Volume 52 (10): 1333-1339, 2004 Copyright ©The Histochemical Society, Inc. Improvement of Combined FISH and Immunofluorescence to Trace the Fate of Somatic Stem Cells after Transplantation
Centro Dino Ferrari, Dipartimento di Scienze Neurologiche, Università degli Studi di Milano, IRCCS Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milano, Italy (CD,SC,FL,DP,MG,SS,GPC); Center of Excellence on Neurodegenerative Diseases, Milano, Italy (SC,GPC); IRCCS Eugenio Medea, Bosisio Parini, Lecco, Italy (SS); and Fondazione Matarelli, Milano, Italy (PB) Correspondence to: Prof. Giacomo P. Comi, Dipartimento di Scienze Neurologiche, Università di Milano, Padiglione Ponti, Ospedale Policlinico, Via Francesco Sforza 35, 20122 Milan, Italy. E-mail: giacomo.comi{at}unimi.it
Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) combined with immunohistochemistry of tissue-specific markers provides a reliable method for characterizing the fate of somatic stem cells in transplantation experiments. Furthermore, the association between FISH and fluorescent gene reporter detection can unravel cell fusion phenomena, which could account for apparent transdifferentiation events. However, despite the widespread use of these techniques, they still require labor-extensive protocol adjustments to achieve correct and satisfactory simultaneous signal detection. In the present paper, we describe an improvement of simultaneous FISH and immunofluorescence detection. We applied this protocol to the identification of transplanted human and mouse hematopoietic stem cells in murine brain and muscle. This technique provides unique opportunities for following the path taken by transplanted cells and their differentiation into mature cell types. (J Histochem Cytochem 52:13331339, 2004)
Key Words: fluorescence in situ hybridization green fluorescent protein stem cell transplantation
TRANSDIFFERENTIATION OF SOMATIC STEM CELLS toward different cell lineages has stimulated considerable attention and debate. The mechanism responsible for this apparent plasticity is not clearly understood. Two principal hypotheses are referred to: cell fusion between donor cells and recipient tissue (Alvarez-Dolado et al. 2003
To test these possible events, it is necessary to investigate the detection of donor cells along with the characterization of their phenotype. Donor cell tracing has been achieved through genetic labeling using either a gene reporter such as ß-galactosidase (LacZ) (Alvarez-Dolado et al. 2003
In several in vivo transplantation assays, a Y-chromosome-specific probe has been used to detect male cells transplanted into female recipients in both mice and in humans (Mezey et al. 2000 The combination of FISH and immunofluorescence staining of tissue-specific markers provides a highly specific method for characterizing the phenotype of donor cells in tissues. In addition, simultaneous detection of FISH and a gene reporter may help to unravel the dynamics of cell fusion events.
Despite the widespread use of these techniques, they still require labor-intensive protocol adjustments for correct and satisfactory analysis of both fluorescent signal from a gene reporter or from tissue-specific markers and FISH signal. In fact, the GFP signal is unstable to agents used for cell permeabilization and to the high temperatures required for the FISH protocol. In a previously described protocol combining GFP staining and FISH, most of the GFP signal was removed after the proteinase K digestion that is necessary in this specific FISH staining method (Weimann et al. 2003b Here we describe an improved technique combining FISH detection and immunofluorescence staining of gene reporter and tissue-specific antigens. We applied this protocol to evaluate the effect of transplantation of human and murine hematopoietic cells into murine brain and skeletal muscle.
Mice B6.Cg-TgN(Thy1-YFP)16Jrs mice (Jackson Laboratory; Bar Harbor, ME) that express spectral variants of GFP [yellow fluorescent protein (YFP)] at high levels in motor and sensory neurons and in subsets of central nervous system (CNS) neurons were used as donors of bone marrow cells. The transgenic construct contains a YFP gene under the direction of regulatory elements derived from the Thy1 mouse. These elements are composed of a 6.5-kb fragment obtained from the 5' portion of the Thy1 gene, extending from the promoter to the intron following exon 4. Exon 3 and its flanking introns are absent. The deleted sequences are required for expression in non-neural cells but not in neurons. The remainder of the sequence is required for neuronal expression (Feng et al. 2000 As recipient mice for brain transplantation we used 1-day-old wild-type C57BL/6J mice (Jackson Laboratory). Four-week-old CD-1 nude mice (Crl:CD-1-nuBR; Charles River Laboratory, Calco, Italy) were used as recipient animals in muscle transplantation experiments. All animal experiments were performed according to institutional guidelines in compliance with national (D.I. no. 116, G.U. suppl. 40, Feb. 18, 1992, Circolare No. 8, G.U., 14 Luglio 1994) and international law and policies (EEC Council Directive 86/609, OJ L358, 1 Dec. 12, 1987; Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals, U.S. National Research Council, 1996).
Whole Murine Bone Marrow Transplantation into the Brain
Neonatal C57BL/6J mice were cold-anesthetized, and 2 µl of cell suspension derived from BM (3 x 104 cells) was transplanted using a Hamilton syringe into the brain through a hole in the cranium. The injection was performed in the parietal area, 1 mm caudal and lateral to the skull bregma point and 0.5 mm into the brain parenchyma from the dura. A control group of mice received 2 µl of saline solution with the same protocol (Bonilla et al. 2002
Human Hematopoietic Cell Culture
Human Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation into the Mouse Brain
Human Hematopoietic Transplantation into Immunodeficient Mouse Muscle
Brain Tissue Analysis
Thin brain sections (10 µm) from YFP-transplanted mice were incubated for 1 hr with anti-GFP antibody rabbit serum conjugated with Alexa 488 (1:400 dilution; Molecular Probes, Eugene, OR), followed by incubation with a tyramide signal amplification (TSA) kit horseradish peroxidase (HRP) goat anti-rabbit IgG and then Alexa Fluor 488 Tyramide (Molecular Probes) (Wu et al. 2000 Brain sections of neonatal mice transplanted with CD45-negative cells were incubated for 3 hr with 1:200 anti-neuronal nuclei (NeuN, mouse monoclonal, biotin-conjugated; Chemicon, Temecula, CA), 1:200 anti-class III ß-tubulin (TuJ1, mouse monoclonal; Chemicon), and 1:200 anti-neurofilament (NF, mouse monoclonal; Chemicon). Cy3-conjugated streptavidin (1:600; Sigma-Aldrich) was used for 30 min at room temperature for biotin-conjugated antibody, and an R-phycoerythrin (R-PE)-conjugated goat anti-mouse (1:100; DAKO, Carpentiria, CA) was used as secondary antibody in the other cases. Incubation with TSA kit HRP goat anti-mouse IgG and Alexa Fluor 488 Tyramide (Molecular Probes) was performed to amplify the immunoreaction. As control, we performed immunostaining with amplification but without primary and/or secondary antibodies.
Immunohistochemistry on Muscle Tissue Immunoreaction with amplification but without primary and/or secondary antibodies was performed as control.
FISH in Murine BM Transplantation into the Brain Sections from female mice transplanted with female BM and sections from untransplanted female mice were used as negative controls for Y-chromosome staining.
FISH in Human HSC Transplantation into the Brain Brain sections from untransplanted mice were used as negative controls for human FISH staining.
FISH in Human HSC Transplantation into Muscle All slides were observed with a conventional fluorescence microscope (Zeiss Axioskop; Oberkochen, Germany).
Combined FISH and IHC after BM Transplantation into the Mouse Brain The sensitivity and specificity of the combined FISH-IHC method were first verified using as control brain sections of male Thy1-YFP mouse expressing a spectral variant of GFP (YFP) in neurons. The co-expression of Thy1-YFP (green signal) in neurons and the Cy3-Y chromosome (red dot) in nuclei counterstained with DAPI occurred in over 90% of cells (Figure 1A) .
We transplanted BM cells derived from male Thy1-YFP mice into the parietal cortex of a female neonatal brain. One month after transplantation we observed rare YFP+ neurons in the recipient cerebral cortex (Figures 1B1D). In transplanted brains, almost all the identified YFP+ cells contained a Y-chromosome signal, whereas none of the negative controls (female mice transplanted with female YFP-BM and untransplanted female mice) showed any FISH signal. Therefore, the method of detection had high sensitivity and specificity. Activation of the Thy-1 neuron-specific transgene in the cortex of female neonatal mice transplanted with male YFP BM cells provides direct evidence for the acquisition of a neuronal phenotype by BM transplanted cells. To obtain these results, before tissue freezing, the brain tissue was fixed with PF for 30 min to allow adequate fixation of YFP without compromising FISH analysis. Prolonged exposure to PF fixative abrogates detection of the Y-chromosome.
A TSA kit is commonly used to considerably increase the signal intensity in various immunocytochemical and FISH applications (Kerstens et al. 1995 To maintain and protect the YFP signal from degradation during the FISH protocol, we used a 488 fluorochrome-labeled tyramide amplification signal. In addition, the lack of proteinase K digestion preserves the YFP signal, allowing the processing of both techniquesimmunostaining and FISHon the same slide.
FISH in Human HSC Transplantation into the Brain A few human-derived cells, identified by the FISH signal in the nuclei and expressing two neuronal antigens (NF and MAP2), were found in recipient brains (Figures 1E and 1F).
FISH in Human Hematopoietic Cells Transplanted into the Muscle Furthermore, we observed the presence of human cells that are fused with endogenous fibers, as demonstrated by detection of donor human pancentromeric FISH-positive nuclei and FISH- negative murine nuclei in the same muscle fiber (Figure 1H). The analysis of human dystrophin by a specific Dys3 antibody showed that fused human nuclei were transcriptionally active and reprogrammed towards a muscle phenotype.
In this work we have described two different protocols enabling the detection of FISH and immunofluorescence in experiments of human and murine hematopoietic stem cell transplantation into brain and skeletal muscle. These techniques have proved highly sensitive and specific, allowing the detection of donor cells that are integrated into the tissue along with reliable opportunities to follow the fate of transplanted cells. After YFP-BM direct transplantation into the brain, we observed rare YFP+ neurons in recipient animals. FISH analysis for the Y-chromosome confirmed that these cells derive from male donors. This report covers the research needed for a method that can achieve adequate simultaneous detection of a fluorescent gene reporter and FISH by using TSA amplification to preserve the YFP signal.
The fluorescence of GFP and its spectral variants is very sensitive to fixatives, high temperatures, and other treatments. TSA has been shown to considerably increase the signal intensity in various immunocytochemical and FISH applications (Kerstens et al. 1995
To detect the transplanted cells in the brain slides, we developed a new optimized protocol based on a previously described procedure (Mezey et al. 2000
Other FISH methods combined with immunofluorescence for tissue-specific proteins were described with commercially available probes, but only on paraffin-embedded tissues and not on frozen tissues (Poulsom et al. 2001
In our protocol we avoided the proteinase K digestion step. Protein digestion pretreatments, usually required for tissue FISH, significantly limit the ability to detect cell type-specific markers by IHC. Actually, protein K digestion can be omitted when applied to frozen sections (Mezey et al. 2000 In this FISH protocol adjustment, we observed that one of the most important factors influencing detection of the Y-chromosome signal is the reduction of the PF fixation time. Human chromosomes have been demonstrated to be less sensitive to this step. In muscle transplantation experiments we combined the detection of human dystrophin, revealed by the specific antibody Dys3, with FISH for human-specific DNA pancentromeric sequences.
Dystrophin staining must be performed on frozen muscle sections; however, a short fixation (5 min) with 4% PF is necessary to preserve an adequate nuclear morphology. A tyramide amplification kit is used to detect the primary antibody. After IHC, the slides are incubated with Histochoice tissue fixative. The use of Histochoice has already been suggested in the FISH protocol by Gussoni et al. (1997) In these experiments, we described an efficient and easy way to combine FISH and immunofluorescence staining to track trace and characterize the fate of somatic stem cells after transplantation into brain and muscle tissues. Our methodology could contribute to future advances in stem cell-mediated therapy.
The financial support of the following research grants to G.P.C. is gratefully acknowledged: Italian Ministry of Health, Ricerca Finalizzata 2001 "Isolamento, espansione e caratterizzazione di cellule staminali a scopo di trapianto e riparazione cellulare"; MIUR (Ministero Istruzione Università e Ricerca Scientifica) Italian Ministery FIRB 2002 "Animali geneticamente modificati per lo studio di patologie neurodegenerative; Progetto a Concorso Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico 2003." We wish to especially thank the "Associazione Amici del Centro Dino Ferrari" for their support.
Received for publication March 20, 2004; accepted June 15, 2004
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