shows a hematoxylin eosin staining of an intestinal biopsy section with intact villi and crypt structures.
Representative results of nuclear and cytoplasmic fractionation using this protocol are shown in Figures 2 and 3. In the experiment shown in Figure 2, a fresh (Fh) and a frozen (Fz) biopsy were simultaneously fraction...

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Subcellular Fractionation from Fresh and Frozen Gastrointestinal Specimens

Here, we present a protocol to perform a simple cellular fractionation for the subcellular separation of cytoplasmic and nuclear proteins in human fresh and frozen intestinal biopsies.

The purpose of this protocol is to fractionate human intestinal tissue obtained by endoscopy into nuclear and cytoplasmic compartments for the ...

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9.6K Views.  University of the Basque Country (UPV-EHU), Biocruces Health Research Institute. Here, we present a protocol to perform a simple cellular fractionation for the subcellular separation of cytoplasmic and nuclear proteins in human fresh and frozen intestinal biopsies.

Video: Subcellular Fractionation from Fresh and Frozen Gastrointestinal Specimens

Combination of Adhesive-tape-based Sampling and Fluorescence in situ Hybridization for Rapid Detection of Salmonella on Fresh Produce

This protocol describes a simple approach for adhesive-tape-based sampling of tomato and other fresh produce surfaces, followed by on-tape fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) for rapid culture-independent detection of Salmonella spp. Cell-charged tapes can also be placed face-down on selective agar for solid-phase enrichment prior to detection. Alternatively, low-volume liquid enrichments (liquid surface miniculture) can be performed on the surface of the tape in non-selective broth, followed by FISH and analysis via flow cytometry. To begin, sterile adhesive tape is brought into contact with fresh produce, gentle pressure is applied, and the tape is removed, physically extracting microbes present on these surfaces. Tapes are mounted sticky-side up onto glass microscope slides and the sampled cells are fixed with 10% formalin (30 min) and dehydrated using a graded ethanol series (50, 80, and 95%; 3 min each concentration). Next, cell-charged tapes are spotted with buffer containing a Salmonella-targeted DNA probe cocktail and hybridized for 15 - 30 min at 55&deg;C, followed by a brief rinse in a washing buffer to remove unbound probe. Adherent, FISH-labeled cells are then counterstained with the DNA dye 4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) and results are viewed using fluorescence microscopy. For solid-phase enrichment, cell-charged tapes are placed face-down on a suitable selective agar surface and incubated to allow in situ growth of Salmonella microcolonies, followed by FISH and microscopy as described above. For liquid surface miniculture, cell-charged tapes are placed sticky side up and a silicone perfusion chamber is applied so that the tape and microscope slide form the bottom of a water-tight chamber into which a small volume (&le; 500 &mu;L) of Trypticase Soy Broth (TSB) is introduced. The inlet ports are sealed and the chambers are incubated at 35 - 37&deg;C, allowing growth-based amplification of tape-extracted microbes. Following incubation, inlet ports are unsealed, cells are detached and mixed with vigorous back and forth pipetting, harvested via centrifugation and fixed in 10% neutral buffered formalin. Finally, samples are hybridized and examined via flow cytometry to reveal the presence of Salmonella spp. As described here, our "tape-FISH" approach can provide simple and rapid sampling and detection of Salmonella on tomato surfaces. We have also used this approach for sampling other types of fresh produce, including spinach and jalape&ntilde;o peppers.

Combination of Adhesive-tape-based Sampling and Fluorescence in situ Hybridization for Rapid Detection of Salmonella on Fresh Produce

This protocol describes a simple adhesive-tape-based approach for sampling of tomato and other fresh produce surfaces, followed by rapid whole cell detection of Salmonella using fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH).

This protocol describes a simple approach for adhesive-tape-based sampling of tomato and other fresh produce surfaces, followed by on-tape fluorescence in ...

Competitive Homing Assays to Study Gut-tropic T Cell Migration

In order to exert their function lymphocytes need to leave the blood and migrate into different tissues in the body. Lymphocyte adhesion to endothelial cells and tissue extravasation is a multistep process controlled by different adhesion molecules (homing receptors) expressed on lymphocytes and their respective ligands (addressins) displayed on endothelial cells 1 2. Even though the function of these adhesion receptors can be partially studied ex vivo, the ultimate test for their physiological relevance is to assess their role during in vivo lymphocyte adhesion and migration. Two complementary strategies have been used for this purpose: intravital microscopy (IVM) and homing experiments. Although IVM has been essential to define the precise contribution of specific adhesion receptors during the adhesion cascade in real time and in different tissues, IVM is time consuming and labor intensive, it often requires the development of sophisticated surgical techniques, it needs prior isolation of homogeneous cell populations and it permits the analysis of only one tissue/organ at any given time. By contrast, competitive homing experiments allow the direct and simultaneous comparison in the migration of two (or even more) cell subsets in the same mouse and they also permit the analysis of many tissues and of a high number of cells in the same experiment.
Here we describe the classical competitive homing protocol used to determine the advantage/disadvantage of a given cell type to home to specific tissues as compared to a control cell population. We chose to illustrate the migratory properties of gut-tropic versus non gut-tropic T cells, because the intestinal mucosa is the largest body surface in contact with the external environment and it is also the extra-lymphoid tissue with the best-defined migratory requirements. Moreover, recent work has determined that the vitamin A metabolite all-trans retinoic acid (RA) is the main molecular mechanism responsible for inducing gut-specific adhesion receptors (integrin a4b7and chemokine receptor CCR9) on lymphocytes. Thus, we can readily generate large numbers of gut-tropic and non gut-tropic lymphocytes ex vivoby activating T cells in the presence or absence of RA, respectively, which can be finally used in the competitive homing experiments described here.

Competitive homing experiments allow to directly assessing the migratory properties of two different cell populations in a single mouse. Here we illustrate this procedure by comparing the migration of ex vivo-generated gut-tropic versus non-gut tropic T cells.

In order to exert their function lymphocytes need to leave the blood and migrate into different tissues in the body. Lymphocyte adhesion to endothelial ...

RNA Isolation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Colonizing the Murine Gastrointestinal Tract

Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA) infections result in significant morbidity and mortality in hosts with compromised immune systems, such as patients with leukemia, severe burn wounds, or organ transplants1. In patients at high-risk for developing PA bloodstream infections, the gastrointestinal (GI) tract is the main reservoir for colonization2, but the mechanisms by which PA transitions from an asymptomatic colonizing microbe to an invasive, and often deadly, pathogen are unclear. Previously, we performed in vivo transcription profiling experiments by recovering PA mRNA from bacterial cells residing in the cecums of colonized mice 3 in order to identify changes in bacterial gene expression during alterations to the host&#x2019;s immune status.
As with any transcription profiling experiment, the rate-limiting step is in the isolation of sufficient amounts of high quality mRNA. Given the abundance of enzymes, debris, food residues, and particulate matter in the GI tract, the challenge of RNA isolation is daunting. Here, we present a method for reliable and reproducible isolation of bacterial RNA recovered from the murine GI tract. This method utilizes a well-established murine model of PA GI colonization and neutropenia-induced dissemination4. Once GI colonization with PA is confirmed, mice are euthanized and cecal contents are recovered and flash frozen. RNA is then extracted using a combination of mechanical disruption, boiling, phenol/chloroform extractions, DNase treatment, and affinity chromatography. Quantity and purity are confirmed by spectrophotometry (Nanodrop Technologies) and bioanalyzer (Agilent Technologies) (Fig 1). This method of GI microbial RNA isolation can easily be adapted to other bacteria and fungi as well.

RNA Isolation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Colonizing the Murine Gastrointestinal Tract

A reliable method for the RNA isolation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa recovered from murine cecums is described. The RNA recovered is of sufficient quantity and quality for subsequent qPCR, transcription profiling, and RNA Seq experiments. This technique can be adapted for RNA isolation of other intestinal microbes.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA) infections result in significant morbidity and mortality in hosts with compromised immune systems, such as patients with ...

Optimized Protocols for Mycobacterium leprae Strain Management: Frozen Stock Preservation and Maintenance in Athymic Nude Mice

Leprosy, caused by Mycobacterium leprae, is an important infectious disease that is still endemic in many countries around the world, including Brazil. There are currently no known methods for growing M. leprae in vitro, presenting a major obstacle in the study of this pathogen in the laboratory. Therefore, the maintenance and growth of M. leprae strains are preferably performed in athymic nude mice (NU-Foxn1nu). The laboratory conditions for using mice are readily available, easy to perform, and allow standardization and development of protocols for achieving reproducible results. In the present report, we describe a simple protocol for purification of bacilli from nude mouse footpads using trypsin, which yields a suspension with minimum cell debris and with high bacterial viability index, as determined by fluorescent microscopy. A modification to the standard method for bacillary counting by Ziehl-Neelsen staining and light microscopy is also demonstrated. Additionally, we describe a protocol for freezing and thawing bacillary stocks as an alternative protocol for maintenance and storage of M. leprae strains.

Optimized Protocols for Mycobacterium leprae Strain Management: Frozen Stock Preservation and Maintenance in Athymic Nude Mice

Mycobacterium leprae, the causative agent of leprosy, does not grow in vitro. We describe an easy to follow protocol to prepare a bacillary suspension to ensure the maintenance of large quantities of M. leprae for a variety of applications. Protocols for propagation by mouse footpad inoculation, evaluation of viability, freezing and thawing bacillary stock are described in detail.

Leprosy, caused by Mycobacterium leprae, is an important infectious disease that is still endemic in many countries around the world, including Brazil. ...

A Simple and Rapid Protocol to Non-enzymatically Dissociate Fresh Human Tissues for the Analysis of Infiltrating Lymphocytes

The ability of malignant cells to evade the immune system, characterized by tumor escape from both innate and adaptive immune responses, is now accepted as an important hallmark of cancer. Our research on breast cancer focuses on the active role that tumor infiltrating lymphocytes play in tumor progression and patient outcome. Toward this goal, we developed a methodology for the rapid isolation of intact lymphoid cells from normal and abnormal tissues in an effort to evaluate them proximate to their native state. Homogenates prepared using a mechanical dissociator show both increased viability and cell recovery while preserving surface receptor expression compared to enzyme-digested tissues. Furthermore, enzymatic digestion of the remaining insoluble material did not recover additional CD45+ cells indicating that quantitative and qualitative measurements in the primary homogenate likely genuinely reflect infiltrating subpopulations in the tissue fragment. The lymphoid cells in these homogenates can be easily characterized using immunological (phenotype, proliferation, etc.) or molecular (DNA, RNA and/or protein) approaches. CD45+ cells can also be used for subpopulation purification, in vitro expansion or cryopreservation. An additional benefit of this approach is that the primary tissue supernatant from the homogenates can be used to characterize and compare cytokines, chemokines, immunoglobulins and antigens present in normal and malignant tissues. This protocol functions extremely well for human breast tissues and should be applicable to a wide variety of normal and abnormal tissues.

This protocol describes the rapid non-enzymatic dissociation of fresh human tissue fragments for qualitative and quantitative assessment of CD45+ cells (lymphocytes/leukocytes) present in various normal and malignant human tissues. Additionally, the supernatant obtained from the primary tissue homogenate can be collected and stored for further analysis or experimentation.

The ability of malignant cells to evade the immune system, characterized by tumor escape from both innate and adaptive immune responses, is now accepted ...

Induction of Murine Intestinal Inflammation by Adoptive Transfer of Effector CD4+CD45RBhigh T Cells into Immunodeficient Mice

There are many different animal models available for studying the pathogenesis of human inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), each with its own advantages and disadvantages. We describe here an experimental colitis model that is initiated by adoptive transfer of syngeneic splenic CD4+CD45RBhigh T cells into T and B cell deficient recipient mice. The CD4+CD45RBhigh T cell population that largely consists of na&#239;ve effector cells is capable of inducing chronic intestinal inflammation, closely resembling key aspects of human IBD. This method can be manipulated to study aspects of disease onset and progression. Additionally it can be used to study the function of innate, adaptive, and regulatory immune cell populations, and the role of environmental exposures, i.e., the microbiota, in intestinal inflammation. In this article we illustrate the methodology for inducing colitis with a step-by-step protocol. This includes a video demonstration of key technical aspects required to successfully develop this murine model of experimental colitis for research purposes.

Induction of Murine Intestinal Inflammation by Adoptive Transfer of Effector CD4+CD45RBhigh T Cells into Immunodeficient Mice

Here, we present a protocol to induce colonic inflammation in mice by adoptive transfer of syngeneic CD4+CD45RBhigh T cells into T and B cell deficient recipients. Clinical and histopathological features mimic human inflammatory bowel diseases. This method allows the study of the initiation of colonic inflammation and progression of disease.

There are many different animal models available for studying the pathogenesis of human inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), each with its own advantages ...

Transformation of Probiotic Yeast and Their Recovery from Gastrointestinal Immune Tissues Following Oral Gavage in Mice

Development of recombinant oral therapy would allow for more direct targeting of the mucosal immune system and improve the ability to combat gastrointestinal disorders. Adapting probiotic yeast in particular for this approach carries several advantages. These strains have not only the potential to synthesize a wide variety of complex heterologous proteins but are also capable of surviving and protecting those proteins during transit through the intestine. Critically, however, this approach requires expertise in many diverse laboratory techniques not typically used in tandem. Furthermore, although individual protocols for yeast transformation are well characterized for commonly used laboratory strains, emphasis is placed here on alternative approaches and the importance of optimizing transformation for less well characterized probiotic strains. Detailing these methods will help facilitate discussion as to the best approaches for testing probiotic yeast as oral drug delivery vehicles and indeed serve to advance the development of this novel strategy for gastrointestinal therapy.

Presented here is a unified description of techniques that can be used to develop, transform, administer, and test heterologous protein expression of the probiotic yeast Saccharomyces boulardii.

Development of recombinant oral therapy would allow for more direct targeting of the mucosal immune system and improve the ability to combat ...

High-throughput Detection of Respiratory Pathogens in Animal Specimens by Nanoscale PCR

Nanoliter scale real-time PCR uses spatial multiplexing to allow multiple assays to be run in parallel on a single plate without the typical drawbacks of combining reactions together. We designed and evaluated a panel based on this principle to rapidly identify the presence of common disease agents in dogs and horses with acute respiratory illness. This manuscript describes a nanoscale diagnostic PCR workflow for sample preparation, amplification, and analysis of target pathogen sequences, focusing on procedures that are different from microliter scale reactions. In the respiratory panel presented, 18 assays were each set up in triplicate, accommodating up to 48 samples per plate. A universal extraction and pre-amplification workflow was optimized for high-throughput sample preparation to accommodate multiple matrices and DNA and RNA based pathogens. Representative data are presented for one RNA target (influenza A matrix) and one DNA target (equine herpesvirus 1). The ability to quickly and accurately test for a comprehensive, syndrome-based group of pathogens is a valuable tool for improving efficiency and ergonomics of diagnostic testing and for acute respiratory disease diagnosis and management.

High-throughput testing of DNA and RNA based pathogens by nanoscale PCR is described using a syndromic canine and equine respiratory PCR panel.

Nanoliter scale real-time PCR uses spatial multiplexing to allow multiple assays to be run in parallel on a single plate without the typical drawbacks of ...

Live-Cell Fluorescence Microscopy to Investigate Subcellular Protein Localization and Cell Morphology Changes in Bacteria

Investigations of factors influencing cell division and cell shape in bacteria are commonly performed in conjunction with high-resolution fluorescence microscopy as observations made at a population level may not truly reflect what occurs at a single cell level. Live-cell timelapse microscopy allows investigators to monitor the changes in cell division or cell morphology which provide valuable insights regarding subcellular localization of proteins and timing of gene expression, as it happens, to potentially aid in answering important biological questions. Here, we describe our protocol to monitor phenotypic changes in Bacillus subtilis and Staphylococcus aureus using a high-resolution deconvolution microscope. The objective of this report is to provide a simple and clear protocol that can be adopted by other investigators interested in conducting fluorescence microscopy experiments to study different biological processes in bacteria as well as other organisms.

This article provides a step-by-step guide to investigate protein subcellular localization dynamics and to monitor morphological changes using high-resolution fluorescence microscopy in Bacillus subtilis and Staphylococcus aureus.

Investigations of factors influencing cell division and cell shape in bacteria are commonly performed in conjunction with high-resolution fluorescence ...

Isolation of Macrophage Subsets and Stromal Cells from Human and Mouse Myocardial Specimens

Macrophages represent the most heterogeneous and abundant immune cell populations in the heart and are central in driving inflammation and reparative responses after cardiac injury. How various subsets of macrophages orchestrate the immune responses after cardiac injury is an active area of research. Presented here is a simple protocol that our lab performs routinely, for the extraction of macrophages from mouse and human myocardium specimens obtained from healthy and diseased individuals. Briefly, this protocol involves enzymatic digestion of cardiac tissue to generate a single cell suspension, followed by antibody staining, and flow cytometry. This technique is suitable for functional assays performed on sorted cells as well as bulk and single cell RNA sequencing. A major advantage of this protocol is its simplicity, minimal day to day variation and wide applicability allowing investigation of macrophage heterogeneity across various mouse models and human disease entities.

Presented here is a protocol to isolate various subsets of macrophages and other non-immune cells from human and mouse myocardium by preparing a single cell suspension through enzymatic digestion. Gating schemes for flow cytometry based identification and characterization of isolated macrophages are also presented.

Macrophages represent the most heterogeneous and abundant immune cell populations in the heart and are central in driving inflammation and reparative ...