Name: a co-culture method to study neurite outgrowth in response to dental pulp paracrine signals
Uploaded: 2020-02-14T14:00:00
Description: Watch this Scientific Journal Video about A Co-Culture Method to Study Neurite Outgrowth in Response to Dental Pulp Paracrine Signals at JoVE.com

This work was supported by a) the National Institutes of Health/NIAMS (grant numbers R01 AR062507 and R01 AR053860 to RS), b) the University of Alabama at Birmingham Dental Academic Research Training (DART) grant (number T90DE022736 (PI MacDougall)) to SBP from the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research/National Institutes of Health, c) a UAB Global Center for Craniofacial, Oral and Dental Disorders (GC-CODED) Pilot and Feasibility grant to SBP and d) the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research/National Institutes of Health K99 DE024406 grant to SBP.

All experiments with mice were approved by the UAB Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC).
1. Plate Preparation
NOTE: Coverslips can be used to image DP cells at the end of the assay. Be sure the plate lid is on during all incubation and rinsing steps outside of the sterile tissue culture hood to prevent contamination during sample processing.
<ol>
	<li>Coverslip preparation
	<ol>
		<li>Autoclave circular coverslips.</li>
		<li>Filter...

<ol>
	<li>Moe, K., Sijaona, A., Shrestha, A., Kettunen, P., Taniguchi, M., Luukko, K. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Semaphorin+3A+controls+timing+and+patterning+of+the+dental+pulp+innervation.">Semaphorin 3A controls timing and patterning of the dental pulp innervation.</a> Differentiation. 84 (5), 371-379 (2012).</li><li>Kollar, E. J., Lumsden, A. 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Part A. 20 (23-24), 3089-3100 (2014).</li><li>Pagella, P., Miran, S., Mitsiadis, T. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Analysis+of+Developing+Tooth+Germ+Innervation+Using+Microfluidic+Co-culture+Devices.">Analysis of Developing Tooth Germ Innervation Using Microfluidic Co-culture Devices.</a> Journal of Visualized Experiments. (102), e53114 (2015).</li><li>Coelen, R. J., Jose, D. G., May, J. 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H., Lenarz, T., Scheper, V. <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+a+long-term+spiral+ganglion+neuron+culture+with+reduced+glial+cell+number:+Effects+of+AraC+on+cell+composition+and+neurons.">Establishment of a long-term spiral ganglion neuron culture with reduced glial cell number: Effects of AraC on cell composition and neurons.</a> Journal of Neuroscience Methods. 268, 106-116 (2016).</li><li>Liu, R., Lin, G., Xu, H. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=An+Efficient+Method+for+Dorsal+Root+Ganglia+Neurons+Purification+with+a+One-Time+Anti-Mitotic+Reagent+Treatment.">An Efficient Method for Dorsal Root Ganglia Neurons Purification with a One-Time Anti-Mitotic Reagent Treatment.</a> PLoS ONE. 8 (4), 60558 (2013).</li><li>Burry, R. W. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Antimitotic+drugs+that+enhance+neuronal+survival+in+olfactory+bulb+cell+cultures.">Antimitotic drugs that enhance neuronal survival in olfactory bulb cell cultures.</a> Brain Research. 261 (2), 261-275 (1983).</li><li>Katzenell, S., Cabrera, J. R., North, B. J., Leib, D. A. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Isolation,+Purification,+and+Culture+of+Primary+Murine+Sensory+Neurons.">Isolation, Purification, and Culture of Primary Murine Sensory Neurons.</a> Methods in molecular biology. 1656, 229-251 (2017).</li><li>Dussor, G. O., Price, T. J., Flores, C. M. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Activating+transcription+factor+3+mRNA+is+upregulated+in+primary+cultures+of+trigeminal+ganglion+neurons.">Activating transcription factor 3 mRNA is upregulated in primary cultures of trigeminal ganglion neurons.</a> Molecular Brain Research. 118 (1-2), 156-159 (2003).</li><li>Lillesaar, C., Arenas, E., Hildebrand, C., Fried, K. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Responses+of+rat+trigeminal+neurones+to+dental+pulp+cells+or+fibroblasts+overexpressing+neurotrophic+factors+in+vitro.">Responses of rat trigeminal neurones to dental pulp cells or fibroblasts overexpressing neurotrophic factors in vitro.</a> Neuroscience. 119 (2), 443-451 (2003).</li><li>Lillesaar, C., Eriksson, C., Fried, K. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Rat+tooth+pulp+cells+elicit+neurite+growth+from+trigeminal+neurones+and+express+mRNAs+for+neurotrophic+factors+in+vitro.">Rat tooth pulp cells elicit neurite growth from trigeminal neurones and express mRNAs for neurotrophic factors in vitro.</a> Neuroscience Letters. 308 (3), (2001).</li><li>Lillesaar, C., Eriksson, C., Johansson, C. S., Fried, K., Hildebrand, C. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Tooth+pulp+tissue+promotes+neurite+outgrowth+from+rat+trigeminal+ganglia+in+vitro.">Tooth pulp tissue promotes neurite outgrowth from rat trigeminal ganglia in vitro.</a> Journal of neurocytology. 28 (8), 663-670 (1999).</li><li>Chmilewsky, F., Ayaz, W., Appiah, J., About, I., Chung, S. H. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Nerve+Growth+Factor+Secretion+From+Pulp+Fibroblasts+is+Modulated+by+Complement+C5a+Receptor+and+Implied+in+Neurite+Outgrowth.">Nerve Growth Factor Secretion From Pulp Fibroblasts is Modulated by Complement C5a Receptor and Implied in Neurite Outgrowth.</a> Scientific reports. 6, 31799 (2016).</li><li>Pagella, P., Neto, E., Jim&#195;&#169;nez-Rojo, L., Lamghari, M., Mitsiadis, T. 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The daily activities of the oral cavity require that teeth sense external stimuli and internal inflammation in order to permit proper usage and maintenance. However, only limited information is available regarding the signals that drive the developmental processes of tooth innervation. This protocol provides a method to isolate and co-culture primary DP cells and TG neurons in order to study the cross-communication between the two populations. Several variables were optimized and leave open further avenues of research, a...

Tooth innervation allows teeth to sense pressure, temperature and inflammation, all of which are crucial to the use and maintenance of the tooth organ. Failure to sense tooth pain associated with dental caries and trauma leads to disease progression. Thus, proper innervation is a requirement for normal tooth growth, function and care.
While most organs are fully functional and innervated by the time of birth, tooth development extends into adult life, with tooth innervation and mineralization occurring in concert during postnatal stages1,2. Interestingly, the dental pulp (DP) mesenchyme initially secretes repellant signals during embryogenesis to prevent axon entry into the developing tooth organ, which later shifts to the secretion of attractant factors as the tooth nears eruption3,4. During postnatal stages, afferent axons from the trigeminal (TG) nerve penetrate into and throughout the tooth around the time dentin deposition begins (reviewed in Pagella, P. et al.5). Several in vivo studies have demonstrated that neuronal-mesenchymal interactions guide tooth innervation in mice (reviewed in Luukko, K. et al.6), but few details of the molecular mechanisms are available.
Cell co-cultures provide controlled environments in which investigators can manipulate interactions between neuronal and mesenchymal populations. Co-culture experiments make it possible to delve deeper into the signaling pathways guiding tooth innervation and development. However, several of the conventional methods used to study cells in co-culture present technical challenges. For instance, crystal violet staining of neurite outgrowth can non-specifically stain Schwann cells included in TG bundle dispersions, and there may be peaks in color intensity with relatively small responses7. Microfluidic chambers offer an attractive option, but are considerably more expensive than transwell filters8,9 and only permit the investigation of neuronal responses to DP secretions. To address these issues, we have developed a protocol that allows for: a) precise staining and imaging of TG neurite outgrowth in response to DP secretions, b) genetic modification of DP cells and/or TG neurons to investigate specific signaling pathways, and c) investigation of DP cell responses to factors secreted by TG neurons. This protocol provides the ability to precisely investigate several features of tooth innervation in the controlled environment of an in vitro co-culture assay.

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<table border="1" fo:keep-together.within-page="1" fo:keep-with-next.within-page="always">
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td>5-Fluoro-2&#39;-deoxyuridine</td>
			<td>Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td>F0503</td>
			<td>Used as a mitotic Inhibitor at 15 &#956;M concentration in co-culture media, Day 2</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>24 Well Cell Culture Plate</td>
			<td>Corning</td>
			<td>3524</td>
			<td>Co-culture plate</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Alexa-546 anti-chicken</td>
			<td>Invitrogen</td>
			<td>A-11040</td>
			<td>Secondary to stain neurite outgrowth labeled by anti-GFP antibody, 1:500 dilution</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Anti-GFP Antibody</td>
			<td>Aves Lab, Inc</td>
			<td>GFP-1010</td>
			<td>Primary antibody to label Thy1-YFP neurons, 1:200 dilution</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Anti-Neurofilament 200 antibody</td>
			<td>Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td>NO142</td>
			<td>Monoclonal primary antibody to label neurons, 1:1000 dilution, alternative if YFP mice are not available</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>B6;129- Tgfbr2tm1Karl/J</td>
			<td>The Jackson Laboratory</td>
			<td>12603</td>
			<td>Tgfbr2f/f mouse model used for dental pulp cells in optimized protocol</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>B6.Cg-Tg(Thy1-YFP)16Jrs/J</td>
			<td>The Jackson Laboratory</td>
			<td>3709</td>
			<td>Thy1-YFP mouse model genotype used for trigeminal neurons</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Collagenase Type II</td>
			<td>Millipore</td>
			<td>234155-100MG</td>
			<td>Used to disperse trigeminal neurons</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Fetal Bovine Serum</td>
			<td>Gibco</td>
			<td>10437</td>
			<td>Additive to co-culture media</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Fine forceps</td>
			<td>Fine Science Tools</td>
			<td>11413-11</td>
			<td>Fine forceps for TG dissection</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Laminin</td>
			<td>Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td>L2020</td>
			<td>Coats the transwell inserts at final concentration of 10 &#956;g/ml, stock solution is assumed at 1.5 mg/ml</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Lysis Buffer (Buffer RLT)</td>
			<td>Qiagen</td>
			<td>79216</td>
			<td>Extracts RNA from dental pulp cells post co-culture</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>L-Glutamine</td>
			<td>Gibco</td>
			<td>25030081</td>
			<td>Additive to co-culture media</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Micro-dissecting scissors</td>
			<td>Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td>S3146-1EA</td>
			<td>Dissection scissors to open skull</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Microscope Cover Glass</td>
			<td>Fisherbrand</td>
			<td>12-545-81</td>
			<td>Circlular coverslip for optional cell culturing and immunofluorescence processing</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Minimal Essential Medium a</td>
			<td>Gibco</td>
			<td>12571063</td>
			<td>Co-culture media base</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Penicillin-Streptomycin</td>
			<td>Gibco</td>
			<td>15070063</td>
			<td>Antibiotic additive to co-culture media</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Phosphatase Inhibitor</td>
			<td>Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td>04 906 837 001</td>
			<td>Additive to RIPA Buffer for extracting protein from dental pulp cells post co-culture</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Polybrene</td>
			<td>Millipore</td>
			<td>TR-1003-G</td>
			<td>Used to aid in dental pulp cell transfection</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Poly-D-Lysine</td>
			<td>Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td>P7280</td>
			<td>Coverslip coating to aid dental pulp cellular adhesion</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Protease Inhibitors</td>
			<td>Millipore</td>
			<td>05 892 791 001</td>
			<td>Additive to RIPA Buffer for extracting protein from dental pulp cells post co-culture</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>RNAse/DNAse free eppendorf tubes</td>
			<td>Denville</td>
			<td>C-2172</td>
			<td>Presterilized 1.7 ml tubes for RNA, DNA or protein collection at the end of assay</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>ThinCert Cell Culture Insert</td>
			<td>Greiner Bio-One</td>
			<td>662631</td>
			<td>Transwell inserts for trigeminal neurons in co-culture assays</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Trypsin-EDTA (0.25%)</td>
			<td>Gibco</td>
			<td>25200056</td>
			<td>Used fto disperse dental pulp cells</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Trypsin Type II</td>
			<td>Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td>T-7409</td>
			<td>Used to disperse trigeminal neurons</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Ultra Fine Forceps</td>
			<td>Fine Science Tools</td>
			<td>11370-40</td>
			<td>Ultra fine forceps for dissection</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Uridine</td>
			<td>Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td>U3750</td>
			<td>Used as a mitotic Inhibitor at 1 &#956;M concentration in co-culture media, Day 2</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Vacuum Filtration System</td>
			<td>Millipore</td>
			<td>SCNY00060</td>
			<td>Steriflip disposable filter, 50 &#956;m nylon net filter</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Vial forceps</td>
			<td>Fine Science Tools</td>
			<td>110006-15</td>
			<td>Long forceps for tissue transfer to conicals</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

a co-culture method to study neurite outgrowth in response to dental pulp paracrine signals

Tooth innervation allows teeth to sense pressure, temperature and inflammation, all of which are crucial to the use and maintenance of the tooth organ. Without sensory innervation, daily oral activities would cause irreparable damage. Despite its importance, the roles of innervation in tooth development and maintenance have been largely overlooked. Several studies have demonstrated that DP cells secrete extracellular matrix proteins and paracrine signals to attract and guide TG axons into and throughout the tooth. However, few studies have provided detailed insight into the crosstalk between the DP mesenchyme and neuronal afferents. To address this gap in knowledge, researchers have begun to utilize co-cultures and a variety of techniques to investigate these interactions. Here, we demonstrate the multiple steps involved in co-culturing primary DP cells with TG neurons dispersed on an overlying transwell filter with large diameter pores to allow axonal growth through the pores. Primary DP cells with the gene of interest flanked by loxP sites were utilized to facilitate gene deletion using an Adenovirus-Cre-GFP recombinase system. Using TG neurons from the Thy1-YFP mouse allowed for precise afferent imaging, with expression well above background levels by confocal microscopy. The DP responses can be investigated via protein or RNA collection and analysis, or alternatively, through immunofluorescent staining of DP cells plated on removable glass coverslips. Media can be analyzed using techniques such as proteomic analyses, although this will require albumin depletion due to the presence of fetal bovine serum in the media. This protocol provides a simple method that can be manipulated to study the morphological, genetic, and cytoskeletal responses of TG neurons and DP cells in response to the controlled environment of a co-culture assay.

These results show that TG neurite outgrowth was increased in the presence of primary DP cells in the underlying well compared to the control of TG neurite monoculture (Figure 2A,C). There is some assay-to-assay variability in neurite outgrowth. Thus, a TG neuron monoculture should be included in all assays as a control to detect the basal levels of neurite outgrowth. Primary cells from the Tgfbr2f/f mouse were used in this protocol after infection of Ad-Cre-GFP a...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about A Co-Culture Method to Study Neurite Outgrowth in Response to Dental Pulp Paracrine Signals at JoVE.com

A Co-Culture Method to Study Neurite Outgrowth in Response to Dental Pulp Paracrine Signals

We describe the isolation, dispersion and plating of dental pulp (DP) primary cells with trigeminal (TG) neurons cultured atop overlying transwell filters. Cellular responses of DP cells can be analyzed with immunofluorescence or RNA/protein analysis. Immunofluorescence of neuronal markers with confocal microscopy permits the analysis of neurite outgrowth responses.

Tooth innervation allows teeth to sense pressure, temperature and inflammation, all of which are crucial to the use and maintenance of the tooth organ. ...

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Isolation, Propagation, and Prion Protein Expression During Neuronal Differentiation of Human Dental Pulp Stem Cells

Bioethical issues related to the manipulation of embryonic stem cells have hindered advances in the field of medical research. For this reason, it is very ...

Assessment of Oxidative Damage in the Primary Mouse Ocular Surface Cells/Stem Cells in Response to Ultraviolet-C (UV-C) Damage

Assessment of Oxidative Damage in the Primary Mouse Ocular Surface Cells/Stem Cells in Response to Ultraviolet-C UV-C Damage

The ocular surface is subjected to regular wear and tear due to various environmental factors. Exposure to UV-C radiation constitutes an occupational ...

An Enhanced Green Fluorescence Protein-based Assay for Studying Neurite Outgrowth in Primary Neurons

Neurite outgrowth is a fundamental event in the formation of the neural circuits during nervous system development. Severe neurite damage and synaptic ...