Name: direct lineage reprogramming of adult mouse fibroblast to erythroid progenitors
Uploaded: 2018-12-14T13:00:00
Description: Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Direct Lineage Reprogramming of Adult Mouse Fibroblast to Erythroid Progenitors at JoVE.com

We thank Evelyn Wang and Gregory Hyde (Whitehead Institute, Cambridge, MA) for cloning and Harvey Lodish (Whitehead Institute) for providing many of the plasmids used for generating the retroviral library. We thank Kavitha Siva and Sofie Singbrant (Department of Molecular Medicine and Gene Therapy, Lund University), G&#246;ran Karlsson and Shamit Soneji (Department of Molecular Hematology, Lund University) for their roles in description of iEP production. We would also like to acknowledge and thank Julian Pulecio (Centre of Regenerative Medicine, Barcelona Biomedical Research Park), Violeta Rayon-Estrada (The Rockefeller University, New York), Carl Walkley (St. Vincent's Institute of Medical Research and Department of Medicine, St Vincent's Hospital, University of Melbourne), &#193;ngel Raya (Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies, Barcelona), and Vijay G. Sankaran (Broad Institute of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard, Cambridge) for their previous contributions to this work. This work was supported by the Ragnar S&#246;derberg Foundation (to J.F.); the Swedish Research Council (to J.F.); Stiftelsen Olle Engkvist Byggm&#228;stare (to J.F.); the Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research (to J.F.); &#197;ke Wiberg's Foundation (to J.F.); a Marie Curie integration grant (to J.F.).

1. Establishment and Maintenance of Primary Mouse Tail Tip Fibroblast Cultures
<ol>
	<li>Prepare gelatin-coated dishes (recommend a 10 cm dish for one tail) by covering the surface with 0.1% gelatin and incubating the dishes for approximately 20 min at 37 &#176;C. Aspirate the gelatin solution from the dish and allow it to dry for at least 2 h.</li>
	<li>Euthanize the mice by cervical dislocation. Remove the tail with scissors, cutting at the base of the tail. Put the tail in Dulbecco&#39;s phosphate-buffered saline (D...

<ol>
	<li>Sender, R., Fuchs, S., Milo, R. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Are+We+Really+Vastly+Outnumbered?+Revisiting+the+Ratio+of+Bacterial+to+Host+Cells+in+Humans.">Are We Really Vastly Outnumbered? Revisiting the Ratio of Bacterial to Host Cells in Humans.</a> Cell. 164 (3), 337-340 (2016).</li><li>Lujan, E., Chanda, S., Ahlenius, H., Sudhof, T. C., Wernig, M. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Direct+conversion+of+mouse+fibroblasts+to+self-renewing,+tripotent+neural+precursor+cells.">Direct conversion of mouse fibroblasts to self-renewing, tripotent neural precursor cells.</a> Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 109 (7), 2527-2532 (2012).</li><li>Szabo, E., 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=Direct+conversion+of+human+fibroblasts+to+multilineage+blood+progenitors.">Direct conversion of human fibroblasts to multilineage blood progenitors.</a> Nature. 468 (7323), 521-526 (2010).</li><li>Pereira, C. F., 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=Induction+of+a+hemogenic+program+in+mouse+fibroblasts.">Induction of a hemogenic program in mouse fibroblasts.</a> Cell Stem Cell. 13 (2), 205-218 (2013).</li><li>Batta, K., Florkowska, M., Kouskoff, V., Lacaud, G. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Direct+reprogramming+of+murine+fibroblasts+to+hematopoietic+progenitor+cells.">Direct reprogramming of murine fibroblasts to hematopoietic progenitor cells.</a> Cell Reports. 9 (5), 1871-1884 (2014).</li><li>Yu, B., 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=Reprogramming+fibroblasts+into+bipotential+hepatic+stem+cells+by+defined+factors.">Reprogramming fibroblasts into bipotential hepatic stem cells by defined factors.</a> Cell Stem Cell. 13 (3), 328-340 (2013).</li><li>Hendry, C. E., 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=Direct+transcriptional+reprogramming+of+adult+cells+to+embryonic+nephron+progenitors.">Direct transcriptional reprogramming of adult cells to embryonic nephron progenitors.</a> Journal of the American Society of Nephrology. 24 (9), 1424-1434 (2013).</li><li>Vierbuchen, T., Wernig, M. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Direct+lineage+conversions:+unnatural+but+useful.">Direct lineage conversions: unnatural but useful.</a> Nature Biotechnology. 29 (10), 892-907 (2011).</li><li>Capellera-Garcia, S., Flygare, J. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Direct+lineage+reprogramming:+a+useful+addition+to+the+blood+cell+research+toolbox.">Direct lineage reprogramming: a useful addition to the blood cell research toolbox.</a> Expert Review of Hematology. 10 (2), 107-109 (2017).</li><li>Capellera-Garcia, S., 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=Defining+the+Minimal+Factors+Required+for+Erythropoiesis+through+Direct+Lineage+Conversion.">Defining the Minimal Factors Required for Erythropoiesis through Direct Lineage Conversion.</a> Cell Reports. 15 (11), 2550-2562 (2016).</li><li>Mahmoudi, S., Brunet, A. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Aging+and+reprogramming:+a+two-way+street.">Aging and reprogramming: a two-way street.</a> Current Opinions in Cellular Biology. 24 (6), 744-756 (2012).</li><li>Singbrant, S., 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=Erythropoietin+couples+erythropoiesis,+B-lymphopoiesis,+and+bone+homeostasis+within+the+bone+marrow+microenvironment.">Erythropoietin couples erythropoiesis, B-lymphopoiesis, and bone homeostasis within the bone marrow microenvironment.</a> Blood. 117 (21), 5631-5642 (2011).</li><li>Heinrich, A. C., Pelanda, R., Klingmuller, U. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=A+mouse+model+for+visualization+and+conditional+mutations+in+the+erythroid+lineage.">A mouse model for visualization and conditional mutations in the erythroid lineage.</a> Blood. 104 (3), 659-666 (2004).</li><li>Gautier, E. L., 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=Gene-expression+profiles+and+transcriptional+regulatory+pathways+that+underlie+the+identity+and+diversity+of+mouse+tissue+macrophages.">Gene-expression profiles and transcriptional regulatory pathways that underlie the identity and diversity of mouse tissue macrophages.</a> Nature Immunology. 13 (11), 1118-1128 (2012).</li><li>Psaila, B., 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=Single-cell+profiling+of+human+megakaryocyte-erythroid+progenitors+identifies+distinct+megakaryocyte+and+erythroid+differentiation+pathways.">Single-cell profiling of human megakaryocyte-erythroid progenitors identifies distinct megakaryocyte and erythroid differentiation pathways.</a> Genome Biology. 17 (1), 83 (2016).</li><li>Pulecio, 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=Direct+Conversion+of+Fibroblasts+to+Megakaryocyte+Progenitors.">Direct Conversion of Fibroblasts to Megakaryocyte Progenitors.</a> Cell Reports. 17 (3), 671-683 (2016).</li><li>Kurita, R., 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=Establishment+of+immortalized+human+erythroid+progenitor+cell+lines+able+to+produce+enucleated+red+blood+cells.">Establishment of immortalized human erythroid progenitor cell lines able to produce enucleated red blood cells.</a> PLoS One. 8 (3), 59890 (2013).</li></ol>

Overexpression of a four-factor cocktail, GATA1,&#160;TAL1,&#160;LMO2,&#160;and c-MYC (GTLM), is sufficient to reprogram murine and human fibroblasts directly to iEPs10. The reprogrammed erythroid cells greatly resembled bona fide erythroid progenitors in terms of morphology, phenotype, gene expression, and colony-forming ability. This finding corroborates the rationale of using direct ...

Red blood cells (RBCs) are essential in all vertebrates and make up 84% of all cells of human bodies1. From embryonic to adult life, our health is highly dependent on exact regulation of RBC homeostasis. The ongoing production of mature RBCs throughout development into adulthood is known as erythropoiesis. A major challenge in erythropoiesis research is to define the master regulators that orchestrate RBC development and the switch between primitive and definitive erythropoiesis. Direct lineage reprogramming of erythroid progenitors presents an opportunity to further understand erythroid development in vivo.
Direct lineage reprogramming (DLR), also known as transdifferentiation, is the process of reprogramming one cell type directly into another, bypassing pluripotent and multipotent progenitor stages. DLR has thus far been used to produce numerous cell types including neural2, hematopoietic3,4,5, hepatic6 and nephrotic7, progenitor cells. For developmental biologists, DLR has become an important tool for interrogating aspects of lineage commitment and terminal differentiation processes8,9. DLR can complement and partially replace in vivo studies for understanding mechanisms of cell fate determining factors during development. The DLR protocol for reprogramming to erythroid progenitors described in this paper provides the field a complimentary method for developmental studies of erythropoiesis.
We have previously demonstrated that overexpression of a four-factor cocktail, GATA1, TAL1, LMO2, and c-MYC (GTLM), is sufficient to reprogram both murine and human fibroblasts directly to induced erythroid progenitors (iEPs)10. The GTLM-reprogrammed erythroid cells greatly resemble bona fide primitive erythroid progenitors in terms of morphology, phenotype, and gene expression10. Thus iEPs have limited proliferation capacity and mature to nucleated erythrocytes similar to those transiently produced in the early embryo before onset of definitive erythropoiesis. By making changes in the reprogramming conditions (e.g., point mutations in reprogramming factors or addition of other factors), one can understand how this leads to changes in erythroid development and differentiation. We have for example shown that addition of Klf1 or Myb to the GTLM cocktail changes the globin expression pattern from predominantly embryonic (primitive) to mainly adult (definitive). This finding corroborates the validity of using DLR as a tool for defining developmental factors in erythropoiesis.
Here, we outline the process of generating iEPs from mouse tail tip fibroblasts (TTF). In our representative results, we performed the reprogramming on fibroblasts from the erythroid lineage-tracing mice (Epor-Cre R26-eYFP) which express the yellow fluorescent protein (eYFP) from the Rosa26 locus in all cells that have expressed the erythropoietin receptor, allowing easy visualization of commitment to the erythroid lineage. Using this method, YFP positive (EpoR+) cells are present as early as five days after transduction. This protocol, therefore, offers a quick and robust technique for the generation of erythroid progenitors in vitro.

<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="width:1141px;" width="1142">
	<colgroup>
		<col />
		<col />
		<col />
		<col />
	</colgroup>
	<tbody>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:347px;">DMEM without sodium pyruvate</td>
			<td style="width:167px;">GE Life Sciences</td>
			<td style="width:123px;">SH30022.01</td>
			<td style="width:505px;">Culturing media for PhGP cells</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:347px;">DMEM with sodium pyruvate</td>
			<td style="width:167px;">GE Life Sciences</td>
			<td style="width:123px;">SH30243.01</td>
			<td>Culturing media for tail tip fibroblasts</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:347px;">StemSpan Serum Free Expansion Media (SFEM)</td>
			<td style="width:167px;">Stem Cell Technologies</td>
			<td style="width:123px;">9650</td>
			<td>Reprogramming media&#160;</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:347px;">Fetal Bovine Serum HyClone</td>
			<td style="width:167px;">GE Life Sciences</td>
			<td style="width:123px;">SH30071.03HI</td>
			<td>Growth factor</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:347px;">Penicillin/Streptomycin HyClone (100x)</td>
			<td style="width:167px;">Ge Life Sciences</td>
			<td style="width:123px;">SV30010</td>
			<td>Antiboiotic</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:347px;">Non-Essential Amino Acids (100x)</td>
			<td style="width:167px;">Thermo Fisher</td>
			<td style="width:123px;">11140050</td>
			<td>SNL media is suppplemented with this</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:347px;">Trypsin HyClone (1x)</td>
			<td style="width:167px;">GE Life Sciences</td>
			<td style="width:123px;">SH30042.01</td>
			<td>Cell dissociation agent</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:347px;">Murine Stem Cell Factor (mSCF)</td>
			<td style="width:167px;">Peprotech</td>
			<td style="width:123px;">250-03</td>
			<td>Added to reprogramming media</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:347px;">Recombinant Murine Il-3</td>
			<td style="width:167px;">Peprotech</td>
			<td style="width:123px;">213-13</td>
			<td>Added to reprogramming media</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:347px;">human recombinant erythropoietin (hrEPO)</td>
			<td style="width:167px;">Peprotech</td>
			<td style="width:123px;">100-64</td>
			<td>Added to reprogramming media</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:347px;">Dexamethasone</td>
			<td style="width:167px;">Sigma</td>
			<td style="width:123px;">50-02-2&#160;&#160;</td>
			<td>Added to reprogramming media</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:347px;">Gelatin from porcine skin</td>
			<td style="width:167px;">Sigma</td>
			<td style="width:123px;">9000-70-8&#160;</td>
			<td>Dissovled in dH2O and used for coating plates. Ensure sterility before use.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:347px;">Blasticidin S hydrochloride</td>
			<td style="width:167px;">Sigma</td>
			<td style="width:123px;">3/9/3513</td>
			<td>Selection antibiotic. Affects both pro- and eukaryotic cells</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:347px;">Dulbecco&#39;s Phosphate Buffered Saline (DPBS)</td>
			<td style="width:167px;">Ge Life Sciences</td>
			<td style="width:123px;">SH30850.03</td>
			<td>Used for washing steps</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:347px;">Polybrene</td>
			<td style="width:167px;">Merck</td>
			<td style="width:123px;">TR-1003-G</td>
			<td>Infection / Transfection&#160; Reagent</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:347px;">FuGENE HD Transfection Reagent</td>
			<td style="width:167px;">Promega</td>
			<td style="width:123px;">E2311</td>
			<td>Transfection Reagent for PhGP cell line</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:347px;">Millex-GP Syringe Filter Unit 0.22 &#181;m</td>
			<td style="width:167px;">Merck</td>
			<td style="width:123px;">SLGP033RS</td>
			<td>Used for filtering virus supernatant</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:347px;">BD Emerald Hypodermic Syringe</td>
			<td style="width:167px;">Becton Dickinson</td>
			<td style="width:123px;">SKU: 307736</td>
			<td>Used for filtering virus supernatant</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:347px;">100 mm Culture Dish</td>
			<td style="width:167px;">Corning</td>
			<td style="width:123px;">430167</td>
			<td>Cell culture</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:347px;">6-well plate</td>
			<td style="width:167px;">Falcon</td>
			<td style="width:123px;">10799541</td>
			<td>Cell culture</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:347px;">Jeweler Forceps #5</td>
			<td style="width:167px;">Sklar</td>
			<td style="width:123px;">66-7642</td>
			<td>Used for handling small tail fragments</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:347px;">Sklarlite Iris Scissors</td>
			<td style="width:167px;">Sklar</td>
			<td style="width:123px;">23-1149</td>
			<td>Used for cutting the tail into small pieces</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:347px;">Lineage Cell Depletion Kit, mouse</td>
			<td style="width:167px;">Miltenyi Biotec</td>
			<td style="width:123px;">130-090-858</td>
			<td>For depletion of hematopoietic cells in fibroblast cultures</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:347px;">CD117 MicroBeads, mouse</td>
			<td style="width:167px;">Miltenyi Biotec</td>
			<td>130-091-224</td>
			<td>For depletion of hematopoietic cells in fibroblast cultures</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:347px;">PheonixGP cells</td>
			<td style="width:167px;">ATCC</td>
			<td>CRL-3215</td>
			<td>retroviral packaging cell line</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:347px;">EcoPAC vector (pCL-Eco)&#160;</td>
			<td>Novus Biologicals</td>
			<td>NBP2-29540</td>
			<td>retroviral helper vector containing gag and pol genes</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:347px;">pMX-Gata1</td>
			<td style="width:167px;">Cloned in-lab</td>
			<td style="width:123px;"></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:347px;">pMX-Tal1</td>
			<td style="width:167px;">Cloned in-lab</td>
			<td style="width:123px;"></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:347px;">pMX-Lmo2</td>
			<td style="width:167px;">Cloned in-lab</td>
			<td style="width:123px;"></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:347px;">pMX-cMyc</td>
			<td style="width:167px;">Cloned in-lab</td>
			<td style="width:123px;"></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">CellSens Standard 1.6 software&#160;</td>
			<td style="width:167px;"></td>
			<td style="width:123px;"></td>
			<td>Cytospin analysis software</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

direct lineage reprogramming of adult mouse fibroblast to erythroid progenitors

Erythroid cell commitment and differentiation proceed through activation of a lineage-restricted transcriptional network orchestrated by a group of cell fate determining and maturing factors. We previously set out to define the minimal set of factors necessary for instructing red blood cell development using direct lineage reprogramming of fibroblasts into induced erythroid progenitors/precursors (iEPs). We showed that overexpression of Gata1, Tal1, Lmo2, and c-Myc (GTLM) can rapidly convert murine and human fibroblasts directly to iEPs that resemble bona fide erythroid cells in terms of morphology, phenotype, and gene expression. We intend that iEPs will provide an invaluable tool to study erythropoiesis and cell fate regulation. Here we describe the stepwise process of converting murine tail tip fibroblasts into iEPs via transcription factor-driven direct lineage reprogramming (DLR). In this example, we perform the reprogramming in fibroblasts from erythroid lineage-tracing mice that express the yellow fluorescent protein (YFP) under the control of the erythropoietin receptor gene (EpoR) promoter, enabling visualization of erythroid cell fate induction upon reprogramming. Following this protocol, fibroblasts can be reprogrammed into iEPs within five to eight days. 
While improvements can still be made to the process, we show that GTLM-mediated reprogramming is a rapid and direct process, yielding cells with properties of bona fide erythroid progenitor and precursor cells.

Here we present a reproducible protocol for the production of iEPs from adult fibroblasts using transcription factor-driven DLR. We evaluate the cell reprogramming using flow cytometry, colony-forming assays, and gene expression analysis. In order to assist in the visualization of the conversion to erythroid cell fate, we performed the reprogramming on fibroblasts from the erythroid lineage-tracing mice (Epor-Cre R26-eYFP) which express the yellow fluorescent protein (eY...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Direct Lineage Reprogramming of Adult Mouse Fibroblast to Erythroid Progenitors at JoVE.com

Direct Lineage Reprogramming of Adult Mouse Fibroblast to Erythroid Progenitors

Here we present our protocol for producing induced erythroid progenitors (iEPs) from mouse adult fibroblasts using transcription factor-driven direct lineage reprogramming (DLR).

Erythroid cell commitment and differentiation proceed through activation of a lineage-restricted transcriptional network orchestrated by a group of cell ...

Research

JoVE Journal

Developmental Biology

Stable and Efficient Genetic Modification of Cells in the Adult Mouse V-SVZ for the Analysis of Neural Stem Cell Autonomous and Non-autonomous Effects

Relatively quiescent somatic stem cells support life-long cell renewal in most adult tissues. Neural stem cells in the adult mammalian brain are ...

Murine Dermal Fibroblast Isolation by FACS

Fibroblasts are the principle cell type responsible for secreting extracellular matrix and are a critical component of many organs and tissues. Fibroblast ...

Generating Primary Fibroblast Cultures from Mouse Ear and Tail Tissues

Primary cells are derived directly from tissue and are thought to be more representative of the physiological state of cells in vivo than established cell ...

Quantitative Analysis of Protein Expression to Study Lineage Specification in Mouse Preimplantation Embryos

This protocol presents a method to perform quantitative, single-cell in situ analyses of protein expression to study lineage specification in mouse ...

Reprogramming Mouse Embryonic Fibroblasts with Transcription Factors to Induce a Hemogenic Program

This protocol details the induction of a hemogenic program in mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) via overexpression of transcription factors (TFs). We ...

Identification Of Erythromyeloid Progenitors And Their Progeny In The Mouse Embryo By Flow Cytometry

Macrophages are professional phagocytes from the innate arm of the immune system. In steady-state, sessile macrophages are found in adult tissues where ...

Assessing Cardiomyocyte Subtypes Following Transcription Factor-mediated Reprogramming of Mouse Embryonic Fibroblasts

Direct reprogramming of one cell type into another has recently emerged as a powerful paradigm for regenerative medicine, disease modeling, and lineage ...

Generation of Scaffold-free, Three-dimensional Insulin Expressing Pancreatoids from Mouse Pancreatic Progenitors In Vitro

Generation of Scaffold-free, Three-dimensional Insulin Expressing Pancreatoids from Mouse Pancreatic Progenitors In Vitro

The pancreas is a complex organ composed of many different cell types that work together to regulate blood glucose homeostasis and digestion. These cell ...

A Direct and Simple Method to Assess Drosophila melanogaster's Viability from Embryo to Adult

A Direct and Simple Method to Assess Drosophila melanogaster's Viability from Embryo to Adult

In Drosophila melanogaster, viability assays are used to determine the fitness of certain genetic backgrounds. Allelic variations can result in partial or ...

Vascular Casting of Adult and Early Postnatal Mouse Lungs for Micro-CT Imaging

Blood vessels form intricate networks in 3-dimensional space. Consequently, it is difficult to visually appreciate how vascular networks interact and ...