This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant no. 81673676) and Dongguan Science and Technology Bureau (Grant no. 2019622101002). The authors thank Dr. Maryrose Sullivan (Assistant Professor in Surgery, Harvard Medical School) for technical consulting.

All experimental protocols and animal procedures complied with the ethical principle guidelines of the National Research Council.
1. Preparation of materials
<ol>
	<li>Sterilize all instruments and ddH2O using an autoclave before performing the experiment. Instruments include but are not limited to surgical scissors, ophthalmic scissors, forceps, spoons nucleus divider, glass dishes (60&#8211;100 mm in diameter), and glass breakers.</li>
	<li>Prepare the Krebs solution as follows (Table 1): Dissolve all the chemicals together with ddH2O prior to use. Dissolve CaCI2 separately and add slowly into the mixed solution while stirring to avoid sediment.</li>
	<li>Prepare the Rinse media, which consists of F12 media with 10% fetal bovine serum (FBS) and 1% antibiotic/antimycotic (100x). Add 5 mL of FBS and 0.5 mL of antibiotic/antimycotic to 44.5 mL of F12 media.</li>
	<li>Prepare neuron media A, which comprises neurobasal A media with 2% B-27, 1% FBS, 1% L-glutamine, 1% antibiotic/antimycotic (100x), and 0.1% glia-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF). Add 200 &#181;L of B-27, 100 &#181;L of FBS, 100 &#181;L of L-glutamine, 100 &#181;L of antibiotic/antimycotic (100x), and 10 &#181;L of GDNF (10 &#181;g/mL) to 9.5 mL of neurobasal A media. 
	NOTE: Prepare neuron media A within one week of usage to ensure freshness of B-27, L-glutamine and GDNF.</li>
	<li>Prepare neuron media B using the same procedure as the preparation of neuron media A but without adding FBS.</li>
	<li>Prepare digestion solution 1 by dissolving 20 mg of collagenase type II, 6 mg of bovine serum albumin, and 200 &#181;L of antibiotic/antimycotic (100x) in 10 mL of oxygen-stable Krebs solution.</li>
	<li>Prepare digestion solution 2 by diluting 1 mL of 0.25% trypsin with 4 mL of Hank&#8217;s balanced salt solution.</li>
	<li>Prepare a plate with coated coverslips.
	<ol>
		<li>Use forceps in a laminar flow bench when placing glass coverslips into a 48-well culture plate.</li>
		<li>Dilute poly-D-lysine with ddH2O to a concentration of 0.1 mg/mL as poly-D-lysine stock. Store the stock at &#8211;20 &#176;C, and thaw before use.</li>
		<li>Add 40 &#181;L of poly-D-lysine stock on top of each coverslip, and incubate the solution at room temperature for 10 min. 
		NOTE: For different plates with different basal areas, adjust the concentration to 4 &#181;g/cm2. For example, if the basal area of one well from a 24-well plate is 2 cm2, then we should transfer 80 &#181;L of poly-D-lysine stock in a well. Each cm2 would contain 4 &#181;g of poly-D-lysine.</li>
		<li>Remove poly-D-lysine in the 48-well plate, and rinse coverslips with ddH2O thrice.</li>
		<li>Dry the plate in a laminar flow hood for at least 30 min to ensure that the plate is anhydrous.</li>
		<li>Store the plate at 4 &#176;C before laminin coating for 1 day at most. Storing the plate at &#8722;20 &#176;C is preferable for long-term storage.</li>
		<li>Thaw laminin at 4 &#176;C. Dilute laminin with ddH2O to a concentration of 50 &#181;g/mL as laminin stock. Store the stock at &#8211;20 &#176;C, and thaw at 4 &#176;C before use.</li>
		<li>Use a pipette to transfer 100 &#181;L of diluted laminin to the top of each coverslip and incubate laminin at 4 &#176;C for 1 h. 
		NOTE: For different plates with different basal areas, adjust the concentration to 5 &#181;g/cm2. For example, if the basal area of one well from a 24-well plate is 2 cm2, then transfer 200 &#181;L of diluted laminin in a well. Each cm2 would contain 5 &#181;g of laminin.</li>
		<li>Remove the laminin solution, and rinse coverslips with ddH2O once. Perform this operation on the edge of the coverslip to avoid scraping. 
		NOTE: Coated coverslips could be stored at 4 &#176;C for 2 weeks at most.</li>
	</ol>
	</li>
</ol>
2. Bladder harvest
<ol>
	<li>Obtain five-week-old Sprague&#8211;Dawley rats.</li>
	<li>Infuse carbogen (95% oxygen, 5% CO2) into the Krebs solution for at least 30 min in an ice bath to reach a stable oxygen status and pH level.</li>
	<li>After euthanasia via cervical dislocation, soak the rats in 75% ethanol for 30 s for sterilization.</li>
	<li>Place rats on a sterilized surgical towel and expose their abdomen. Open the abdominal cavity, and reveal the bladder with a set of scissors and forceps.</li>
	<li>Lift the bladder gently and cut the bladder from the bladder neck with another set of scissors and forceps to avoid cross-contamination. Place the bladder rapidly in cold oxygen-stable Krebs solution to improve cell survival. 
	NOTE: Once the bladder is removed, perform the following operations rapidly to improve the prospect of neuron survival.</li>
	<li>Add Krebs solution into three glass dishes and glass breakers.</li>
	<li>Prepare glass dishes and glass breakers with Krebs solution in an ice bath for precooling.</li>
	<li>Mark these containers with numbers 1&#8211;3 correspondingly to prevent confusion.</li>
	<li>Pair each glass dish with forceps and a spoons nucleus divider.</li>
	<li>In glass dish 1, cut open the bladder with ophthalmic scissors, and unfold it with forceps and a spoons nucleus divider.</li>
	<li>Rinse the bladder in glass breaker 1, and place it in glass dish 2.</li>
	<li>Eliminate adherent fat on the tissue surface using the forceps and ophthalmic scissors in glass dish 2.</li>
	<li>Rinse the bladder in glass breaker 2, and place it in glass dish 3.</li>
	<li>Gently scrape the bladder using the forceps and the spoons nucleus divider onto glass dish 3 to remove exogenous attachments.</li>
	<li>Rinse the bladder in glass breaker 3, transfer the bladder to a 15 mL centrifuge tube with 14 mL of cold Krebs solution, and spin the sample for 1 min at 356 x g and 4 &#176;C.</li>
	<li>Repeat the previous step twice in two other tubes with Krebs solution to reduce contamination.</li>
</ol>
3. Two-step bladder digestion
<ol>
	<li>Transfer the bladder from the centrifuge tube to a 2 mL vial containing 1 mL of digestion solution 1. Use ophthalmic scissors to cut the bladder into small pieces (smaller than 1 mm) in solution.</li>
	<li>Mix the bladder solution with 9 mL of digestion solution 1 in a sterile cell culture dish (100 mm in diameter). Perform step 1 digestion in a shaking incubator for 1 h under 5% CO2, 37 &#176;C, and 200 rpm.</li>
	<li>After step 1 digestion, centrifuge the solution at 356 x g at 4 &#176;C for 8 min.</li>
	<li>Place digestion solution 2 in a 37 &#176;C water bath for preheating.</li>
	<li>After centrifugation, remove the supernatant that contains digestion solution 1, and harvest the cell sediment. Some remaining liquid is allowed. Complete removal of the solution may promote cell loss.</li>
	<li>Mix cell sediment with warm digestion solution 2 in a 15 mL centrifuge tube, and shake the mixture while digesting in a 37 &#176;C water bath for 5 min. Do not exceed 7 min of step 2 digestion or neurons will perish.</li>
	<li>After digestion, immediately deactivate trypsin in the mixture with 10 mL of cold rinse media. 
	NOTE: Perform the following steps at 0 &#176;C&#8211;4 &#176;C. An ice bath could provide such condition.</li>
	<li>Harvest the cell sediment after centrifugation at 356 x g at 4 &#176;C for 8 min. Remove as much media as possible because the remaining trypsin is harmful to cell growth.</li>
	<li>Resuspend sediment with 3 mL of neuron media gently. Ensure that air bubbles are not generated in the solution containing cells for a high survival rate.</li>
	<li>Filter the mixture media through a 70 &#181;m cell strainer into a 50 mL centrifuge tube.</li>
	<li>Keep the filtrate on a shaker at 30 rpm in an ice bath for 30 min. This step is not necessary but recommended.</li>
	<li>Collect cells by centrifugation at 356 x g at 4 &#176;C for 8 min, and gently resuspend the cell pellets in 1 mL of neuron media A.</li>
	<li>Add 500 &#181;L of cell mixture into each well of the prepared 48-well plate.</li>
	<li>Culture cells in an incubator at 37 &#176;C and 5% CO2.</li>
	<li>Replace all the media with neuron media B in 1 h to provide a serum-free culture.</li>
	<li>Change half of the neuron media B every 3 days. 
	NOTE: Neurons are ready for immunocytochemical experiments after 5&#8211;7 days of culture.</li>
</ol>

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The authors declare no major conflict of interest.

Plate Preparation 
The use of glass coverslips in 6-, 12-, or 48-well culture plates for immunofluorescent or calcium imaging experiments is an economical and sample-sparing operation. Cells grow well in plates without coverslips during the preparation of primary cell cultures. Therefore, coverslips are dispensable in experiments, such as Western blot or polymerase chain reaction. Furthermore, coating is a necessary step before plating cells, with or without coverslips. Laminin and poly-D-lysine are...

The lower urinary tract has two main functions: periodic urine storage and micturition1. The lower urinary tract nervous system (LUTNS) controls these functions and is delicate and susceptible to many neuropathies, which can be innate (porphyria), acquired (Lyme disease), secondary to disease states (diabetic cystopathy), drug induced (hemorrhagic cystitis), surgery caused (abdominoperineal resection), or injury caused (traumatic spinal cord injury)2,3,4,5,6,7. In physiological/pathological studies, in vivo and in vitro experiments are equally important. While in vivo research on LUTNS has been conducted at organ, cellular, and molecular levels for some time, in vitro research on primary neurons from the urinary bladder is almost nonexistent8,9. Although the present study is limited, we hope to pioneer research in this area so that other researchers could improve it. In this manner, this co-culture may lead to a cellular understanding of physiological dysfunction in phenotypes, such as bladder neuron dysfunction.
In contrast to enteric muscles with a clear directionality of the muscle cells into discrete layers, the muscles of the bladder are unorganized10. Therefore, instead of peeling off the outer layer of the bladder, this method proposes digesting the entire bladder to reduce the difficulty of operation and shorten the preprocessing time for a high cell survival rate.
Following this method, we can obtain a mixed culture of neurons and other cells. The other cells are indispensable because their presence mimics an in vivo environment11. In addition, such cells provide the substances that are unavailable in the medium.
This method involves two steps for digestion. First, collagenase type II is used to hydrolyze collagen, followed by trypsin, to dissociate the tissue into cells10. In this manner, bladder tissues are dispersed into single cells and then grow relatively independent. When the culture of neurons matures, the neurons can be used for imaging or functional assays.

<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="width:1061px;" width="1061">
	<colgroup>
		<col />
		<col />
		<col />
		<col />
	</colgroup>
	<tbody>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:368px;">0.25% trypsin</td>
			<td style="width:279px;">Gibico</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">15050065</td>
			<td style="width:296px;">Enzyme digestion</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">48-well culture plate</td>
			<td>Corning</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">3548</td>
			<td>Coating dish</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">antibiotic/antimycotic</td>
			<td>Gibico</td>
			<td>15240062</td>
			<td>Culture media/Rinse media</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Anti-Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein Antibody</td>
			<td>Santa Cruz</td>
			<td>sc-33673</td>
			<td>ICC</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">B-27</td>
			<td>Gibico</td>
			<td>17504044</td>
			<td>Culture media</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">BSA Fraction V</td>
			<td>Gibico</td>
			<td>332</td>
			<td>Enzyme digestion</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Choline Acetyltransferase Antibody</td>
			<td>Abcam</td>
			<td>ab18736</td>
			<td>ICC</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">CO2 Incubator</td>
			<td>Heraeus</td>
			<td>B16UU</td>
			<td>Cells culture</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Collagenase type II</td>
			<td>Sigma</td>
			<td>2593923</td>
			<td>Enzyme digestion</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="24">
			<td height="24" style="height:25px;">DMEM/F-12</td>
			<td>Gibico</td>
			<td>11330032</td>
			<td>Rinse media</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">DYNLL2 Antibody</td>
			<td>Santa Cruz</td>
			<td>sc-13969</td>
			<td>ICC</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Fetal Bovine Serum</td>
			<td>Gibico</td>
			<td>10100147</td>
			<td>Culture media/Rinse media</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Forceps</td>
			<td>Shanghai Jin Zhong Medical Devices</td>
			<td>1383</td>
			<td>10 cm; Sterile operation</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Glass breakers</td>
			<td>Huan Qiu Medical Devices</td>
			<td>1101</td>
			<td>50 ml; Sterile operation</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Glass coverslips</td>
			<td>WHB Scientific</td>
			<td>WHB-48-CS</td>
			<td>Coating dish</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Glass dishes</td>
			<td>Huan Qiu Medical Devices</td>
			<td>1177</td>
			<td>100 mm; Sterile operation</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Goat Anti-Rat IgG(H+L), Mouse ads-Alexa Fluor 488</td>
			<td>Southernbiotech</td>
			<td>3050-30</td>
			<td>ICC</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Goat Anti-Rat IgG(H+L), Mouse ads-Alexa Fluor 555</td>
			<td>Southernbiotech</td>
			<td>3050-30</td>
			<td>ICC</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Hoechst 33342</td>
			<td>BD</td>
			<td>561908</td>
			<td>ICC</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Laminar flow bench</td>
			<td>Su Jie Medical Devices</td>
			<td>CB 1400V</td>
			<td>Sterile operation</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Laminin</td>
			<td>Sigma</td>
			<td>L2020</td>
			<td>Coating dish</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">L-glutamine</td>
			<td>Gibico</td>
			<td>25030081</td>
			<td>Culture media</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">MAP-2 Antibody</td>
			<td>Affinity</td>
			<td>AF5156</td>
			<td>ICC</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Murine GDNF</td>
			<td>Peprotech</td>
			<td>AF45044</td>
			<td>Culture media</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Neurobasal-A Medium</td>
			<td>Gibico</td>
			<td>10888022</td>
			<td>Culture media</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Ophthalmic scissors</td>
			<td>Shanghai Jin Zhong Medical Devices</td>
			<td>J21010</td>
			<td>12.5 cm; Sterile operation</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Pipettes</td>
			<td>Eppendorf</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">3120000240</td>
			<td>100-1000 ul; Reagent and sample pipetting</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Pipettes</td>
			<td>Eppendorf</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">3120000267</td>
			<td>10-100 ul; Reagent and sample pipetting</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Poly-D-lysine</td>
			<td>Sigma</td>
			<td>P7280</td>
			<td>Coating dish</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Refrigerated centrifuge</td>
			<td>Ping Fan Instrument</td>
			<td>TGL-16A</td>
			<td>Enzyme digestion</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Shaking incubator</td>
			<td>Haimen Kylin-Bell Lab Instruments</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">T8-1</td>
			<td>Enzyme digestion</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">SLC17A9 Antibody</td>
			<td>MBL International</td>
			<td>BMP079</td>
			<td>ICC</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Spoons nucleus divider</td>
			<td>Shanghai Jin Zhong Medical Devices</td>
			<td>YZR030</td>
			<td>12 cm; Sterile operation</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Substance P Antibody</td>
			<td>Santa Cruz</td>
			<td>sc-58591</td>
			<td>ICC</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Surgical scissors</td>
			<td>Shanghai Jin Zhong Medical Devices</td>
			<td>J21130</td>
			<td>16 cm; Sterile operation</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Surgical towel</td>
			<td>Fu Kang Medical Devices</td>
			<td>5002</td>
			<td>40 x 50 cm; Sterile operation</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Synapsin-1 Antibody</td>
			<td>CST</td>
			<td>5297T</td>
			<td>ICC</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Tubulin beta Antibody(&#946;-III-tubulin)</td>
			<td>Affinity</td>
			<td>AF7011</td>
			<td>ICC</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

isolation and culture of primary neurons and glia from adult rat urinary bladder

The lower urinary tract has two main functions, namely, periodic urine storage and micturition; these functions are mediated through central and peripheral neuroregulation. Although extensive research on the lower urinary tract nervous system has been conducted, most studies have focused on primary culture. This protocol introduces a method for the isolation and culture of bladder neurons and glia from Sprague&#8211;Dawley rats. In this method, the neurons and glia were incubated in a 37 &#176;C, 5% CO2 incubator for 5&#8211;7 days. As a result, they grew into mature shapes suitable for related subsequent immunofluorescence experiments. Cells were morphologically observed using an optical microscope. Neurons, synaptic vesicles, and glia were identified by &#946;-III-tubulin and MAP-2, Synapsin-1, and GFAP staining, respectively. Meanwhile, immunocytochemistry was performed on several neurotransmitter-related proteins, such as choline acetyltransferase, DYNLL2, and SLC17A9.

In the process of primary cell culture, the cells acquired were round with bright and clear boundaries before the attached state. As the neurons grew, dendrites and axons started to be distinct. After 5&#8211;7 days of culture, the neurons reached a mature form with long projections, which were ideal for imaging or function studies. Although most of the impurities and cell debris could be removed due to changing media, certain residuals attached to poly-D-lysine and laminin coating were visible (Figu...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Isolation and Culture of Primary Neurons and Glia from Adult Rat Urinary Bladder at JoVE.com

Isolation and Culture of Primary Neurons and Glia from Adult Rat Urinary Bladder

This protocol attempts to establish a repeatable protocol for primary neurons and glia isolation from rat bladder for further cellular experiments.

The lower urinary tract has two main functions, namely, periodic urine storage and micturition; these functions are mediated through central and ...

isolation-culture-primary-neurons-glia-from-adult-rat-urinary

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JoVE Journal

Neuroscience

3.8K Views.  Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine. This protocol attempts to establish a repeatable protocol for primary neurons and glia isolation from rat bladder for further cellular experiments.

Video: Isolation and Culture of Primary Neurons and Glia from Adult Rat Urinary Bladder

Nucleofection and Primary Culture of Embryonic Mouse Hippocampal and Cortical Neurons

Hippocampal and cortical neurons have been used extensively to study central nervous system (CNS) neuronal polarization, axon/dendrite outgrowth, and synapse formation and function. An advantage of culturing these neurons is that they readily polarize, forming distinctive axons and dendrites, on a two dimensional substrate at very low densities. This property has made them extremely useful for determining many aspects of neuronal development. Furthermore, by providing glial conditioning for these neurons they will continue to develop, forming functional synaptic connections and surviving for several months in culture. In this protocol we outline a technique to dissect, culture and transfect embryonic mouse hippocampal and cortical neurons. Transfection is accomplished by electroporating DNA into the neurons before plating via nucleofection. This protocol has the advantage of expressing fluorescently-tagged fusion proteins early in development (~4-8hrs after plating) to study the dynamics and function of proteins during polarization, axon outgrowth and branching. We have also discovered that this single transfection before plating maintains fluorescently-tagged fusion protein expression at levels appropriate for imaging throughout the lifetime of the neuron (&gt; 2 months in culture). Thus, this methodology is useful for studying protein localization and function throughout CNS development with little or no disruption of neuronal function.

This protocol outlines the steps required to dissect, transfect via electroporation and culture mouse hippocampal and cortical neurons. Short-term cultures may be used for studies of axon outgrowth and guidance, while long-term cultures can be used for studies of synaptogenesis and dendritic spine analysis.

Hippocampal and cortical neurons have been used extensively to study central nervous system (CNS) neuronal polarization, axon/dendrite outgrowth, and ...

Bilaminar Co-culture of Primary Rat Cortical Neurons and Glia

This video will guide you through the process of culturing rat cortical neurons in the presence of a glial feeder layer, a system known as a bilaminar or co-culture model. This system is suitable for a variety of experimental needs requiring either a glass or plastic growth substrate and can also be used for culture of other types of neurons.
Rat cortical neurons obtained from the late embryonic stage (E17) are plated on glass coverslips or tissue culture dishes facing a feeder layer of glia grown on dishes or plastic coverslips (known as Thermanox), respectively. The choice between the two configurations depends on the specific experimental technique used, which may require, or not, that neurons are grown on glass (e.g. calcium imaging versus Western blot). The glial feeder layer, an astroglia-enriched secondary culture of mixed glia, is separately prepared from the cortices of newborn rat pups (P2-4) prior to the neuronal dissection.
A major advantage of this culture system as compared to a culture of neurons only is the support of neuronal growth, survival, and differentiation provided by trophic factors secreted from the glial feeder layer, which more accurately resembles the brain environment in vivo. Furthermore, the co-culture can be used to study neuronal-glial interactions1.
At the same time, glia contamination in the neuronal layer is prevented by different means (low density culture, addition of mitotic inhibitors, lack of serum and use of optimized culture medium) leading to a virtually pure neuronal layer, comparable to other established methods1-3. Neurons can be easily separated from the glial layer at any time during culture and used for different experimental applications ranging from electrophysiology4, cellular and molecular biology5-8, biochemistry5, imaging and microscopy4,6,7,9,10. The primary neurons extend axons and dendrites to form functional synapses11, a process which is not observed in neuronal cell lines, although some cell lines do extend processes.
A detailed protocol of culturing rat hippocampal neurons using this co-culture system has been described previously4,12,13. Here we detail a modified protocol suited for cortical neurons. As approximately 20x106 cells are recovered from each rat embryo, this method is particularly useful for experiments requiring large numbers of neurons (but not concerned about a highly homogenous neuronal population). The preparation of neurons and glia needs to be planned in a time-specific manner. We will provide the step-by-step protocol for culturing rat cortical neurons as well as culturing glial cells to support the neurons.

Here we provide a protocol for culturing rat cortical neurons in the presence of a glial feeder layer. The cultured neurons establish polarity and create synapses, and can be separated from the glia for use in various applications, such as electrophysiology, calcium imaging, cell survival assays, immunocytochemistry, and RNA/DNA/protein isolation.

This video will guide you through the process of culturing rat cortical neurons in the presence of a glial feeder layer, a system known as a bilaminar or ...

Isolation and Culture of Hippocampal Neurons from Prenatal Mice

Primary cultures of rat and murine hippocampal neurons are widely used to reveal cellular mechanisms in neurobiology. By isolating and growing individual neurons, researchers are able to analyze properties related to cellular trafficking, cellular structure and individual protein localization using a variety of biochemical techniques. Results from such experiments are critical for testing theories addressing the neural basis of memory and learning. However, unambiguous results from these forms of experiments are predicated on the ability to grow neuronal cultures with minimum contamination by other brain cell types. In this protocol, we use specific media designed for neuron growth and careful dissection of embryonic hippocampal tissue to optimize growth of healthy neurons while minimizing contaminating cell types (i.e. astrocytes). Embryonic mouse hippocampal tissue can be more difficult to isolate than similar rodent tissue due to the size of the sample for dissection. We show detailed dissection techniques of hippocampus from embryonic day 19 (E19) mouse pups. Once hippocampal tissue is isolated, gentle dissociation of neuronal cells is achieved with a dilute concentration of trypsin and mechanical disruption designed to separate cells from connective tissue while providing minimum damage to individual cells. A detailed description of how to prepare pipettes to be used in the disruption is included. Optimal plating densities are provided for immuno-fluorescence protocols to maximize successful cell culture. The protocol provides a fast (approximately 2 hr) and efficient technique for the culture of neuronal cells from mouse hippocampal tissue.

We provide a protocol for the culture of highly purified hippocampal neurons from prenatal mouse brains without the use of a feeder glial cell layer.

Primary cultures of rat and murine hippocampal neurons are widely used to reveal cellular mechanisms in neurobiology. By isolating and growing individual ...

An In-vitro Preparation of Isolated Enteric Neurons and Glia from the Myenteric Plexus of the Adult Mouse

The enteric nervous system is a vast network of neurons and glia running the length of the gastrointestinal tract that functionally controls gastrointestinal motility. A procedure for the isolation and culture of a mixed population of neurons and glia from the myenteric plexus is described. The primary cultures can be maintained for over 7 days, with connections developing among the neurons and glia. The longitudinal muscle strip with the attached myenteric plexus is stripped from the underlying circular muscle of the mouse ileum or colon and subjected to enzymatic digestion. In sterile conditions, the isolated neuronal and glia population are preserved within the pellet following centrifugation and plated on coverslips. Within 24-48 hr, neurite outgrowth occurs and neurons can be identified by pan-neuronal markers. After two days in culture, isolated neurons fire action potentials as observed by patch clamp studies. Furthermore, enteric glia can also be identified by GFAP staining. A network of neurons and glia in close apposition forms within 5 - 7 days. Enteric neurons can be individually and directly studied using methods such as immunohistochemistry, electrophysiology, calcium imaging, and single-cell PCR. Furthermore, this procedure can be performed in genetically modified animals. This methodology is simple to perform and inexpensive. Overall, this protocol exposes the components of the enteric nervous system in an easily manipulated manner so that we may better discover the functionality of the ENS in normal and disease states.

An In-vitro Preparation of Isolated Enteric Neurons and Glia from the Myenteric Plexus of the Adult Mouse

We demonstrate a cell culture protocol for the direct study of neuronal and glial components of the enteric nervous system. A neuron/glia mixed culture on coverslips is prepared from the myenteric plexus of adult mouse providing the ability to examine individual neuron and glia function by electrophysiology, immunohistochemical, etc.

The enteric nervous system is a vast network of neurons and glia running the length of the gastrointestinal tract that functionally controls ...

Isolation and Culture of Dissociated Sensory Neurons From Chick Embryos

Neurons are multifaceted cells that carry information essential for a variety of functions including sensation, motor movement, learning, and memory. Studying neurons in vivo can be challenging due to their complexity, their varied and dynamic environments, and technical limitations. For these reasons, studying neurons in vitro can prove beneficial to unravel the complex mysteries of neurons. The well-defined nature of cell culture models provides detailed control over environmental conditions and variables. Here we describe how to isolate, dissociate, and culture primary neurons from chick embryos. This technique is rapid, inexpensive, and generates robustly growing sensory neurons. The procedure consistently produces cultures that are highly enriched for neurons and has very few non-neuronal cells (less than 5%). Primary neurons do not adhere well to untreated glass or tissue culture plastic, therefore detailed procedures to create two distinct, well-defined laminin-containing substrata for neuronal plating are described. Cultured neurons are highly amenable to multiple cellular and molecular techniques, including co-immunoprecipitation, live cell imagining, RNAi, and immunocytochemistry. Procedures for double immunocytochemistry on these cultured neurons have been optimized and described here.

Cell culture models provide detailed control over environmental conditions and thus provide a powerful platform to elucidate numerous aspects of neuronal cell biology. We describe a rapid, inexpensive, and reliable method to isolate, dissociate, and culture sensory neurons from chick embryos. Details of substrata preparation and immunocytochemistry are also provided.

Neurons are multifaceted cells that carry information essential for a variety of functions including sensation, motor movement, learning, and memory. ...

Isolation, Culture and Long-Term Maintenance of Primary Mesencephalic Dopaminergic Neurons From Embryonic Rodent Brains

Degeneration of mesencephalic dopaminergic (mesDA) neurons is the pathological hallmark of Parkinson&#8217;s diseae. Study of the biological processes involved in physiological functions and vulnerability and death of these neurons is imparative to understanding the underlying causes and unraveling the cure for this common neurodegenerative disorder. Primary cultures of mesDA neurons provide a tool for investigation of the molecular, biochemical and electrophysiological properties, in order to understand the development, long-term survival and degeneration of these neurons during the course of disease. Here we present a detailed method for the isolation, culturing and maintenance of midbrain dopaminergic neurons from E12.5 mouse (or E14.5 rat) embryos. Optimized cell culture conditions in this protocol result in presence of axonal and dendritic projections, synaptic connections and other neuronal morphological properties, which make the cultures suitable for study of the physiological, cell biological and molecular characteristics of this neuronal population.

The causes of degeneration of midbrain dopaminergic neurons during Parkinson&#8217;s disease are not fully understood. Cellular culture systems provide an essential tool for study of the neurophysiological properties of these neurons. Here we present an optimized protocol, which can be utilized for in vitro modeling of neurodegeneration.

Degeneration of mesencephalic dopaminergic (mesDA) neurons is the pathological hallmark of Parkinson&#8217;s diseae. Study of the biological processes ...

Isolation and Culture of Adult Neural Stem Cells from the Mouse Subcallosal Zone

Adult neural stem cells (aNSCs) can be used for the regeneration of damaged brain tissue. NSCs have the potential for differentiation and proliferation into three types of cells: neurons, astrocytes, and oligodendrocytes. Identifying aNSC-derived regions and characterizing the aNSC properties are critical for the potential use of aNSCs and for the elucidation of their role in neural regeneration. The subcallosal zone (SCZ), located between white matter and the hippocampus, has recently been reported to contain aNSCs and continuously give rise to neuroblasts. A low percentage of aNSCs from the SCZ is differentiated into neurons; most cells are differentiated into glial cells, such as oligodendrocytes and astrocytes. These cells are suggested to have a therapeutic potential for traumatic cortical injury. This protocol describes in detail the process to generate SCZ-aNSCs from an adult mouse brain. A brain matrix with intervals of 1 mm is used to obtain the SCZ-containing coronal slices and to precisely dissect the SCZ from the whole brain. The SCZ sections are initially subjected to a neurosphere culture. A well-developed culture system allows for the verification of their characteristics and can increase research on NSCs. A neurosphere culture system provides a useful tool for determining proliferation and collecting the genuine NSCs. A monolayer culture is also an in vitro system to assay proliferation and differentiation. Significantly, this culture system provides a more homogenous environment for NSCs than the neurosphere culture system. Thus, using a discrete brain region, these culture systems will be helpful for expanding our knowledge about aNSCs and their applications for therapeutic uses.

Establishing culture systems for the expansion of adult neural stem cells (aNSCs) allows for the examination and application of aNSCs for therapy. The subcallosal zone (SCZ) has recently been recognized as a novel neuroblast-forming region in adult mice. Here, methods for the isolation, expansion, and differentiation of SCZ-aNSCs are described.

Adult neural stem cells (aNSCs) can be used for the regeneration of damaged brain tissue. NSCs have the potential for differentiation and proliferation ...

Spinal Cord Neurons Isolation and Culture from Neonatal Mice

We present a protocol for the isolation and culture of spinal cord neurons. The neurons are obtained from neonatal C57BL/6 mice and are isolated on postnatal day 1-3. A mouse litter, usually 4-10 pups born from one breeding pair, is gathered for one experiment, and spinal cords are collected individually from each mouse after euthanasia with isoflurane. The spinal column is dissected out and then the spinal cord is released from the column. The spinal cords are then minced to increase the surface area of delivery for an enzymatic protease that allows for the neurons and other cells to be released from the tissue. Trituration is then used to release the cells into solution. This solution is subsequently fractionated in a density gradient to separate the various cells in solution, allowing for neurons to be isolated. Approximately 1-2.5 x 106 neurons can be isolated from one litter group. The neurons are then seeded onto wells coated with adhesive factors that allow for proper growth and maturation. The neurons take approximately 7 days to reach maturity in the growth and culture medium and can be used thereafter for treatment and analysis.

This study presents a technique for the isolation of neurons from WT neonatal mice. It requires the careful dissection of the spinal cord from the neonatal mouse, followed by the separation of neurons from the spinal cord tissue through mechanical and enzymatic cleavage.

We present a protocol for the isolation and culture of spinal cord neurons. The neurons are obtained from neonatal C57BL/6 mice and are isolated on ...

Primary Culture of Neurons Isolated from Embryonic Mouse Cerebellum

The use of primary cell cultures has become one of the major tools to study the nervous system in vitro. The ultimate goal of using this simplified model system is to provide a controlled microenvironment and maintain the high survival rate and the natural features of dissociated neuronal and nonneuronal cells as much as possible under in vitro conditions. In this article, we demonstrate a method of isolating primary neurons from the developing mouse cerebellum, placing them in an in vitro environment, establishing their growth, and monitoring their viability and differentiation for several weeks. This method is applicable to embryonic neurons dissociated from cerebellum between embryonic days 12&ndash;18.

Conducting in vitro experiments to reflect in vivo conditions as adequately as possible is not an easy task. The use of primary cell cultures is an important step toward understanding cell biology in a whole organism. The provided protocol outlines how to successfully grow and culture embryonic mouse cerebellar neurons.

The use of primary cell cultures has become one of the major tools to study the nervous system in vitro. The ultimate goal of using this simplified model ...

Isolation and Culture of Oculomotor, Trochlear, and Spinal Motor Neurons from Prenatal Islmn:GFP Transgenic Mice

Oculomotor neurons (CN3s) and trochlear neurons (CN4s) exhibit remarkable resistance to degenerative motor neuron diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) when compared to spinal motor neurons (SMNs). The ability to isolate and culture primary mouse CN3s, CN4s, and SMNs would provide an approach to study mechanisms underlying this selective vulnerability. To date, most protocols use heterogeneous cell cultures, which can confound the interpretation of experimental outcomes. To minimize the problems associated with mixed-cell populations, pure cultures are indispensable. Here, the first protocol describes in detail how to efficiently purify and cultivate CN3s/CN4s alongside SMNs counterparts from the same embryos using embryonic day 11.5 (E11.5) IslMN:GFP transgenic mouse embryos. The protocol provides details on the tissue dissection and dissociation, FACS-based cell isolation, and in vitro cultivation of cells from CN3/CN4 and SMN nuclei. This protocol adds a novel in vitro CN3/CN4 culture system to existing protocols and simultaneously provides a pure species- and age-matched SMN culture for comparison. Analyses focusing on the morphological, cellular, molecular, and electrophysiological characteristics of motor neurons are feasible in this culture system. This protocol will enable research into the mechanisms that define motor neuron development, selective vulnerability, and disease.

Isolation and Culture of Oculomotor, Trochlear, and Spinal Motor Neurons from Prenatal Islmn:GFP Transgenic Mice

This work presents a protocol to yield homogeneous cell cultures of primary oculomotor, trochlear, and spinal motor neurons. These cultures can be used for comparative analyses of the morphological, cellular, molecular, and electrophysiological characteristics of ocular and spinal motor neurons.

Oculomotor neurons (CN3s) and trochlear neurons (CN4s) exhibit remarkable resistance to degenerative motor neuron diseases such as amyotrophic lateral ...