This work was funded by University of Helsinki project funding (WBS490302, WBS73714112) Helsinki University Hospital State funding for university-level health research (Y1014SUL05, TYH2016130), Finnish-Norwegian Medical Foundation, and the Selma and Maja-Lisa Selander Fund (Minerva Foundation). We thank Walter Pavicic for providing the modified MSPA protocol and for related technical support. We are grateful to Teemu Masalin (University of Helsinki) for helping us with video production.

This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Helsinki and Uusimaa Hospital District (ethical approval D. No. 217/13/03/02/2015).
1. Preparation of EV-depleted FBS by ultracentrifugation
<ol>
	<li>Take FBS in (ultra)centrifuge tubes and place them in ultracentrifuge buckets. To ensure that the ultracentrifugation runs smoothly and safely, balance the buckets within 10 mg of each other.</li>
	<li>Load the buckets on a swinging rotor (type SW28, k-factor 246). Place the rotor in the ultracentrifuge and run at 100,000 x g for 19 h at 4 &#176;C.</li>
	<li>Carefully collect the light-colored upper layer of the supernatant (approximately nine-tenths) and transfer to a 50 mL tube. Do not disturb or pipette the dark brown pellet, as it contains EVs from FBS.</li>
	<li>Pass the supernatant through a 0.22 &#181;m filter into a new 50 mL tube.</li>
	<li>Add the filter-sterilized, EV-depleted FBS to cell culture media when growing cells for EV isolation.</li>
</ol>
2. Isolation of osteosarcoma-derived EVs
<ol>
	<li>Plate OS cells (HOS-143B cell line) in a T-175 flask with RPMI 1640 medium, supplemented with 10% normal FBS and 1% antibiotics (100 U/mL penicillin, 0.1 mg/mL streptomycin). Place the flask in an incubator at 37 &#176;C and 5% CO2.</li>
	<li>When the flask is 70%&#8211;80% confluent, wash the cells with phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) then grow them in media containing 10% EV-depleted FBS (hereafter referred to as EV-depleted media). 
	NOTE: 1 x 106 HOS-143B cells plated in a T175 flask reaches 70% confluency after approximately 60 h.</li>
	<li>During the next 48 h, collect conditioned media from osteosarcoma cells after every 24 h and add fresh EV depleted media.</li>
	<li>Centrifuge the conditioned media at 2500 x g for 20 min at 4 &#176;C to remove cells and cell debris. Transfer the supernatant to a new tube, leaving around 2 mL of media at the bottom. 
	NOTE: If not directly proceeding with EV isolation at this stage, the supernatant can be stored at -80 &#7506;C.</li>
	<li>Pour the supernatant into ultracentrifuge tubes and balance them as earlier. Centrifuge the tubes at 100,000 x g for 2 h at 4 &#176;C.</li>
	<li>Carefully discard the supernatant, leaving around 1 mL at the bottom. Add around 20 mL of PBS (0.1 &#181;m filtered) to the tube and pipette gently to wash and resuspend the EV pellet.</li>
	<li>Balance the tubes and perform another round of ultracentrifugation with the same settings.</li>
	<li>Carefully remove the supernatant and resuspend the EV pellet in 200 &#181;L of PBS by gentle pipetting. Store the EVs in low binding tubes. 
	NOTE: EVs can be used straightaway or else stored in -80 &#176;C until they are needed.</li>
</ol>
3. Characterization of OS-EVs
NOTE: Purified EVs can be characterized by western blotting (WB), nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM)16.
<ol>
	<li>Perform WB as per the standard protocol16 with EV markers CD63, TSG101, and Hsp70, and with calnexin as a negative control to indicate purity of the EV sample20.</li>
	<li>For NTA, first dilute the EV sample in 0.1 &#181;m filtered Dulbecco&#39;s PBS to obtain (ideally) 30&#8211;100 particles per frame.
	<ol>
		<li>Take around 500 &#181;L of the sample into a 1 mL syringe and load it into the inlet port of the NTA instrument. Check that there are enough particles per frame, for accurate measurements.</li>
		<li>Open the NTA software and record five videos of 60 s duration, using camera level 13 at ambient temperature. During analysis, use detection threshold = 5 and gain = 10.</li>
	</ol>
	</li>
	<li>Analyze EV samples by TEM as described previously21.</li>
</ol>
4. AT-MSC culture
NOTE: Human adipose tissue for mesenchymal stem cell isolation was provided as liposuction aspirate (Department of Plastic Surgery, Laser Tilkka Ltd., Finland). Written informed consent was taken from the lipoaspirate donors, who were undergoing elective liposuction procedures.
<ol>
	<li>Isolate AT-MSCs from liposuction aspirates using standard mechanical and enzymatic isolation methods22. 
	NOTE: MSCs from other sources (including commercial cell lines) may also be used.</li>
	<li>Culture cells in DMEM/F-12 media supplemented with 10% FBS and 1% antibiotics.</li>
</ol>
5. Treatment of MSCs with OS-EVs
<ol>
	<li>Plate 15,000 AT-MSCs per well in a 24 well plate.</li>
	<li>After 24 h, remove the old media, wash cells with PBS, and change to EV-depleted media.</li>
	<li>Treat cells with OS-EVs (at a particle concentration of 1 x 106 EVs per cell) on Day 1 (24 h after cell adhesion), Day 3 (48 h after Day 1), and Day 5 (96 h after Day 1).
	<ol>
		<li>Stop the OS-EV treatment for timepoint (TP) 0 samples on Day 1, TP 3 samples on Day 3 and TP 7 samples on Day 7 (48 h after Day 5). 
		NOTE: Other timepoint schedules as per the experimental plans can also be followed.</li>
	</ol>
	</li>
	<li>Extract DNA from the MSCs using an appropriate method. Include positive and negative control samples for the data analysis.</li>
</ol>
6. LINE-1 methylation assay
<ol>
	<li>Design the customized LINE-1 probe primers, as done previously by Pavicic et al.23. For methylation probes, select three sequences containing the HhaI restriction site within the promoter region of LINE-1. For control probes, select seven sequences lacking the HhaI restriction site from the rest of the LINE-1 sequence. 
	NOTE: The LINE-1 sequence is available at the GenBank database24 (L1.2, accession no. AH005269.2). Use the MSPA manufacturer&#39;s instructions for designing the probes25.</li>
	<li>Dilute 70 ng of DNA sample in TE buffer to a 5 &#181;L volume.</li>
	<li>Carry out subsequent thermocycling and PCR steps as mentioned in Table 1. Heat the samples for 10 min at 98 &#176;C, then cool to 25 &#176;C.</li>
	<li>Add 3 &#181;L of probe hybridization mix to each sample and run the thermocycler to allow the probes to hybridize to the DNA.</li>
	<li>At room temperature (RT), add 13 &#181;L of post-hybridization mix to each sample. Transfer 10 &#181;L to a second tube.</li>
	<li>Place both sets of tubes in the thermocycler and incubate at 48 &#176;C for at least 1 min.
	<ol>
		<li>While samples are at 48 &#176;C, add 10 &#181;L of the ligation mix to the first set of tubes (undigested series) and 10 &#181;L of the ligation-digestion mix to the second set of tubes (digested series). Run the next thermocycler program.</li>
	</ol>
	</li>
	<li>Spin down the tubes and simultaneously set the thermocycler to 72 &#176;C.</li>
	<li>Add 5 &#181;L of polymerase mix to each tube and place the tubes in the thermocycler. Run the PCR program.</li>
	<li>While the PCR program is running, prepare a solution of 1 mL formamide containing 2.5 &#181;L of size standard. Pipette 10 &#181;L of this solution to each well of an optical 96 well plate (with barcode).</li>
	<li>After PCR, dilute the undigested and digested samples to 1:100 and 1:200 respectively in ultrapure water. Add 2 &#181;L of diluted PCR product to the 96 well plate. Centrifuge the plate at 200 x g for 15&#8211;20 s to remove air bubbles.</li>
	<li>Carry out fragment analysis of samples by capillary electrophoresis. 
	NOTE: The plate should be stored at 4 &#176;C in the dark until analysis.</li>
</ol>
7. Fragment data analysis
<ol>
	<li>Open the capillary electrophoresis results in an electropherogram analysis software.
	<ol>
		<li>Under the Panel column, for one of the samples, choose MLPA from the menu. Click on the Panel header and press Ctrl+D to apply MLPA to all samples.</li>
		<li>In the same way, set the Analysis method to Microsatellite default for all samples.</li>
		<li>Select all samples and click on the Green play button to analyze the samples as per the chosen settings.</li>
		<li>Select all samples and click on the Graph button to visualize the probe peaks.</li>
		<li>Zoom in on the peak region for higher resolution of the individual probe peaks. Make sure that all 10 peaks corresponding to the probes from the LINE-1 probe-mix are labeled. Discard additional peaks (&#60;95 bp and &#62;160 bp).</li>
		<li>In the Genotypes tab, export the results in the comma-separated-values (CSV) format.</li>
	</ol>
	</li>
	<li>Open the CSV file in a data analysis software and sort the data into columns.
	<ol>
		<li>Label the three methylation site peaks based on their approximate sizes (L1-1m at 153 bp, L1-2m at 119 bp, L1-3m at 133 bp). The remaining seven peaks correspond to the control probes. 
		NOTE: Here, values of the L1-2m probe peaks are used, which have a size of 117 bp, since that region has been used in most LINE-1 methylation assays23.</li>
		<li>For each sample (undigested and digested), calculate the sum peak area of all seven control peaks. Divide the peak area of each LINE-1 probe by this sum.</li>
		<li>For each DNA sample, divide the value of the digested sample by that of the undigested sample to obtain the methylation dosage ratio (DM) using the following equation: 
		<img alt="Equation 1" src="/files/ftp_upload/60705/60705eq1.jpg" /> 
		Where: DM is methylation dosage ratio, Ax is the area under peak x (e.g., L1-2m peak), and Actrl is the sum peak area of all seven control probes.</li>
	</ol>
	</li>
</ol>

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The authors have nothing to disclose.

This study illustrates how MSPA can be used to detect and quantify the methylation status of a specific genetic element. LINE-1 was the focus here, but the probes can be designed to target a range of genes and sequences. Moreover, there is a growing list of probe mixes available for different applications. MSPA is a simple and robust technique for DNA methylation analysis that does not require bisulfite conversion10. The complete procedure from sample preparation to data analysis takes around 2 da...

DNA methylation is a major epigenetic modification occurring in human cells. DNA methylation refers to the linkage of methyl groups to cytosine residues in CpG dinucleotides. Such dinucleotides are usually found in clusters (CpG islands) at the 5&#39; region of genes1. In normal cells, most of these dinucleotides exist in an unmethylated state, which allows DNA transcription. Incidentally, many cancers are associated with hypermethylated CpG islands and transcriptomic silencing2, especially in tumor suppressor genes, which in turn contribute to various hallmarks of cancer3.
On the other hand, long interspersed nuclear elements-1 (LINE-1s or L1s) are repetitive, transposable DNA elements that normally have high levels of methylation at CpG islands. Methylation of LINE-1 prevents translocation and helps maintain genome integrity. In several types of cancer, LINE-1 is hypomethylated, resulting in activation and subsequent retrotransposition-mediated chromosomal instability4. LINE-1 accounts for nearly 17% of the human genome5, and its methylation status may serve as an indicator of global genomic methylation levels6. Global LINE-1 hypomethylation is considered to precede the transition of cells to a tumor phenotype7; therefore, it holds promise as a potential marker for early cancer onset.
Currently, there are several methods for methylation analysis, including pyrosequencing, methylation-specific PCR, microarrays, and chromatin immunoprecipitation1. The use of next-generation sequencing has also made it possible to incorporate genome-wide approaches to detection of DNA methylation. Many of these methods rely on bisulfite-treated DNA, in which unmethylated cytosines are converted to uracil and methylated cytosines remain unchanged. However, working with bisulfite-treated DNA has several pitfalls, such as incomplete conversions of unmethylated cytosines to uracil, biased amplification of sequences, and sequencing errors8.
In methylation-specific probe amplification (MSPA), probes composed of two oligonucleotides target DNA sequences containing a restriction site (GCGC) for the methylation-sensitive restriction enzyme HhaI9. After the probes hybridize to DNA, each sample is divided into two sets. Probes in the first set undergo ligation, while probes in the second set undergo ligation followed by HhaI-mediated digestion at unmethylated CGCG sites. Both sets of samples are then amplified by PCR, and the products are separated by capillary electrophoresis. Probes at unmethylated sites are digested by HhaI and are not amplified during PCR, resulting in no peak signals. By contrast, probes at methylated sites are protected from digestion and are therefore amplified during PCR, subsequently generating peak signals10.
MSPA has several advantages over alternative methods. First, it requires a low amount of DNA (50&#8211;100 ng) and is well-suited for analysis of DNA from formalin-fixed paraffin embedded samples10. It does not require bisulfite-treated DNA; in fact, it is unsuitable for DNA that is modified in this way. Many samples can be analyzed at the same time, and MSPA probes can be designed such that they target multiple genes or sequences simultaneously. Additionally, the probes are specific and sensitive for methylated DNA as the HhaI restriction site corresponds to a sequence that is typical of CpG islands10.
This study investigated the effects of osteosarcoma (OS)-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) on LINE-1 methylation in adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells (AT-MSCs; Figure 1). EVs are nanoscale, membrane-bound vesicles secreted by most cell types. They carry proteins, lipids, mRNA, microRNA, and additional molecules from parent cells11,12. EVs mediate intercellular communication and play important roles in several pathophysiological conditions13,14. A recent study showed that cancer-derived EVs may transfer active LINE-1 to recipient cells15. It has been reported earlier that EVs from the HOS-143B cell line can alter the methylation status of LINE-1 in MSCs, in addition to other genetic effects16.
When growing cells for EV isolation, it is important to use EV-depleted fetal bovine serum [FBS] in the growth medium, since FBS-derived EVs may interfere with EVs from other sources and hamper the results17,18. Ultracentrifugation is one of the most common methods for depleting EVs from FBS. It is a relatively simple and cost-effective procedure compared to alternatives such as ultrafiltration and commercial EV-depleted FBS19. Here, the protocol also demonstrates how to prepare EV-depleted FBS by ultracentrifugation.
This article presents a detailed protocol for the aforementioned techniques, from isolation of EVs from an OS cell line to the methylation analysis of LINE-1 in OS-EV treated MSCs (Figure 1).

<table border="1" fo:keep-together.within-page="1" fo:keep-with-next.within-page="always">
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td>1 mL syringe</td>
			<td>Terumo</td>
			<td>SS+01T1</td>
			<td>for NTA</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>24-well plate</td>
			<td>Corning</td>
			<td>3524</td>
			<td>MSC cell culture</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>3730xl DNA Analyzer</td>
			<td>Applied Biosystems, ThermoFisher Scientific</td>
			<td>3730XL</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>50 mL centrifuge tube</td>
			<td>Corning</td>
			<td>430829</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Beckman Optima LE-80K Ultracentrifuge</td>
			<td>Beckman</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>BlueStar Prestained Protein Marker</td>
			<td>Nippon Genetics</td>
			<td>MWP03</td>
			<td>WB: protein marker</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Calnexin (clone C5C9)</td>
			<td>Cell Signaling Technology</td>
			<td>2679</td>
			<td>WB, dilution 1:800</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>CD63 (clone H5C6)</td>
			<td>BD Biosciences</td>
			<td>556019</td>
			<td>WB, dilution 1:1000</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Centrifuge 5702 R</td>
			<td>Eppendorf</td>
			<td>5703000010</td>
			<td>For conditioned media and cells</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Centrifuge 5810</td>
			<td>Eppendorf</td>
			<td>5810000010</td>
			<td>For spinning down 96-well plate</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Centrifuge tube (polyallomer, 14x95 mm)</td>
			<td>Beckman</td>
			<td>331374</td>
			<td>Ultracentrifugation</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>DMEM/F-12 + GlutaMAX medium</td>
			<td>Gibco, Life Technologies</td>
			<td>31331-028</td>
			<td>For AT-MSC culture</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Fetal bovine serum</td>
			<td>Gibco, Life Technologies</td>
			<td>10270-106</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>GeneScan 500 LIZ size standard</td>
			<td>Applied Biosystems, Life Technologies</td>
			<td>4322682</td>
			<td>for capillary electrophoresis</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>GenomePlex Complete Whole Genome Amplification (WGA) Kit</td>
			<td>Sigma</td>
			<td>WGA2-10RXN</td>
			<td>for MSPA negative control</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Hi-Di formamide</td>
			<td>Applied Biosystems, Life Technologies</td>
			<td>4311320</td>
			<td>for capillary electrophoresis</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>HOS-143B cell line</td>
			<td>ATCC</td>
			<td>CRL-8303</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Hsp70 (clone 5G10)</td>
			<td>BD Biosciences</td>
			<td>554243</td>
			<td>WB, dilution 1:1000</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>IRDye 800CW Goat anti-mouse</td>
			<td>Li-Cor</td>
			<td>926-32210</td>
			<td>WB: secondary</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>IRDye 800CW Goat anti-rabbit</td>
			<td>Li-Cor</td>
			<td>926-32211</td>
			<td>WB: secondary</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>LINE-1 probe-mix primers</td>
			<td>IDT</td>
			<td></td>
			<td>Sequences in Table 1</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>MicroAmp Optical 96-well reaction plate with barcode</td>
			<td>Applied Biosystems, Life Technologies</td>
			<td>4306737</td>
			<td>also requires sealing film</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Micro BCA Protein Assay kit</td>
			<td>ThermoFisher Scientific</td>
			<td>23235</td>
			<td>measure protein concentration</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>MiniProtean TGX 10% gels</td>
			<td>Bio-Rad</td>
			<td>456-1034</td>
			<td>WB: gel electrophoresis</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>NanoSight LM14C</td>
			<td>Malvern Instruments</td>
			<td></td>
			<td>for NTA</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Nitrocellulose membrane 0.2 &#181;m</td>
			<td>Bio-Rad</td>
			<td>1620112</td>
			<td>WB: protein transfer</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>NucleoSpin Tissue XS</td>
			<td>Macherey-Nagel</td>
			<td>740901.50</td>
			<td>for DNA extraction</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Odyssey Blocking Buffer</td>
			<td>Li-Cor</td>
			<td>927-40000</td>
			<td>WB: blocking, antibodies</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>PBS, 1X</td>
			<td>Corning</td>
			<td>21-040-CVR</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Penicillin-streptomycin</td>
			<td>Gibco, Life Technologies</td>
			<td>DE17-602E</td>
			<td>Antibiotics for culture media</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Protein LoBind tube, 0.5 mL</td>
			<td>Eppendorf</td>
			<td>22431064</td>
			<td>For storing Evs</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>REVERT Total Protein Stain and Wash Solution Kit</td>
			<td>Li-Cor</td>
			<td>926-11015</td>
			<td>WB: total protein staining</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>RKO cell line</td>
			<td>ATCC</td>
			<td>CRL-2577</td>
			<td>for MSPA positive control</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>RPMI medium 1640 + GlutaMAX</td>
			<td>Gibco, Life Technologies</td>
			<td>61870-010</td>
			<td>For HOS-143B cell culture</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>SALSA MLPA HhaI enzyme</td>
			<td>MRC-Holland</td>
			<td>SMR50</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>SALSA MLPA reagent kit</td>
			<td>MRC-Holland</td>
			<td>EK1-FAM</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>SALSA MLPA P300 probe-mix</td>
			<td>MRC-Holland</td>
			<td>P300-100R</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Swinging rotor SW-28</td>
			<td>Beckman Coulter</td>
			<td>342207</td>
			<td>Ultracentrifugation</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Syringe filter, 0.22 &#181;m</td>
			<td>Jet Biofil</td>
			<td>FPE-204-030</td>
			<td>sterile filtering FBS</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Tecnai 12</td>
			<td>FEI Company</td>
			<td></td>
			<td>equipped with Gatan Orius SC 
			1000B CCD-camera 
			(Gatan Inc., USA); for TEM</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>TBS, 1X tablets</td>
			<td>Medicago</td>
			<td>09-7500-100</td>
			<td>WB: buffer</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Trans-Blot Turbo</td>
			<td>Bio-Rad</td>
			<td></td>
			<td>WB: transfer</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Thermal cycler</td>
			<td>ThermoFisher Scientific</td>
			<td>TCA0096</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>TrypLE Express</td>
			<td>Gibco</td>
			<td>12604-021</td>
			<td>for trypsinization of cells</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>TSG101 (clone 4A10)</td>
			<td>Sigma</td>
			<td>SAB2702167</td>
			<td>WB, dilution 1:500</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

line-1 methylation analysis in mesenchymal stem cells treated with osteosarcoma-derived extracellular vesicles

Methylation-specific probe amplification (MSPA) is a simple and robust technique that can be used to detect relative differences in methylation levels of DNA samples. It is resourceful, requires small amounts of DNA, and takes around 4&#8211;5 h of hands-on work. In the presented technique, DNA samples are first denatured then hybridized to probes that target DNA at either methylated or reference sites as a control. Hybridized DNA is separated into parallel reactions, one undergoing only ligation and the other undergoing ligation followed by HhaI-mediated digestion at unmethylated GCGC sequences. The resultant DNA fragments are amplified by PCR and separated by capillary electrophoresis. Methylated GCGC sites are not digested by HhaI and produce peak signals, while unmethylated GCGC sites are digested and no peak signals are generated. Comparing the control-normalized peaks of digested and undigested versions of each sample provides the methylation dosage ratio of a DNA sample. Here, MSPA is used to detect the effects of osteosarcoma-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) on the methylation status of long interspersed nuclear element-1 (LINE-1) in mesenchymal stem cells. LINE-1s are repetitive DNA elements that typically undergo hypomethylation in cancer and, in this capacity, may serve as a biomarker. Ultracentrifugation is also used as a cost-effective method to separate extracellular vesicles from biological fluids (i.e., when preparing EV-depleted fetal bovine serum [FBS] and isolating EVs from osteosarcoma conditioned media [differential centrifugation]). For methylation analysis, custom LINE-1 probes are designed to target three methylation sites in the LINE-1 promoter sequence and seven control sites. This protocol demonstrates the use of MSPA for LINE-1 methylation analysis and describes the preparation of EV-depleted FBS by ultracentrifugation.

The main goal of this study was to evaluate the epigenetic effects of OS-EVs on MSCs. OS-EVs were isolated from HOS-143B cells using the standard differential centrifugation method. Expression of the typical EV markers CD63, Hsp70, and TSG101 by western blotting confirmed the presence of OS-EVs. (Figure 2A). Absence of calnexin signal indicated purity of the OS-EV isolate. Additional indication of purity was observed with TEM, with intact vesicles of various sizes being pres...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about LINE-1 Methylation Analysis in Mesenchymal Stem Cells Treated with Osteosarcoma-Derived Extracellular Vesicles at JoVE.com

LINE-1 Methylation Analysis in Mesenchymal Stem Cells Treated with Osteosarcoma-Derived Extracellular Vesicles

Described here is the use of a methylation-specific probe amplification method to analyze methylation levels of LINE-1 elements in mesenchymal stem cells treated with osteosarcoma-derived extracellular vesicles. Ultracentrifugation, a popular procedure for separating extracellular vesicles from fetal bovine serum, is also demonstrated.

Methylation-specific probe amplification (MSPA) is a simple and robust technique that can be used to detect relative differences in methylation levels of ...

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JoVE Journal

Genetics

5.7K Views.  University of Helsinki. Described here is the use of a methylation-specific probe amplification method to analyze methylation levels of LINE-1 elements in mesenchymal stem cells treated with osteosarcoma-derived extracellular vesicles. Ultracentrifugation, a popular procedure for separating extracellular vesicles from fetal bovine serum, is also demonstrated.

Video: LINE-1 Methylation Analysis in Mesenchymal Stem Cells Treated with Osteosarcoma-Derived Extracellular Vesicles

Engineering Artificial Factors to Specifically Manipulate Alternative Splicing in Human Cells

The processing of most eukaryotic RNAs is mediated by RNA Binding Proteins (RBPs) with modular configurations, including an RNA recognition module, which specifically binds the pre-mRNA target and an effector domain. Previously, we have taken advantage of the unique RNA binding mode of the PUF domain in human Pumilio 1 to generate a programmable RNA binding scaffold, which was used to engineer various artificial RBPs to manipulate RNA metabolism. Here, a detailed protocol is described to construct Engineered Splicing Factors (ESFs) that are specifically designed to modulate the alternative splicing of target genes. The protocol includes how to design and construct a customized PUF scaffold for a specific RNA target, how to construct an ESF expression plasmid by fusing a designer PUF domain and an effector domain, and how to use ESFs to manipulate the splicing of target genes. In the representative results of this method, we have also described the common assays of ESF activities using splicing reporters, the application of ESF in cultured human cells, and the subsequent effect of splicing changes. By following the detailed protocols in this report, it is possible to design and generate ESFs for the regulation of different types of Alternative Splicing (AS), providing a new strategy to study splicing regulation and the function of different splicing isoforms. Moreover, by fusing different functional domains with a designed PUF domain, researchers can engineer artificial factors that target specific RNAs to manipulate various steps of RNA processing.

This report describes a bioengineering method to design and construct novel Artificial Splicing Factors (ASFs) that specifically modulate the splicing of target genes in mammalian cells. This method can be further expanded to engineer various artificial factors to manipulate other aspects of RNA metabolism.

The processing of most eukaryotic RNAs is mediated by RNA Binding Proteins (RBPs) with modular configurations, including an RNA recognition module, which ...

Analysis of Cap-binding Proteins in Human Cells Exposed to Physiological Oxygen Conditions

Translational control is a focal point of gene regulation, especially during periods of cellular stress. Cap-dependent translation via the eIF4F complex is by far the most common pathway to initiate protein synthesis in eukaryotic cells, but stress-specific variations of this complex are now emerging. Purifying cap-binding proteins with an affinity resin composed of Agarose-linked m7GTP (a 5' mRNA cap analog) is a useful tool to identify factors involved in the regulation of translation initiation. Hypoxia (low oxygen) is a cellular stress encountered during fetal development and tumor progression, and is highly dependent on translation regulation. Furthermore, it was recently reported that human adult organs have a lower oxygen content (physioxia 1-9% oxygen) that is closer to hypoxia than the ambient air where cells are routinely cultured. With the ongoing characterization of a hypoxic eIF4F complex (eIF4FH), there is increasing interest in understanding oxygen-dependent translation initiation through the 5' mRNA cap. We have recently developed a human cell culture method to analyze cap-binding proteins that are regulated by oxygen availability. This protocol emphasizes that cell culture and lysis be performed in a hypoxia workstation to eliminate exposure to oxygen. Cells must be incubated for at least 24 hr for the liquid media to equilibrate with the atmosphere within the workstation. To avoid this limitation, pre-conditioned media (de-oxygenated) can be added to cells if shorter time points are required. Certain cap-binding proteins require interactions with a second base or can hydrolyze the m7GTP, therefore some cap interactors may be missed in the purification process. Agarose-linked to enzymatically resistant cap analogs may be substituted in this protocol. This method allows the user to identify novel oxygen-regulated translation factors involved in cap-dependent translation.

Here, we present human cell culture protocols to analyze translation initiation factors that bind the 5' cap of mRNA during physiological oxygen conditions. This method utilizes an Agarose-linked m7GTP cap analog and is suitable to investigate cap-binding factors and their interacting partners.

Translational control is a focal point of gene regulation, especially during periods of cellular stress. Cap-dependent translation via the eIF4F complex ...

Comprehensive DNA Methylation Analysis Using a Methyl-CpG-binding Domain Capture-based Method in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia Patients

The role of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) in cancer is coming to the forefront due to growing interest in understanding their mechanistic functions during cancer development and progression. Despite this, the global epigenetic regulation of lncRNAs and repetitive sequences in cancer has not been well investigated, particularly in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). This study focuses on a unique approach: the immunoprecipitation-based capture of double-stranded, methylated DNA fragments using methyl-binding domain (MBD) proteins, followed by next-generation sequencing (MBD-seq). CLL patient samples belonging to two prognostic subgroups (5 IGVH mutated samples + 5 IGVH unmutated samples) were used in this study. Analysis revealed 5,800 hypermethylated and 12,570 hypomethylated CLL-specific differentially methylated genes (cllDMGs) compared to normal healthy controls. Importantly, these results identified several CLL-specific, differentially methylated lncRNAs, repetitive elements, and protein-coding genes with potential prognostic value. This work outlines a detailed protocol for an MBD-seq and bioinformatics pipeline developed for the comprehensive analysis of global methylation profiles in highly CpG-rich regions using CLL patient samples. Finally, a protein-coding gene and an lncRNA were validated using pyrosequencing, which is a highly quantitative method to analyze CpG methylation levels to further corroborate the findings from the MBD-seq protocol.

This work describes an optimized methyl-CpG-binding domain (MBD) sequencing protocol and a computational pipeline to identify differentially methylated CpG-rich regions in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) patients.

The role of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) in cancer is coming to the forefront due to growing interest in understanding their mechanistic functions during ...

Immunostaining for DNA Modifications: Computational Analysis of Confocal Images

For several decades, 5-methylcytosine (5mC) has been thought to be the only DNA modification with a functional significance in metazoans. The discovery of enzymatic oxidation of 5mC to 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC), 5-formylcytosine (5fC) and 5-carboxylcytosine (5caC) as well as detection of N6-methyladenine (6mA) in the DNA of multicellular organisms provided additional degrees of complexity to the epigenetic research. According to a growing body of experimental evidence, these novel DNA modifications may play specific roles in different cellular and developmental processes. Importantly, as some of these marks (e. g. 5hmC, 5fC and 5caC) exhibit tissue- and developmental stage-specific occurrence in vertebrates, immunochemistry represents an important tool allowing assessment of spatial distribution of DNA modifications in different biological contexts. Here the methods for computational analysis of DNA modifications visualized by immunostaining followed by confocal microscopy are described. Specifically, the generation of 2.5 dimension (2.5D) signal intensity plots, signal intensity profiles, quantification of staining intensity in multiple cells and determination of signal colocalization coefficients are shown. Collectively, these techniques may be operational in evaluating the levels and localization of these DNA modifications in the nucleus, contributing to elucidating their biological roles in metazoans.

Newly discovered oxidized forms of 5-methylcytosine (oxi-mCs), 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC), 5-formylcytosine (5fC) and 5-carboxylcytosine (5caC) may represent distinct DNA modifications with unique functional roles. Here a semi-quantitative workflow for visualization of oxi-mCs' spatial distribution, signal intensity profiling and colocalization is described.

For several decades, 5-methylcytosine (5mC) has been thought to be the only DNA modification with a functional significance in metazoans. The discovery of ...

Highly Efficient Gene Disruption of Murine and Human Hematopoietic Progenitor Cells by CRISPR/Cas9

Advances in the hematopoietic stem cell (HSCs) field have been aided by methods to genetically engineer primary progenitor cells as well as animal models. Complete gene ablation in HSCs required the generation of knockout mice from which HSCs could be isolated, and gene ablation in primary human HSCs was not possible. Viral transduction could be used for knock-down approaches, but these suffered from variable efficacy. In general, genetic manipulation of human and mouse hematopoietic cells was hampered by low efficiencies and extensive time and cost commitments. Recently, CRISPR/Cas9 has dramatically expanded the ability to engineer the DNA of mammalian cells. However, the application of CRISPR/Cas9 to hematopoietic cells has been challenging, mainly due to their low transfection efficiencies, the toxicity of plasmid-based approaches and the slow turnaround time of virus-based protocols.
A rapid method to perform CRISPR/Cas9-mediated gene editing in murine and human hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells with knockout efficiencies of up to 90% is provided in this article. This approach utilizes a ribonucleoprotein (RNP) delivery strategy with a streamlined three-day workflow. The use of Cas9-sgRNA RNP allows for a hit-and-run approach, introducing no exogenous DNA sequences in the genome of edited cells and reducing off-target effects. The RNP-based method is fast and straightforward: it does not require cloning of sgRNAs, virus preparation or specific sgRNA chemical modification. With this protocol, scientists should be able to successfully generate knockouts of a gene of interest in primary hematopoietic cells within a week, including downtimes for oligonucleotide synthesis. This approach will allow a much broader group of users to adapt this protocol for their needs.

A protocol for fast CRISPR/Cas9-mediated gene disruption in mouse and human primary hematopoietic cells is described in this article. Cas9-sgRNA ribonucleoproteins are introduced via electroporation with sgRNAs generated through in vitro transcription and commercial Cas9. High editing efficiencies are achieved with limited time and financial cost.

Advances in the hematopoietic stem cell (HSCs) field have been aided by methods to genetically engineer primary progenitor cells as well as animal models. ...

Enhanced Genome Editing with Cas9 Ribonucleoprotein in Diverse Cells and Organisms

Site-specific eukaryotic genome editing with CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats)-Cas (CRISPR-associated) systems has quickly become a commonplace amongst researchers pursuing a wide variety of biological questions. Users most often employ the Cas9 protein derived from Streptococcus pyogenes in a complex with an easily reprogrammed guide RNA (gRNA). These components are introduced into cells, and through a base pairing with a complementary region of the double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) genome, the enzyme cleaves both strands to generate a double-strand break (DSB). Subsequent repair leads to either random insertion or deletion events (indels) or the incorporation of experimenter-provided DNA at the site of the break.
The use of a purified single-guide RNA and Cas9 protein, preassembled to form an RNP and delivered directly to cells, is a potent approach for achieving highly efficient gene editing. RNP editing particularly enhances the rate of gene insertion, an outcome that is often challenging to achieve. Compared to the delivery via a plasmid, the shorter persistence of the Cas9 RNP within the cell leads to fewer off-target events. 
Despite its advantages, many casual users of CRISPR gene editing are less familiar with this technique. To lower the barrier to entry, we outline detailed protocols for implementing the RNP strategy in a range of contexts, highlighting its distinct benefits and diverse applications. We cover editing in two types of primary human cells, T cells and hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HSPCs). We also show how Cas9 RNP editing enables the facile genetic manipulation of entire organisms, including the classic model roundworm Caenorhabditis elegans and the more recently introduced model crustacean, Parhyale hawaiensis.

Utilizing a preassembled Cas9 ribonucleoprotein complex (RNP) is a powerful method for precise, efficient genome editing. Here, we highlight its utility across a broad range of cells and organisms, including primary human cells and both classic and emerging model organisms.

Site-specific eukaryotic genome editing with CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats)-Cas (CRISPR-associated) systems has ...

Methodology for Accurate Detection of Mitochondrial DNA Methylation

Quantification of DNA methylation can be achieved using bisulfite sequencing, which takes advantage of the property of sodium bisulfite to convert unmethylated cytosine into uracil, in a single-stranded DNA context. Bisulfite sequencing can be targeted (using PCR) or performed on the whole genome and provides absolute quantification of cytosine methylation at the single base-resolution. Given the distinct nature of nuclear- and mitochondrial DNA, notably in the secondary structure, adaptions of bisulfite sequencing methods for investigating cytosine methylation in mtDNA should be made. Secondary and tertiary structure of mtDNA can indeed lead to bisulfite sequencing artifacts leading to false-positives due to incomplete denaturation poor access of bisulfite to single-stranded DNA. Here, we describe a protocol using an enzymatic digestion of DNA with BamHI coupled with bioinformatic analysis pipeline to allow accurate quantification of cytosine methylation levels in mtDNA. In addition, we provide guidelines for designing the bisulfite sequencing primers specific to mtDNA, in order to avoid targeting undesirable NUclear MiTochondrial segments (NUMTs) inserted into the nuclear genome.

Here, we present a protocol to allow accurate quantification of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) methylation. In this protocol, we describe an enzymatic digestion of DNA with BamHI coupled with a bioinformatic analysis pipeline which can be used to avoid overestimation of mtDNA methylation levels caused by the secondary structure of mtDNA.

Quantification of DNA methylation can be achieved using bisulfite sequencing, which takes advantage of the property of sodium bisulfite to convert ...

Endogenous Protein Tagging in Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells Using CRISPR/Cas9

A protocol is presented for generating human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) that express endogenous proteins fused to in-frame&#160;N- or C-terminal fluorescent tags. The prokaryotic CRISPR/Cas9 system (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats/CRISPR-associated 9) may be used to introduce large exogenous sequences into genomic loci via homology directed repair (HDR). To achieve the desired knock-in, this protocol employs the ribonucleoprotein (RNP)-based approach where wild type Streptococcus pyogenes Cas9 protein, synthetic 2-part guide RNA (gRNA), and a donor template plasmid are delivered to the cells via electroporation. Putatively edited cells expressing the fluorescently tagged proteins are enriched by fluorescence activated cell sorting (FACS). Clonal lines are then generated and can be analyzed for precise editing outcomes. By introducing the fluorescent tag at the genomic locus of the gene of interest, the resulting subcellular localization and dynamics of the fusion protein can be studied under endogenous regulatory control, a key improvement over conventional overexpression systems. The use of hiPSCs as a model system for gene tagging provides the opportunity to study the tagged proteins in diploid, nontransformed cells. Since hiPSCs can be differentiated into multiple cell types, this approach provides the opportunity to create and study tagged proteins in a variety of isogenic cellular contexts.

Described here is a protocol for tagging endogenously expressed proteins with fluorescent tags in human induced pluripotent stem cells using CRISPR/Cas9. Putatively edited cells are enriched by fluorescence activated cell sorting and clonal cell lines are generated.

A protocol is presented for generating human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) that express endogenous proteins fused to in-frame&#160;N- or ...

Identification of Homologous Recombination Events in Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells Using Southern Blotting and Polymerase Chain Reaction

Relative to the issues of off-target effects and the difficulty of inserting a long DNA fragment in the application of designer nucleases for genome editing, embryonic stem (ES) cell-based gene-targeting technology does not have these shortcomings and is widely used to modify animal/mouse genome ranging from large deletions/insertions to single nucleotide substitutions. Notably, identifying the relatively few homologous recombination (HR) events necessary to obtain desired ES clones is a key step, which demands accurate and reliable methods. Southern blotting and/or conventional PCR are often utilized for this purpose. Here, we describe the detailed procedures of using those two methods to identify HR events that occurred in mouse ES cells in which the endogenous Myh9 gene is intended to be disrupted and replaced by cDNAs encoding other nonmuscle myosin heavy chain IIs (NMHC IIs). The whole procedure of Southern blotting includes the construction of targeting vector(s), electroporation, drug selection, the expansion and storage of ES cells/clones, the preparation, digestion, and blotting of genomic DNA (gDNA), the hybridization and washing of probe(s), and a final step of autoradiography on the X-ray films. PCR can be performed directly with prepared and diluted gDNA. To obtain ideal results, the probes and restriction enzyme (RE) cutting sites for Southern blotting and the primers for PCR should be carefully planned. Though the execution of Southern blotting is time-consuming and labor-intensive and PCR results have false positives, the correct identification by Southern blotting and the rapid screening by PCR allow the sole or combined application of these methods described in this paper to be widely used and consulted by most labs in the identification of genotypes of ES cells and genetically modified animals.

Here, we present a detailed protocol for identifying homologous recombination events that occurred in mouse embryonic stem cells using Southern blotting and/or PCR. This method is exemplified by the generation of nonmuscle myosin II genetic replacement mouse models using traditional embryonic stem cell-based homologous recombination-mediated targeting technology.

Relative to the issues of off-target effects and the difficulty of inserting a long DNA fragment in the application of designer nucleases for genome ...

Isolating, Sequencing and Analyzing Extracellular MicroRNAs from Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells

Extracellular and circulating RNAs (exRNA) are produced by many cell types of the body and exist in numerous bodily fluids such as saliva, plasma, serum, milk and urine. One subset of these RNAs are the posttranscriptional regulators &#8211; microRNAs (miRNAs). To delineate the miRNAs produced by specific cell types, in vitro culture systems can be used to harvest and profile exRNAs derived from one subset of cells. The secreted factors of mesenchymal stem cells are implicated in alleviating numerous diseases and is used as the in vitro model system here. This paper describes the process of collection, purification of small RNA and library generation to sequence extracellular miRNAs. ExRNAs from culture media differ from cellular RNA by being low RNA input samples, which calls for optimized procedures. This protocol provides a comprehensive guide to small exRNA sequencing from culture media, showing quality control checkpoints at each step during exRNA purification and sequencing.

This protocol demonstrates how to purify extracellular microRNAs from cell culture media for small RNA library construction and next generation sequencing. Various quality control checkpoints are described to allow readers to understand what to expect when working with low input samples like exRNAs.

Extracellular and circulating RNAs (exRNA) are produced by many cell types of the body and exist in numerous bodily fluids such as saliva, plasma, serum, ...