Name: live-3d-cell immunocytochemistry assays of pediatric diffuse midline glioma
Uploaded: 2021-11-11T13:00:00
Description: Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Live-3D-Cell Immunocytochemistry Assays of Pediatric Diffuse Midline Glioma at JoVE.com

We would like to thank Dr. Silvia Soddu and Dr. Giulia Federici (Unit of Cellular Networks and Molecular Therapeutic Targets, IRCCS-Regina Elena National Cancer Institute, Rome, Italy) for access to the IncuCyte S3 Live Cell Imaging System in the preliminary set up of the imaging protocol. Moreover, we thank Bernadett Kolozsvari for the technical advice. The study was supported by the Children with Cancer UK grant (16-234) and The Italian Ministry of Health Ricerca Corrente. M Vinci is a Children with Cancer UK Fellow. R Ferretti is a recipient of Fondazione Veronesi Fellowship (2018 and 2019). The authors acknowledge Fondazione Heal for their support and the Children&#39;s Hospital Foundation for funding the Queensland Children&#39;s Tumor Bank.

This protocol follows the guidelines of the institutions&#39; human research ethics committees.
NOTE: This study was performed using Incucyte S3 and/or SX5 Live-Cell Analysis Instrument (referenced as live cell analysis instrument).
1. Generation of reproducibly sized tumor spheroids
NOTE: The protocol (section 1) described by Vinci et al. 20157,12, was used as repo...

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The live-3D-cell immunocytochemistry we have adopted here for pediatric DMG invasion and migration could be easily adapted also for other highly invasive tumor cell types, including breast and colon cancer cell lines. 
Different from previously performed live-2D-cell immunocytochemistry assays10, when working in 3D, it is suggested to pay attention to some critical steps. In particular, for the invasion assay we describe, it is advised to add the ALR/antibody mix direct...

The ability of tumor cells to evade and disseminate through the surrounding tissue is a hallmark of cancer1. In particular, tumor cell motility is a characteristic feature of malignant tumors, whether it is a metastatic tumor type such as breast2 or colorectal cancer3 or a locally invasive type such as diffuse glioma4,5.
Imaging has a central role in the investigation of many aspects of tumor cell phenotypes; however, live-cell imaging is definitely to be preferred when studying dynamic cellular processes such as migration and invasion, when changes in morphology and cell-cell interaction6,7 occur and can be more easily examined over time. For live-cell imaging, different optical microscopy systems can be used, from phase contrast to confocal fluorescent microscopes, and image acquisition performed over a short or long period of time on an inverted microscope equipped with a chamber for temperature and CO2 control, or in high-content image analysis systems which have built-in chambers, or alternatively in image systems that can sit in the incubator without the need to disturb the cells during the whole duration of the experiment. The choice of the system used is often dictated by a number of factors such as resolution needed, length of the overall acquisition time and time intervals, vessel type used and throughput of the assay (single chamber or multi-well plate), the sensitivity of the cells used (precious and/or rare cells) and phototoxicity of the cells if fluorophores are present.
With regard to fluorescent imaging in live mode, this can be achieved by transducing cells for the expression of fluorescent proteins either for stable expression or as an inducible system8, by transient cell transfection, or by using cell dyes which are now available for live-cell labeling7, for live-cell tracking as well as for labeling subcellular organelles9.
A useful approach has been recently developed for live-cell immunocytochemistry, where an antibody recognizing a surface marker of choice can be bound to a labeling reagent, and upon addition to the culture media, cells expressing the specific marker can be readily imaged in real-time by live-cell imaging. The visualization and quantification of marker expression using such a system can be easily achieved when cells are grown in two-dimensional (2D) culture conditions10.
In this study, we optimized protocols for live-3D-cell immunocytochemistry invasion and migration of pediatric diffuse midline glioma (DMG) patient-derived cells11,12. DMG are highly aggressive brain tumors affecting children, for the vast majority associated with the driver mutation K27M in histone H3 variants. DMG arise in the brain stem and the midline regions of the central nervous system (CNS) and are characterized by a highly infiltrative nature. This invasive capacity has been shown to be at least in part mediated by the intratumor heterogeneity and the cancer-stem-like features of DMG cells7.
To exemplify our assays, an antibody labeling reagent (ALR) was used in combination with an antibody for CD44. CD44 is a transmembrane glycoprotein and adhesion molecule expressed on stem-cell and other cell types, associated with cancer stem cell phenotype and tumor cell migration and invasion13. The protocols include the sample preparation, the image acquisition in brightfield and fluorescent mode, and the analysis on a live-cell analysis instrument that allowed to quantitatively measure in real-time the overall CD44 expression on the DMG cell membrane during 3D invasion and migration. The assays also allowed the possibility to visualize the intermittent fluorescent signal of CD44 on individual cells while migrating and invading. Interestingly an effect of the anti-CD44 antibody was also observed, which potentially acting as a blocking antibody, also seemed to reduce cell migration and invasion as well as to induce a switch of the invasion pattern from a collective mesenchymal-like to a more single-cell amoeboid-like phenotype.

<table border="1" fo:keep-together.within-page="1" fo:keep-with-next.within-page="always">
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td>96 Well TC-Treated Microplates</td>
			<td>Corning</td>
			<td>3595</td>
			<td>size 96 wells, polystyrene plate, flat bottom</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Accutase</td>
			<td>Euroclone</td>
			<td>ECB3056D</td>
			<td>solution for neurosphere dissociation</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Burker chamber</td>
			<td>Mv medical</td>
			<td>FFL16034</td>
			<td>cell counting chamber</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>CD-44 (156-3C11)</td>
			<td>Cell Signaling Technology</td>
			<td>3570</td>
			<td>Mouse mAb IgG2a</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Corning Matrigel Matrix</td>
			<td>Corning</td>
			<td>356237</td>
			<td>Basement Membrane Matrix (BMM), Phenol Red-free, LDEV-free</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Fabfluor-488 Antibody Labeling Dye</td>
			<td>Incucyte</td>
			<td>4743</td>
			<td>Antibody labelling reagent (ALR): Mouse IgG2a 488 antibody for Live-Cell Immunocytochemistry</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Incucyte S3 and/or SX5 Live-Cell Analysis Instrument</td>
			<td>Sartorius</td>
			<td>-</td>
			<td>The Incucyte S3 and/or SX5 Instrument is used for real-time cell monitoring and surveillance, cell health and viability, migration and invasion, plus a wide range of phenotypic cell-based assays.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Inverted Microscope</td>
			<td></td>
			<td>-</td>
			<td>any inverted microscope</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Opti-Green Background Suppressor Reagent</td>
			<td>Incucyte</td>
			<td>6500-0045</td>
			<td>Backgroung suppressor reagent (BSR)</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Tumor stem cell (TSM) medium</td>
			<td>-</td>
			<td>-</td>
			<td>growth cell medium (see reference in the text for details)</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Ultra-Low Attachment Multiple Well Plate</td>
			<td>Corning Costar</td>
			<td>7007</td>
			<td>size 96 well, round bottom clear</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

live-3d-cell immunocytochemistry assays of pediatric diffuse midline glioma

Cell migration and invasion are specific hallmarks of Diffuse Midline Glioma (DMG) H3K27M-mutant tumors. We have already modeled these features using three-dimensional (3D) cell-based invasion and migration assays. In this study, we have optimized these 3D assays for live-cell immunocytochemistry. An Antibody Labeling Reagent was used to detect in real-time the expression of the adhesion molecule CD44, on the plasma membrane of migrating and invading cells of a DMG H3K27M primary patient-derived cell line. CD44 is associated with cancer stem cell phenotype and tumor cell migration and invasion and is involved in the direct interactions with the central nervous system (CNS) extracellular matrix. Neurospheres (NS) from the DMG H3K27M cell line were embedded into the basal membrane matrix (BMM) or placed onto a thin coating layer of BMM, in the presence of an anti-CD44 antibody in conjunction with the antibody labeling reagent (ALR). The live-3D-cell immunocytochemistry image analysis was performed on a live-cell analysis instrument to quantitatively measure the overall CD44 expression, specifically on the migrating and invading cells. The method also allows visualizing in real-time the intermittent expression of CD44 on the plasma membrane of migrating and invading cells. Moreover, the assay also provided new insights into the potential role of CD44 in the mesenchymal to amoeboid transition in DMG H3K27M cells.

Live-3D-Cell Immunocytochemistry protocol for invasion and migration is summarized in a straightforward and reproducible workflow in Figure 1. By seeding the DMG cells in ULA 96-well round-bottom plates, reproducible sized NS are obtained and used in the steps displayed. When the NS have reached the ideal size of ~300 &#181;m (approximately 4 days post-seeding) the invasion12 and migration14 assays are initiated. The addition of the ALR/antibod...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Live-3D-Cell Immunocytochemistry Assays of Pediatric Diffuse Midline Glioma at JoVE.com

Live-3D-Cell Immunocytochemistry Assays of Pediatric Diffuse Midline Glioma

This study presents a protocol of live-3D-cell immunocytochemistry applied to a pediatric diffuse midline glioma cell line, useful to study in real-time the expression of proteins on the plasma membrane during dynamic processes like 3D cell invasion and migration.

Cell migration and invasion are specific hallmarks of Diffuse Midline Glioma (DMG) H3K27M-mutant tumors. We have already modeled these features using ...

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