The work was supported by grants from Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong Province, Grant/Award Number: 2016A030313028; Medical Scientific Research Foundation of Guangdong Province, Grant/Award Number: B2018003; Shenzhen Foundation of Science and Technology, Grant/Award Number: JCYJ20180306172449376, JCYJ20180306172459580, JCJY20160229204849975, GJHZ20170314171357556, JCYJ20160425103000011 and JCYJ20160428142040945; Shenzhen Longhua District Foundation of Science and Technology, Grant/Award Number: 2017013; National Key R&#38;D Program of China, Grant/Award Number: 2017YFC1103704; Sanming Project of Medicine in Shenzhen, Grant/Award Number: SZSM201412020; Special Funds for the Construction of High Level Hospitals in Guangdong Province (2019); Fund for High Level Medical Discipline Construction of Shenzhen, Grant/Award Number: 2016031638; Shenzhen Foundation of Health and Family Planning Commission, Grant/Award Number: SZXJ2017021 and SZXJ2018059. We thank Hancheng Zhang and Zhicheng Zou from Shenzhen University for assisting in the preparation of the manuscript.

The use of animals was approved by the Ethics Review Committee of Shenzhen Second People&#39;s Hospital, in accordance with the principles of animal welfare.
1. Preparation of animals, medium, and buffers
<ol>
	<li>Prepare the miniature pig. 
	NOTE: All miniature pigs were Chinese Wuzhishan or Bama pigs (male). The age and weight of pigs were 100 days &#177; 8 days and 5.7 kg &#177; 1.0 kg (mean &#177; SD, n = 3), respectively.</li>
	<li>Prepare the culture medium: endothelial cell medium (ECM) supplemented with 10% (v/v) heat-inactivated fetal bovine serum (FBS), 1% (v/v) penicillin/streptomycin (P/S) and 1% (v/v) endothelial cell growth supplement (ECGS).</li>
	<li>Prepare the washing buffer: 1x PBS solution (pH 7.4) with 1% (v/v) P/S.</li>
	<li>Prepare a 0.005% collagenase IV digestive solution: 1 mg of collagenase IV powder in 20 mL of PBS solution. Pre-warm the collagenase digestive solution at 37 &#176;C prior to the digestion.</li>
	<li>Prepare the stopping buffer: Dulbecco&#8217;s modified Eagle&#8217;s medium (DMEM) supplemented with 10% heat-inactivated FBS and 1% P/S.</li>
</ol>
2. Surgery and preparation for porcine aortic endothelial cell isolation
<ol>
	<li>Disinfecting the operating room with UV light for 1 h and medical disinfectant 84 liquid (available chlorine content is 4.0% - 5.0%, Table of Materials) before performing surgery.</li>
	<li>After the miniature pig received an intramuscular injection formed by 15 mg/kg Ketamine, 15 mg/kg Xylazine hydrochloride and 0.05 mg/kg Phenacetin hydrochloride( Volumes: 100&#956;L/kg, Table of Materials) (Figure 1A), confirm the animal&#8217;s anesthesia status with checking porcine painful stimulus (eg. pinching one ear or shaking one forelimb) and physiological index (eg. blood pressure, heart and respiratory rate). 
	NOTE: Another half dose injection could be given to the pig if it shows the signs of waking up.&#160;</li>
	<li>Cut the abdomen with a scalpel, expose the inferior vena cava and consequently inject heparin sodium (5,000 U, Table of Materials) into the inferior vena cava with 5 mL syringe.</li>
	<li>Five minutes later, insert a catheter to the abdominal aorta to blood, cut the skin of chest and incise the diaphragm with a scalpel and subsequently cut the left ventricle off. 
	NOTE: Make sure that pig is euthanized by checking aortic pulse after blooding and cutting the heart.&#160;</li>
	<li>Excise the ribs with bone forceps (Table of Materials), and expose the heart and lungs. Find the aorta posterior to the heart and lungs and clamp the two ends. Wash the aorta once with pre-cooled washing buffer (Figure 1B,C).</li>
	<li>Cut out the aorta with scissors and keep the aorta clamped at each end. Excise excess tissue around the aorta with sterile forceps and scissors. Put the aorta into a 50 mL centrifuge tube, wash the aorta with pre-cooled washing buffer 3x (30 mL per wash), and transfer the aorta to the laboratory (Figure 1D).</li>
</ol>
3. Isolation of porcine aortic endothelial cells
<ol>
	<li>Under aseptic conditions, remove the pig aorta from the washing buffer, and place it on a 150 mm Petri dish (Figure 2A).</li>
	<li>Gently cut off the two ends of the aorta and excise excess tissue around aorta with sterile forceps and scissors again (Figure 2B). Wash the outside and inside of the aorta (over the culture dish at room temperature) with 20&#8722;50 mL of washing buffer. 
	NOTE: Try to only cut the area where the clamps were placed during surgery since some ECs were damaged in this area, and remove excess tissues and arterial side branches.</li>
	<li>Pass a surgical suture through the aorta and then tie one end of the aorta using the surgical suture (5-0, 90cm, Table of Materials). Keep the surgical suture in the inside of the aorta (Figure 2C,D).</li>
	<li>Gently fix the aorta near the tied end with forceps, and then pull the surgical suture slowly to reverse the aorta until the endothelial surface of the aorta is exposed (Figure 2E-G). 
	NOTE: Ensure to fix the aorta near the tied end and do not fix the aorta tightly, or else the aorta cannot be reversed by pulling the surgical suture.</li>
	<li>Wash the endothelial surface of the aorta with washing buffer 3x (10 mL per wash), and then discard this solution. Place the aorta into a 15 mL centrifuge tube, and cover the aorta with 10 mL of 0.005% collagenase IV digestive solution in the tube (Figure 2H). 
	NOTE: Pre-warm the 0.005% collagenase IV digestive solution at 37 &#176;C before digestion.</li>
	<li>Incubate at 37 &#176;C for 15 min. Place the digested aorta and digestive solution into a 100 mm culture dish and stop the effects of 0.005% collagenase IV by adding 10&#8722;15 mL of pre-cooled stopping buffer. 
	NOTE: The recommended digestion time is between 10 and 20 minutes. Make sure the endothelial surface of the aorta is covered by the stopping buffer.</li>
	<li>Gently scrape pAECs off the inside surface of the aorta using a cell scraper (Figure 2I). Wash the scraped aorta 3x with washing buffer (5 mL per time). Put the solution from the culture dish into a 50 mL centrifuge tube. Wash the bottom of the culture dish 2x with washing buffer (5 mL per time), and put the solution into a 50 mL centrifuge tube again. 
	NOTE: Scrape in one direction gently and do not compress. Do not touch the tissue near the edges and holes. Scraping 5&#8722;8x is recommended.</li>
	<li>Centrifuge the tube at 600 x g for 6 min at 4 &#176;C. Discard the supernatant and leave 10 mL of solution at the bottom of a 50 mL centrifuge tube. Add 20 mL of washing buffer to the 50 mL centrifuge tube, and resuspend the pellets. Avoid bubbles during this step.</li>
	<li>Centrifuge at 600 x g for 6 min at 4 &#176;C. Slowly discard the supernatant. Resuspend the cell pellets with 1 mL of culture medium and mix well. 
	NOTE: The obtained average number of ECs per cm aorta is 1.9 x 105 &#177; 1.4 x 104 (mean &#177; SD, n = 3).</li>
	<li>Count the cells with a cell counter. Plate and culture the cells in a vessel without coating any materials according to the cell number. If the cell number is less than or equal to 1.0 x 106, culture cells in a 25 cm2 flask. If the cell number is larger than 1.0 x 106, culture cells in several 25 cm2 flasks (1.0 x 106 cells per flask). Place the flask in an incubator (without shaking) at 37 &#176;C with 5% CO2 and replace the medium every 2&#8722;3 days. 
	NOTE: Some cells are damaged by the cell scraper. A cell viability assay found the percentage of live cells to be 95.7% &#177; 1.7% (mean &#177; SD, n = 3). The doubling time of the isolated cells is about 1&#8722;2 days.</li>
</ol>
4. Harvest and characterization of pure endothelial cells
<ol>
	<li>Leave the cells grow for about 4&#8722;5 days. When the cells reach 80% confluence (Figure 3A), digest the cells with 0.25% trypsin and passage the cells. Then, collect some of the isolated cells (Day 3, Passage 1 and Passage 2) and identify by flow cytometry (with an anti-CD31 antibody).</li>
	<li>Label isolated pAECs (cell number: 1 x 105) (Day 3, Passage 1 and Passage 2) with anti-porcine CD31-fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) conjugated antibody (10 &#181;L antibody for per 100 &#181;L cells, stained for 30 min at 4 &#176;C) for flow cytometry analysis.</li>
	<li>Gate total live cell population with a forward scattered plot, unstained sample as a negative control. Then present the CD31 positive cells of the gated cells with histogram. 
	NOTE: The efficacy of CD31-positive cells is 97.4% &#177; 1.2% (Day 3), 94.4% &#177; 1.1% (P1) and 92.4% &#177; 1.7% (P2) (mean &#177; SD), respectively (Figure 3B).</li>
</ol>

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The authors have nothing to disclose.

Endothelial cells are commonly used in research of vascular dysfunction, diabetes, tissue regeneration, transplantation, and cancers14,15,16,17,18. To understand and characterize the biology and function of ECs in these diseases, numerous methods to isolate the ECs of different diseased organs or tissues have been reported8,<...

The shortage of available organs for transplantation is an outstanding problem world-wide1. According to the Red Cross Society of China, only a small number of patients with end-stage organ failure received a suitable organ in China in 2018.
Xenotransplantation is a promising way to resolve the problem of organ shortage. Pig organs are considered to be the most suitable organs for humans because of anatomic and physiologic similarities2,3. The failure of a pig xenograft is largely related to the primate immune rejection and coagulation responses. Porcine endothelial cells (ECs) are critical since these cells are the first to interact with the primate immune system, which includes antibody, complement, cytokines, and immune cells (e.g., T cells, B cells, and macrophages)4,5. Porcine ECs play a vital role in pig organ and islet xenotransplantation6,7. Thus, ECs are important cells for investigating the rejection and coagulation responses to a pig graft. Isolation of high-quality porcine ECs is required for xenotransplantation research.
In attempts to isolate ECs from different organs (e.g., heart, kidney, liver and aorta), several protocols have been reported in a xenotransplant setting8,9,10,11,12. However, keeping an ultrapure culture of isolated ECs is an outstanding problem in standard protocols. The increased concentration of the digested solution, inappropriate digestion time and scrape intensity may contribute to the increased fibroblast contamination in current studies8,10,13. Besides, the method of isolated pAECs from miniature pigs is less studied. Here, we describe an optimized enzymatic method to isolate highly-purified pAECs from miniature pigs (Wuzhishan or Bama). Several steps in the protocol have been designed to reduce fibroblast contamination and obtain high-purity ECs.

<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="width:1163px;" width="1164">
	<tbody>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:280px;">BD FACSAria II</td>
			<td style="width:424px;">BD Bioscience</td>
			<td style="width:142px;"></td>
			<td style="width:318px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="42">
			<td height="42" style="height:42px;width:280px;">Boneforceps</td>
			<td style="width:424px;">Beijing HeLi KeChuang Technology Development CO.,Ltd. China</td>
			<td style="width:142px;">HL-YGQ&#160;&#160;</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:280px;">BOON Disposable Syringe (10ml)</td>
			<td style="width:424px;">Jiangsu Yile medical Article Co., Ltd. China</td>
			<td style="width:142px;"></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:280px;">CD31-FITC antibody</td>
			<td style="width:424px;">Bio-Rad</td>
			<td style="width:142px;">MCA1746F</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:280px;">Cell scraper</td>
			<td style="width:424px;">Corning&#160;</td>
			<td style="width:142px;">3010#</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:280px;">Collagenase IV</td>
			<td style="width:424px;">Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td style="width:142px;">C5138#-1G</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="64">
			<td height="64" style="height:64px;width:280px;">Compound ketamine injection&#160;</td>
			<td style="width:424px;">Veterinary Pharmaceutical Factory of Shenyang, China</td>
			<td style="width:142px;"></td>
			<td style="width:318px;">Ketamine Hydrochloride&#65306;0.3g/2ml,Xylazine hydrochloride:0.3g/2ml, Phenacetin hydrochloride&#65306;1mg/2ml</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="42">
			<td height="42" style="height:42px;width:280px;">DAPI (4&#39;,6-Diamidino-2-Phenylindole, Dihydrochloride)</td>
			<td style="width:424px;">Life Technologies</td>
			<td style="width:142px;">D1306#</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:280px;">DMEM</td>
			<td style="width:424px;">Life Technologies</td>
			<td style="width:142px;">11965118#</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:280px;">ECM</td>
			<td style="width:424px;">Sciencell</td>
			<td style="width:142px;">1001#</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:280px;">ECGS</td>
			<td style="width:424px;">Sciencell</td>
			<td style="width:142px;">1052#</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:280px;">Eppendorf Snap-Cap Microtube(1.5mL)&#160;</td>
			<td style="width:424px;">AXYGEN</td>
			<td style="width:142px;">MCT-150-C#</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:280px;">Falcon 100mm Cell Culture Dish</td>
			<td style="width:424px;">Corning</td>
			<td style="width:142px;">353003#</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:280px;">Fetal Bovine Serum</td>
			<td style="width:424px;">GIBCO</td>
			<td style="width:142px;">10270-106#</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:280px;">Flowjo v10.0</td>
			<td style="width:424px;"></td>
			<td style="width:142px;"></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:280px;">Forceps&#160;</td>
			<td style="width:424px;">ShangHai medical instruments Co.,Ltd.China</td>
			<td style="width:142px;"></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:280px;">Heparin sodium</td>
			<td style="width:424px;">Jiangsu WanBang biopharmaceutical Co.,Ltd.China</td>
			<td style="width:142px;"></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:280px;">Iodine tincture</td>
			<td style="width:424px;">Guilin LiFeng Medical Supplies Co.,Ltd.China</td>
			<td style="width:142px;"></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:280px;">Miniature Pig (Bama or Wuzhishan)</td>
			<td style="width:424px;">Kang Yi Ecological Agriculture Co., Ltd, China</td>
			<td style="width:142px;"></td>
			<td style="width:318px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:280px;">Mshot microscope&#160;</td>
			<td style="width:424px;">Guangzhou Micro-shot Technology Co., Ltd.</td>
			<td style="width:142px;">M152</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:280px;">Petri Dishes (150 x 15 mm)</td>
			<td style="width:424px;">Biologixgroup</td>
			<td style="width:142px;">66-1515#</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:280px;">Penicillin/Streptomycin</td>
			<td style="width:424px;">Life Technologies</td>
			<td style="width:142px;">15070063#</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="42">
			<td height="42" style="height:43px;width:280px;">Rectangular Canted Neck Cell Culture Flask with Vent Cap &#65288;T25&#65289;</td>
			<td style="width:424px;">Corning&#160;</td>
			<td style="width:142px;">3289#</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:280px;">Scissors</td>
			<td style="width:424px;">ShangHai medical instruments Co.,Ltd.China</td>
			<td style="width:142px;"></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:280px;">Serological Transfer Pipettes (10ml)</td>
			<td style="width:424px;">JET Biofil</td>
			<td style="width:142px;">GSP010010#&#160;</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:280px;">Sterile Pasteur Pipette</td>
			<td style="width:424px;">GeneBrick</td>
			<td style="width:142px;">GY0025#</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:280px;">Sterile Syringe Filter (0.22&#181;m)</td>
			<td style="width:424px;">Millipore</td>
			<td style="width:142px;">SLGV033RS#</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:280px;">Surgical scalpel</td>
			<td style="width:424px;">ShangHai medical instruments Co.,Ltd.China</td>
			<td style="width:142px;">22#</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:280px;">Surgical suture</td>
			<td style="width:424px;">Shanghai Pudong Jinhuan Medical Supplies Co., Ltd</td>
			<td style="width:142px;">5-0#</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="22">
			<td height="22" style="height:22px;width:280px;">Syringe&#65288;5mL&#65289;</td>
			<td style="width:424px;">Shengguang Medical Instrument Co., Ltd.China</td>
			<td style="width:142px;"></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:280px;">Trypsin-EDTA (0.25%), phenol red</td>
			<td style="width:424px;">GIBCO</td>
			<td style="width:142px;">25200056#</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:280px;">75% Medical alcohol</td>
			<td style="width:424px;">Guilin LiFeng Medical Supplies Co.,Ltd.China</td>
			<td style="width:142px;"></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:280px;">20 x PBS solution (pH 7.4,Nuclease free)</td>
			<td style="width:424px;">Sangon Biotech</td>
			<td style="width:142px;">B540627#</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:280px;">Medical disinfectant 84 liquid</td>
			<td style="width:424px;">Sichuan Province Yijieshi Medical Technology Co., Ltd</td>
			<td style="width:142px;">450ml/bottle</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

isolation and culture of primary aortic endothelial cells from miniature pigs

Xenotransplantation is a promising way to resolve the shortage of human organs for patients with end-stage organ failure, and the pig is considered as a suitable organ source. Immune rejection and coagulation are two major hurdles for the success of xenotransplantation. Vascular endothelial cell (EC) injury and dysfunction are important for the development of the inflammation and coagulation responses in xenotransplantation. Thus, isolation of porcine aortic endothelial cells (pAECs) is necessary for investigating the immune rejection and coagulation responses. Here, we have developed a simple enzymatic approach for the isolation, characterization, and expansion of highly purified pAECs from miniature pigs. First, the miniature pig was anaesthetized with ketamine, and a length of aorta was excised. Second, the endothelial surface of aorta was exposed to 0.005% collagenase IV digestive solution for 15 min. Third, the endothelial surface of the aorta was scraped in only one direction with a cell scraper (&#60;10 times), and was not compressed during the process of scraping. Finally, the isolated pAECs of Day 3, and after passage 1 and passage 2, were identified by flow cytometry with an anti-CD31 antibody. The percentages of CD31-positive cells were 97.4% &#177; 1.2%, 94.4% &#177; 1.1%, and 92.4% &#177; 1.7% (mean &#177; SD), respectively. The concentration of Collagenase IV, the digestive time, the direction, and frequency and intensity of scraping are critical for decreasing fibroblast contamination and obtaining high-purity and a large number of ECs. In conclusion, our enzymatic method is a highly-effctive method for isolating ECs from the miniature pig aorta, and the cells can be expanded in vitro to investigate the immune and coagulation responses in xenotransplantation.

Our method aims to provide an effective way to isolate highly-purified ECs from the aortas from miniature pigs. The process of aorta surgery is shown in Figure 1. The first step is that the whole aorta is excised from the pig. Preventing other cell or bacterial contamination is very important. Thus, do not injure other organs or tissues in case untargeted cells or bacteria contaminate the aorta, and wash the aorta with pre-cooled washing buffer 3x (Figure 1<stro...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Isolation and Culture of Primary Aortic Endothelial Cells from Miniature Pigs at JoVE.com

Isolation and Culture of Primary Aortic Endothelial Cells from Miniature Pigs

An effective enzymatic method for isolation of primary porcine aortic endothelial cells (pAECs) from miniature pigs is described. The isolated primary pAECs can be used to investigate the immune and coagulation response in xenotransplantation.

Xenotransplantation is a promising way to resolve the shortage of human organs for patients with end-stage organ failure, and the pig is considered as a ...

isolation-culture-primary-aortic-endothelial-cells-from-miniature

Research

JoVE Journal

Biology

8.5K Views.  Shenzhen Longhua District Central Hospital, Affiliated Central Hospital of Shenzhen Longhua District, Guangdong Medical University. An effective enzymatic method for isolation of primary porcine aortic endothelial cells (pAECs) from miniature pigs is described. The isolated primary pAECs can be used to investigate the immune and coagulation response in xenotransplantation.

Video: Isolation and Culture of Primary Aortic Endothelial Cells from Miniature Pigs

Isolation and Culture of Pulmonary Endothelial Cells from Neonatal Mice

Endothelial cells provide a useful research model in many areas of vascular biology. Since its first isolation 1, human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) have shown to be convenient, easy to obtain and culture, and thus are the most widely studied endothelial cells. However, for research focused on processes like angiogenesis, permeability or many others, microvascular endothelial cells (ECs) are a much more physiologically relevant model to study 2. Furthermore, ECs isolated from knockout mice provide a useful tool for analysis of protein function ex vivo. Several approaches to isolate and culture microvascular ECs of different origin have been reported to date 3-7, but consistent isolation and culture of pure ECs is still a major technical problem in many laboratories. Here, we provide a step-by-step protocol on a reliable and relatively simple method of isolating and culturing mouse lung endothelial cells (MLECs). In this approach, lung tissue obtained from 6- to 8-day old pups is first cut into pieces, digested with collagenase/dispase (C/D) solution and dispersed mechanically into single-cell suspension. MLECS are purified from cell suspension using positive selection with anti-PECAM-1 antibody conjugated to Dynabeads using a Magnetic Particle Concentrator (MPC). Such purified cells are cultured on gelatin-coated tissue culture (TC) dishes until they become confluent. At that point, cells are further purified using Dynabeads coupled to anti-ICAM-2 antibody. MLECs obtained with this protocol exhibit a cobblestone phenotype, as visualized by phase-contrast light microscopy, and their endothelial phenotype has been confirmed using FACS analysis with anti-VE-cadherin 8 and anti-VEGFR2 9 antibodies and immunofluorescent staining of VE-cadherin. In our hands, this two-step isolation procedure consistently and reliably yields a pure population of MLECs, which can be further cultured. This method will enable researchers to take advantage of the growing number of knockout and transgenic mice to directly correlate in vivo studies with results of in vitro experiments performed on isolated MLECs and thus help to reveal molecular mechanisms of vascular phenotypes observed in vivo.

Here, we describe a protocol for isolation and culture of murine pulmonary endothelial cells. This method comprises mechanic and enzymatic lung tissue dissociation as well as a 2-step purification process using anti-PECAM-1 and anti-ICAM-2 antibodies conjugated to magnetic beads, which produces a pure endothelial cell population of mostly microvascular origin.

Endothelial cells provide a useful research model in many areas of vascular biology. Since its first isolation 1, human umbilical vein endothelial cells ...

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 ...

Isolation of Murine Valve Endothelial Cells

Normal valve structures consist of stratified layers of specialized extracellular matrix (ECM) interspersed with valve interstitial cells (VICs) and surrounded by a monolayer of valve endothelial cells (VECs). VECs play essential roles in establishing the valve structures during embryonic development, and are important for maintaining life-long valve integrity and function. In contrast to a continuous endothelium over the surface of healthy valve leaflets, VEC disruption is commonly observed in malfunctioning valves and is associated with pathological processes that promote valve disease and dysfunction. Despite the clinical relevance, focused studies determining the contribution of VECs to development and disease processes are limited. The isolation of VECs from animal models would allow for cell-specific experimentation. VECs have been isolated from large animal adult models but due to their small population size, fragileness, and lack of specific markers, no reports of VEC isolations in embryos or adult small animal models have been reported. Here we describe a novel method that allows for the direct isolation of VECs from mice at embryonic and adult stages. Utilizing the Tie2-GFP reporter model that labels all endothelial cells with Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP), we have been successful in isolating GFP-positive (and negative) cells from the semilunar and atrioventricular valve regions using fluorescence activated cell sorting (FACS). Isolated GFP-positive VECs are enriched for endothelial markers, including CD31 and von Willebrand Factor (vWF), and retain endothelial cell expression when cultured; while, GFP-negative cells exhibit molecular profiles and cell shapes consistent with VIC phenotypes. The ability to isolate embryonic and adult murine VECs allows for previously unattainable molecular and functional studies to be carried out on a specific valve cell population, which will greatly improve our understanding of valve development and disease mechanisms.

The ability to isolate heart valve endothelial cells (VECs) is critical for understanding mechanisms of valve development, maintenance, and disease. Here we describe the isolation of VECs from embryonic and adult Tie2-GFP mice using FACS that will allow for studies determining the contribution of VECs in developmental and disease processes.

Normal valve structures consist of stratified layers of specialized extracellular matrix (ECM) interspersed with valve interstitial cells (VICs) and ...

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 ...

Generation and Culture of Blood Outgrowth Endothelial Cells from Human Peripheral Blood

Historically, the limited availability of primary endothelial cells from patients with vascular disorders has hindered the study of the molecular mechanisms underlying endothelial dysfunction in these individuals. However, the recent identification of blood outgrowth endothelial cells (BOECs), generated from circulating endothelial progenitors in adult peripheral blood, may circumvent this limitation by offering an endothelial-like, primary cell surrogate for patient-derived endothelial cells. Beyond their value to understanding endothelial biology and disease modeling, BOECs have potential uses in endothelial cell transplantation therapies. They are also a suitable cellular substrate for the generation of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) via nuclear reprogramming, offering a number of advantages over other cell types. We describe a method for the reliable generation, culture and characterization of BOECs from adult peripheral blood for use in these and other applications. This approach (i) allows for the generation of patient-specific endothelial cells from a relatively small volume of adult peripheral blood and (ii) produces cells that are highly similar to primary endothelial cells in morphology, cell signaling and gene expression.

This protocol allows for the reliable generation and characterization of blood outgrowth endothelial cells (BOECs) from a small volume of adult peripheral blood. BOECs can be used as a surrogate for endothelial cells from patients with vascular disorders and as a substrate for the generation of induced pluripotent stem cells.

Historically, the limited availability of primary endothelial cells from patients with vascular disorders has hindered the study of the molecular ...

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 and Culture of Primary Oral Keratinocytes from the Adult Mouse Palate

For years, most studies involving keratinocytes have been conducted using human and mouse skin epidermal keratinocytes. Recently, oral keratinocytes have attracted attention because of their unique function and characteristics. They maintain the homeostasis of the oral epithelium and serve as resources for applications in regenerative therapies. However, in vitro studies that use oral primary keratinocytes from adult mice have been limited due to the lack of an efficient and well-established culture protocol. Here, oral primary keratinocytes were isolated from the palate tissues of adult mice and cultured in a commercial low-calcium medium supplemented with a chelexed-serum. Under these conditions, keratinocytes were maintained in a proliferative or stem cell-like state, and their differentiation was inhibited even after increased passages. Marker expression analysis showed that the cultured oral keratinocytes expressed the basal cell markers p63, K14, and &#945;6-integrin and were negative for the differentiation marker K13 and the fibroblast marker PDGFR&#945;. This method produced viable and culturable cells suitable for downstream applications in the study of oral epithelial stem cell functions in vitro.

The present protocol describes the isolation and culture of oral keratinocytes derived from the adult mouse palate. An evaluation method using immunostaining is also reported.

For years, most studies involving keratinocytes have been conducted using human and mouse skin epidermal keratinocytes. Recently, oral keratinocytes have ...

Isolation and Characterization of Mouse Primary Liver Sinusoidal Endothelial Cells

Liver sinusoidal endothelial cells (LSECs) are specialized endothelial cells located at the interface between the circulation and the liver parenchyma. LSECs have a distinct morphology characterized by the presence of fenestrae and the absence of basement membrane. LSECs play essential roles in many pathological disorders in the liver, including metabolic dysregulation, inflammation, fibrosis, angiogenesis, and carcinogenesis. However, little has been published about the isolation and characterization of the LSECs. Here, this protocol discusses the isolation of LSEC from both healthy and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) mice. The protocol is based on collagenase perfusion of the mouse liver and magnetic beads positive selection of nonparenchymal cells to purify LSECs. This study characterizes LSECs using specific markers by flow cytometry and identifies the characteristic phenotypic features by scanning electron microscopy. LSECs isolated following this protocol can be used for functional studies, including adhesion and permeability assays, as well as downstream studies for a particular pathway of interest. In addition, these LSECs can be pooled or used individually, allowing multi-omics data generation including RNA-seq bulk or single cell, proteomic or phospho-proteomics, and Assay for Transposase-Accessible Chromatin using sequencing (ATAC-seq), among others. This protocol will be useful for investigators studying LSECs&#39; communication with other liver cells in health and disease and allow an in-depth understanding of the role of LSECs in the pathogenic mechanisms of acute and chronic liver injury.

Here we outline and demonstrate a protocol for primary mouse liver sinusoidal endothelial cell (LSEC) isolation. The protocol is based on liver collagenase perfusion, nonparenchymal cell purification by low-speed centrifugation, and CD146 magnetic bead selection. We also phenotype and characterize these isolated LSECs using flow cytometry and scanning electron microscopy.

Liver sinusoidal endothelial cells (LSECs) are specialized endothelial cells located at the interface between the circulation and the liver parenchyma. ...