Name: obtaining primary osteocytes through murine calvarial fractionation of gfp-expressing osteocytes
Uploaded: 2020-06-02T15:00:00
Description: Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Obtaining Primary Osteocytes Through Murine Calvarial Fractionation of GFP-Expressing Osteocytes at JoVE.com

This work was supported in part by a JSPS KAKENHI grant from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (No. 19K10397 to H.K. and No. 18K09862 to I.M.).

All animal procedures and animal care were performed in accordance with Tohoku University rules and regulations.
1. Dissection of newborn dmp1-topaz mouse calvaria
<ol>
	<li>For this protocol, use 6&#8210;7 day old pups of C57BL/6-Tg(Dmp1-Topaz)1Ikal/J mice. Euthanize mice with 5% isoflurane inhalation and then transfer the pups into 70% ethanol.</li>
	<li>Transfer the euthanized pup into a non-treated culture dish.</li>
	<li>Using scissors and tweezers, grab the skin at the base of the skul...

<ol>
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F. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Mechanosensation+and+Transduction+in+Osteocytes.">Mechanosensation and Transduction in Osteocytes.</a> BoneKEy osteovision. 3 (10), 7-15 (2006).</li><li>Feng, J. Q., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Loss+of+DMP1+causes+rickets+and+osteomalacia+and+identifies+a+role+for+osteocytes+in+mineral+metabolism.">Loss of DMP1 causes rickets and osteomalacia and identifies a role for osteocytes in mineral metabolism.</a> Nature Genetics. 38 (11), 1310-1315 (2006).</li><li>Lane, N. E., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Glucocorticoid-Treated+Mice+Have+Localized+Changes+in+Trabecular+Bone+Material+Properties+and+Osteocyte+Lacunar+Size+That+Are+Not+Observed+in+Placebo-Treated+or+Estrogen-Deficient+Mice.">Glucocorticoid-Treated Mice Have Localized Changes in Trabecular Bone Material Properties and Osteocyte Lacunar Size That Are Not Observed in Placebo-Treated or Estrogen-Deficient Mice.</a> Journal of Bone and Mineral Research. 21 (3), 466-476 (2005).</li><li>Dallas, S. L., Prideaux, M., Bonewald, L. F. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=The+Osteocyte:+An+Endocrine+Cell+...+and+More.">The Osteocyte: An Endocrine Cell ... and More.</a> Endocrine Reviews. 34 (5), 658-690 (2013).</li><li>van der Plas, A., Nijweide, P. 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K. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Isolated+primary+osteocytes+express+functional+gap+junctions+in+vitro.">Isolated primary osteocytes express functional gap junctions in vitro.</a> Cell and Tissue Research. 323 (2), 263-271 (2006).</li><li>Kramer, I., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Osteocyte+Wnt/&#946;-Catenin+Signaling+Is+Required+for+Normal+Bone+Homeostasis.">Osteocyte Wnt/&#946;-Catenin Signaling Is Required for Normal Bone Homeostasis.</a> Molecular and Cellular Biology. 30 (12), 3071-3085 (2010).</li><li>Kato, Y., Windle, J. J., Koop, B. A., Mundy, G. R., Bonewald, L. F. <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+an+Osteocyte-like+Cell+Line,+MLO-Y4.">Establishment of an Osteocyte-like Cell Line, MLO-Y4.</a> Journal of Bone and Mineral Research. 12 (12), 2014-2023 (1997).</li><li>Kato, Y., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Establishment+of+an+osteoid+preosteocyte-like+cell+MLO-A5+that+spontaneously+mineralizes+in+culture.">Establishment of an osteoid preosteocyte-like cell MLO-A5 that spontaneously mineralizes in culture.</a> Journal of bone and mineral research : the official journal of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research. 16 (9), 1622-1633 (2001).</li><li>Zhang, C., Bakker, A. D., Klein-Nulend, J., Bravenboer, N. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Studies+on+Osteocytes+in+Their+3D+Native+Matrix+Versus+2D+In+Vitro+Models.">Studies on Osteocytes in Their 3D Native Matrix Versus 2D In Vitro Models.</a> Current Osteoporosis Reports. 17 (4), 207-216 (2019).</li><li>Woo, S. M., Rosser, J., Dusevich, V., Kalajzic, I., Bonewald, L. F. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Cell+line+IDG-SW3+replicates+osteoblast-to-late-osteocyte+differentiation+in+vitro+and+accelerates+bone+formation+in+vivo.">Cell line IDG-SW3 replicates osteoblast-to-late-osteocyte differentiation in vitro and accelerates bone formation in vivo.</a> Journal of bone and mineral research : the official journal of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research. 26 (11), 2634-2646 (2011).</li><li>Spatz, J. M., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=The+Wnt+Inhibitor+Sclerostin+Is+Up-regulated+by+Mechanical+Unloading+in+Osteocytes+in+Vitro.">The Wnt Inhibitor Sclerostin Is Up-regulated by Mechanical Unloading in Osteocytes in Vitro.</a> The Journal of biological chemistry. 290 (27), 16744-16758 (2015).</li><li>Gillet, J. P., Varma, S., Gottesman, M. M. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=The+clinical+relevance+of+cancer+cell+lines.">The clinical relevance of cancer cell lines.</a> Journal of the National Cancer Institute. 105 (7), 452-458 (2013).</li><li>Sandberg, R., Ernberg, I. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Assessment+of+tumor+characteristic+gene+expression+in+cell+lines+using+a+tissue+similarity+index+(TSI).">Assessment of tumor characteristic gene expression in cell lines using a tissue similarity index (TSI).</a> Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 102 (6), 2052-2057 (2005).</li><li>Kalajzic, I., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Dentin+matrix+protein+1+expression+during+osteoblastic+differentiation,+generation+of+an+osteocyte+GFP-transgene.">Dentin matrix protein 1 expression during osteoblastic differentiation, generation of an osteocyte GFP-transgene.</a> Bone. 35 (1), 74-82 (2004).</li><li>Paic, F., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Identification+of+differentially+expressed+genes+between+osteoblasts+and+osteocytes.">Identification of differentially expressed genes between osteoblasts and osteocytes.</a> Bone. 45 (4), 682-692 (2009).</li><li>Nakashima, T., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Evidence+for+osteocyte+regulation+of+bone+homeostasis+through+RANKL+expression.">Evidence for osteocyte regulation of bone homeostasis through RANKL expression.</a> Nature Medicine. 17 (10), 1231-1234 (2011).</li><li>Kalajzic, I., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=In+vitro+and+in+vivo+approaches+to+study+osteocyte+biology.">In vitro and in vivo approaches to study osteocyte biology.</a> Bone. 54 (2), 296-306 (2013).</li><li>Chia, L. Y., Walsh, N. C., Martin, T. J., Sims, N. 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+and+gene+expression+of+haematopoietic-cell-free+preparations+of+highly+purified+murine+osteocytes.">Isolation and gene expression of haematopoietic-cell-free preparations of highly purified murine osteocytes.</a> Bone. 72, 34-42 (2015).</li><li>Halleux, C., Kramer, I., Allard, C., Kneissel, M., Helfrich, M. H., Ralston, S. 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The first isolated osteocyte was from a chicken calvaria7 isolated by using (OB7.3) or the aviant variant of PHEX; however, this method is limited by the availability of workable antibodies, as osteocyte-specific antibodies that are also specie-specific have to be manufactured. Researchers used a different modification of the sequential enzymatic process to obtain osteocytes from mouse and rat long bones; the reported purity of these cultures were set at about 70%9. The dev...

Osteocytes are terminally differentiated cells from osteoblastic progenitors that became embedded in their secreted matrix1. They are the most abundant and longest-living cells among bone cell populations. They reside within lacunae and have a characteristic stellate morphology with dendrites that extend through channels called canaliculi forming an extensive network of communication and metabolic exchange with their surrounding environment and the bone surface2. Osteocytes choreograph both osteoblasts and osteoclasts roles in bone remodeling, they are the primary mechanosensory cells conferring adaptation to mechanical loading3, are involved in phosphate homeostasis4 and bone matrix mineralization5, and together with the lacunocanalicular system, they act as an endocrine organ signaling distant tissues6.
Osteocytes are situated within a mineralized matrix, which limits accessibility and renders their isolation challenging, thus hindering in vitro investigation. One of the first isolation methods described isolated osteocytes from chicken calvaria using an osteocyte-specific monoclonal antibody (OB7.3)7 which was later known to be the avian variant of PHEX (PHosphate-regulating gene with homology to Endopeptidases on the X chromosome)8. Other researchers used sequential digestion of rat9 or mouse10 long bones to obtain osteocyte-rich fractions in which osteocyte purity was reported to be around 70%9. Limitations of this procedure include the sub-optimal purity of cultures contaminated with other cell types besides osteocytes and that osteocytes could be potentially overgrown by other cells in culture since osteocytes have lost the ability to divide. These challenges restrict the usability of long term cultures.
To overcome these limitations, different osteocyte cell lines were developed. The MLO-Y4 cell line11 and the MLO-A5 cell line12 are notably the most widely studied cell lines which are useful for the study of the early stage osteocytes; however, they are less useful for studying mature osteocyte signaling as they express low levels of sclerostin and FGF2313, both of which are mature osteocyte markers. Other cell lines including IDG-SW314 and Ocy45415, express high levels of sclerostin and FGF23 and are useful in studying the late osteocyte stage. Cell lines prove to be useful research tools; nevertheless, they do not come without limitations as they do not fully represent the biology of the primary cell. Different cell lines represent different developmental stages of the osteocyte maturity spectrum, and cell lines fail to represent the heterogeneity of primary osteocytes16,17.
To obtain pure cultures of primary osteocytes, researchers took advantage of the cre mouse model in which the 8-kb dmp1 promoter is used to drive green fluorescent protein (GFP) expression in osteocytes18,19. Dual transgenic mice (pOB-Col 2.3- GFP-cyan and DMP1-GFP-topaz) by Paic et al.19 and dmp1-topaz transgenic mice by Nakashima et al.20 have been used to obtain osteocyte populations. In which they employed sequential digestion and FACS of osteocytes expressing GFP to acquire cultures of primary osteocytes19,20. The direction of cre in the 10-kb dmp1 reporter mouse Ai9, which activates the tdTomato protein, was shown to be present in osteocytes, osteoblasts, muscles, and cells within the bone marrow. The 8-kb dmp1 promoter had the same expression pattern, but only a proportion of osteoblasts and bone marrow cells expressed the protein, which indicates that the 8-kb dmp1 promoter is more specific21. Despite this, results obtained using the 8-kb dmp1 promoter should be interpreted with caution, and gene expression profiles should be routinely carried out using osteocyte vs. osteoblast-specific markers to ensure that the population obtained is of high enough purity.
Osteoclast markers OSCAR and Dcstamp were found in hematopoietic non-depleted vs. depleted osteocyte populations, this finding led the authors to conclude that digests obtained from fractionation of 8-kb dmp1-topaz neonatal calvaria and GFP sorting are contaminated with hematopoietic cells. Contamination with hematopoietic cells could have been mitigated by tightening the GFP sort gate since GFP-positive hematopoietic cells had a reasonably lower GFP intensity than GFP-positive mesenchymal cells (osteocytes)22.
The methods for studying osteocytes in vitro have contributed to the recent wealth of information on osteocyte biology. However, osteocyte isolation remains a labor-intensive and lengthy procedure with low cell yields. The described method of bone digestion using collagenase and EDTA often up to fraction 823, takes several hours in which osteocyte viability is taxed. Researchers have reported using fractions (2&#8210;5) for cell sorting20, and have shown that the expression profile of genes associated with osteocytes versus those of osteoblasts confirms the success of isolating pure osteocyte populations20. In this article, we describe the process of obtaining fractions (2&#8210;5), and we compare the yield of osteocytes from each fraction starting with fraction 1 through 8 to determine the return of osteocytes in each fraction. We also describe the dissection of newborn dmp1-topaz mouse calvaria and calvarial digestion using collagenase and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), as well as, preparation of cells for FACS.

<table>
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td>BD FACSDiva software</td>
			<td>BD Biosciences</td>
			<td></td>
			<td>Data aquisition and analysis</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>BD Falcon Tube</td>
			<td>BD Biosciences</td>
			<td>352235</td>
			<td>12 x 75 mm Tube with Cell Strainer Cap, 35 &#956;m nylon mesh.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Bovine serum albumin (BSA)</td>
			<td>Sigma-Aldrich, MO, USA</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Collagenase</td>
			<td>Wako, Osaka, Japan</td>
			<td>034-22363</td>
			<td>0.2% (w/v), crude collagenase mix sourced from C. histolyticum.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>EDTA</td>
			<td>Dojindo, Kumamoto, Japan</td>
			<td></td>
			<td>5mM EDTA prepared with 0.1% BSA</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>FACSAriaTM II</td>
			<td>BD Biosciences</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Fetal bovine serum (FBS)</td>
			<td>Biowest, Nuaill&#233;, France</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Isolation buffer</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td>70mM NaCl, 10mM NaHCO, 60mM sorbitol, 3mM K2HPO4, 1mM CaCl2, 0.1% (w/v) BSA, 0.5% (w/v) glucose and 25 mM HEPES</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Millex Sterile Filter Unit</td>
			<td>Merck Millipore, Ireland</td>
			<td>SLGV033RS</td>
			<td>0.22&#956;m</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Nylon cell strainer</td>
			<td>FALCON, NY, USA</td>
			<td></td>
			<td>40&#956;m</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Trypsin-EDTA</td>
			<td>Life Technologies, NY, USA</td>
			<td></td>
			<td>0.5% x10. diluted to x1 in PBS</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>&#945;-MEM</td>
			<td>Wako, Osaka, Japan</td>
			<td></td>
			<td>Containing 10% fetal bovine serum, 100 IU/ml penicillin G, and 100 &#956;g/ml streptomycin</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

obtaining primary osteocytes through murine calvarial fractionation of gfp-expressing osteocytes

The osteocyte, once thought to be a passive resident of the bone given the backstage function of sensing mechanical loading, is now brought to the spotlight and has been shown to have multiple major functions like actively modifying the extracellular matrix and forming an endocrine organ with the lacunocanalicular system that encloses it sending messages to distant sites. Owing to the methods that made it possible to test the osteocyte in vitro from isolating primary osteocytes to osteocyte-like cell lines, osteocytes are now experiencing a resounding interest and a surge of knowledge on structure and function. Many aspects of the osteocyte biology and interaction with other molecular components are yet to be discovered. In this protocol, we describe in detail the efficient isolation of primary osteocytes from dmp1-topaz neonatal mouse calvaria, which express the green fluorescent protein in osteocytes, through cell fractionation and subsequently acquiring cultures of primary osteocytes by FACS.

The purpose of this protocol is to demonstrate the process of obtaining cultures of primary osteocytes from dmp1-topaz neonatal mouse calvaria through a fractionation process using collagenase to degrade the collagen matrix and EDTA for calcium chelation, after which cells are prepared for FACS to separate osteocytes from other cell populations.
Methods for obtaining primary osteocytes from neonatal mouse calvaria often describe the use of fractions (1&#8210;8) for sorting23<...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Obtaining Primary Osteocytes Through Murine Calvarial Fractionation of GFP-Expressing Osteocytes at JoVE.com

Obtaining Primary Osteocytes Through Murine Calvarial Fractionation of GFP-Expressing Osteocytes

This protocol describes the dissection of neonatal dmp1-topaz mouse calvaria and isolation of osteocytes expressing the green fluorescent protein through cell digestion and fractionation, in addition to osteocyte preparation for fluorescence activated cell sorting (FACS).

The osteocyte, once thought to be a passive resident of the bone given the backstage function of sensing mechanical loading, is now brought to the ...

Primary osteocyte isolation is a lengthy procedure that often leaves out in low cell areas. This protocol provides efficient methods for isolating high numbers of primary GFP-expressing osteocytes. This protocol reduces the handling time and allows a higher number of osteocytes to be obtained in a single procedure with minimal contamination from hematopoietic or mesenchymal cells.For the isolation of GFP-expressing osteocytes, place euthanized, postnatal day six to seven, transgenic mouse pups into a non-treated culture dish, and use scissors and tweezers to grasp the skin at the base of one's skull. Use the scissors to make an initial incision in the lifted skin, followed by cuts along both sides of the skull in front of the ears. Remove the skin to expose the calvaria and holding the head from the nasal bridge, cut the calvaria along the lamboid suture and along the edges of the parietal bones to the frontal part of the tissue.Separate the calvaria from the underlying brain tissue and place the bones concave side up in PBS. To obtain fraction one, pool up to five calvaria per 50-milliliter tube in five milliliters of freshly prepared two-milligram per milliliter collagenase, and incubate the tissues at 37 degrees Celsius and 300 revolutions per minute for 20 minutes. At the end of the incubation, discard the digest from fraction one and wash the calvaria with five milliliters of PBS.Replace the wash with five milliliters of five-millimolar EDTA supplemented with one milligram per milliliter of bovine serum albumin in PBS for 15 minutes at 37 degrees Celsius with shaking. At the end of the incubation, transfer the digest to a 50-milliliter conical tube and wash the calveria with five milliliters of PBS. Then transfer the wash solution to the digest.To obtain fraction two, place the digest for centrifugation and discard the supernatant. Re-suspend the pellet in eight milliliters of alpha minimum essential medium containing 10%fetal bovine serum, or FBS, and antibiotics, and seed the cells onto a 10-centimeter culture dish. Then place the fraction two cells into the cell culture incubator.After collecting and culturing fractions three and four as just demonstrated. Incubate the calveria in five milliliters of five-millimolar EDTA supplemented with one milligram per milliliter of bovine serum albumin in PBS for 15 minutes at 37 degrees Celsius with shaking. At the end of the incubation, collect and culture fraction five as demonstrated for fractions two, three, and four.Immediately after fractionation, collect the cells for sorting. Alternatively, collect the cells after 24 hours of culture by aspirating the medium and gently wash the cells two times with 10 milliliters of PBS per dish per wash. After the second wash, treat the cells with five milliliters of 0.5%tripsin EDTA in PBS per plate.After five minutes at 37 degrees Celsius, add five milliliters of complete alpha minimum essential medium to each plate and gently detach the cells with pipetting. To combine the cells in each fraction, filter the cell suspensions through a 40-micron cell strainer into a single 50-milliliter conical centrifuge tube. After washing the cells with 10 milliliters of PBS, add them to the tube.Filter the cells through a strainer and collect the cells by centrifugation. Once the cells are pelleted down, re-suspend the pellet in complete minimal essential medium to a one times 10 to the seventh cells per milliliter of medium concentration and filter the cells through a 35-micron nylon mesh capped tube. To test the efficiency of this method, fractions were separately sorted and cultured for 24 hours to determine the percentage and yield of osteocytes from each fraction.The density of the osteocytes in fractions two to five were higher than that observed for fraction one and decreased remarkably in fractions six, seven, and eight. Although the percentage of osteocytes obtained between all of the fractions is not statistically significant, the density of the osteocytes differs dramatically between fractions. Here the gating strategy for isolating GFP-positive osteocytes from their GFP-negative counterparts by fluorescence-activated cell sorting is shown.After sorting, osteocytes can be analyzed for the expression of osteocyte markers of interest. In this analysis, the osteocyte marker genes were expressed at higher levels in the isolated GFP-positive osteocytes compared to presort fraction two, which is known as a high osteoblast fraction. Here the morphology of a GFP-positive osteocyte retaining a stellate shape with dendrites extending from the cell body after 24 hours of culture on a plastic culture dish, post sort, can be observed.Pay attention when aspirating the digests as the calveria will be reduced to minute pellets. Remember to use a small tip aspirator to avoid cell loss. Osteocytes have been enigmatic because they are entombed in bone.This technique has paved the way to studying osteocyte molecular interactions and their control over osteoclasts and osteoblasts.

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