小鼠主动脉平滑肌细胞的分离培养及鉴定

目的:建立分离培养小鼠原代主动脉血管平滑肌细胞(VSMC)的方法并检测其生长特性。方法:剥离小鼠主动脉中膜层,分别采用组织块培养法及胶原酶消化法分离培养小鼠主动脉来源的原代VSMC,免疫荧光法检测细胞的纯度和分化状态;3-(4,5-二甲基-2-噻唑)-2,5-二苯基溴化四氮唑蓝(MTT)法测定小鼠主动脉VSMC传代细胞的生长、增殖特性。结果:组织块培养法培养组织块8d后,细胞从组织块边缘爬出,18 d后细胞汇合度达到80%以上后传代;胶原酶消化法分离培养的细胞生长7 d后,汇合度可达80%,此时进行传代;2种方法获得的细胞进行免疫荧光染色,结果显示细胞传至第3代时纯度在95%以上,传至第8代时分化状态并没有改变;MTT法显示细胞生长3~5 d时处于指数生长期。结论:本研究建立了2种可靠稳定的分离和培养小鼠主动脉VSMC的方法,VSMC纯度高,多次传代后细胞特征稳定。     

小鼠气管平滑肌原代细胞的分离、培养与鉴定

目的建立一种可靠的通过组织块贴壁法分离培养原代小鼠气管平滑肌细胞及免疫组化鉴定的方法。方法体视显微镜下立体分离小鼠气管平滑肌组织,组织块贴壁法培养原代细胞,对分离培养细胞通过免疫组化方法进行鉴定,并用MTT法对其增殖特性进行检测。结果从BALB/c雄性小鼠分离气管平滑肌组织,剪碎为1 mm3,用含1%青-链霉素的PBS及培养液漂洗,使组织块贴于培养皿底,并加入5 m L培养液,放入37℃、5%CO2的细胞培养箱培养,3~5 d后有明显梭状细胞从组织块爬出,5~6 d后,细胞可见明显"峰-谷"结构。经免疫荧光鉴定,在传代、纯化后,可得纯度为99%以上的气管平滑肌细胞。用MTT法测量其生长曲线。结论本方法操作简单、经济,获得的气管平滑肌细胞具有较好增殖能力,细胞数量和纯度能够满足后续细胞生物学实验研究的需要。     

敲除Wdr1抑制小鼠原代血管平滑肌细胞的迁移和增殖

细胞骨架肌动蛋白在细胞增殖、迁移等生物学过程中发挥重要作用,然而WDR1作为肌动蛋白解聚的主要辅助因子,其在平滑肌细胞中的作用尚无报道。构建Wdr1条件性诱导敲除小鼠模型,进而分离小鼠原代主动脉平滑肌细胞,诱导敲除Wdr1,检测平滑肌细胞的形态、增殖和迁移情况。PCR结果显示,Wdr1f/f;ERT2Cre小鼠模型构建成功。免疫荧光结果表明:在前人基础上改进的分离方法能够高效分离原代平滑肌细胞。细胞形态观察结果显示:Wdr1敲除后对细胞的形态有显著性影响。同时,划痕实验以及CCK8检测结果也表明:Wdr1的条件性诱导性敲除可明显抑制平滑肌细胞的迁移和增殖。Wdr1敲除后平滑肌细胞的形态以及细胞生物学过程的改变提示其与血管疾病的发生和发展有紧密联系,这对揭示血管病理生理过程有重要意义。     

蜗轴螺旋动脉平滑肌的培养及其鉴定

目的:本研究通过联合两种常用的细胞培养方法,建立了一个蜗轴螺旋动脉平滑肌细胞原代培养的模型.方法:分离的蜗轴螺旋动脉的平滑肌来自于豚鼠.切碎血管组织并且将其放入37度的0.1%胰蛋白酶溶液中消化20分钟.消化后,将这些消化后的组织块在35-mm的培养皿中贴壁.运用这种培养方法,混杂的成纤维细胞通过与血管平滑肌细胞不同的贴壁能力,可在传代的时候被去除.在7-10天后,细胞从组织块中长出来.大约3周,细胞可长满培养皿.在第三代培养的血管平滑肌细胞中,纯的并且活性好的细胞可以被活得.经过形态学,免疫荧光化学和电镜对这种方法得到的血管平滑肌细胞进行了鉴别.结果:显示了典型的平滑肌的细胞的特点:形态学的"峰-谷"样的生长形态,免疫荧光化学显示这些细胞表达平滑肌细胞的特异性标志物(α-SM-actin和myosin.结论:通过本文研究方法得到的大量的纯的蜗轴螺旋动脉血管平滑肌细胞是一个很好的研究血管平滑肌细胞在内耳循环紊乱过程生理功能的一个体外模型.除此之外,还可以是一些作用于血管平滑肌药物评价的体外模型.     

成年SD大鼠心肌原代成纤维细胞分离及培养的优化方案

目的:摸索及优选成年SD大鼠心肌原代成纤维细胞的体外分离、培养及鉴定的实验方法。方法:将成年SD大鼠心脏剪成小组织块,采用以下四种方案(A:0.08%胰酶+0.1%胶原酶II消化15 min,B:0.2%胶原酶II消化15 min,C:0.2%胶原酶II消化60min,D:0.2%胶原酶II消化90 min)提取成年大鼠心脏原代成纤维细胞,再通过差速贴壁分离方法培养原代成纤维细胞。采用倒置显微镜观察成纤维细胞的基本形态特征,并进行Vimentiin免疫荧光染色对培养的原代细胞进行荧光鉴定;采用台盼兰染色对培养的原代成纤维细胞存活率进行鉴定;采用细胞计数对培养的成纤维细胞生长趋势进行鉴定。结果:四种方法均能培养成纤维细胞,但单酶消化60 min可一次性提取较多细胞,并且细胞状态佳,3 d即可传代。72 h成纤维细胞Vimentin免疫荧光染色阳性率高达97%。台盼兰染色可见其细胞死亡率明显降低,并且细胞计数可见细胞生长状态极佳。结论:单酶消化60 min是提取成年SD大鼠心肌原代成纤维细胞的高效、快速、稳定的实验方法,为心脏疾病的基础及临床研究提供了较为理想的细胞学实验模型。     

密度梯度离心法同时分离新生大鼠原代心肌细胞与成纤维细胞

本文旨在探讨一种改良的同时分离新生大鼠原代心肌细胞和成纤维细胞的方法,以建立良好的原代心肌细胞及成纤维细胞研究模型。无菌状态下取Wistar乳鼠(出生不超过2天)心室,用II型胶原酶消化,控制消化时间及次数、搅拌速度、离心次数和速度等,结合Percoll密度梯度离心法分离心肌细胞及成纤维细胞,进行体外培养,观察细胞形态,继而用0.2%台盼蓝染色检测细胞存活率,免疫荧光染色法检测心肌肌钙蛋白I(cardiac troponin I,c Tn I)、波形蛋白(Vimentin)及α平滑肌肌动蛋白(α-smooth muscle actin,α-SMA)的表达,分别用于鉴定心肌细胞和成纤维细胞纯度。结果显示,本方法5次分离的心肌细胞平均存活率达92%,纯度达95%以上,细胞生长状态良好,可见贴壁自发搏动;成纤维细胞平均存活率达96%,纯度达94%。本方法能同时获得新生大鼠原代心肌细胞和成纤维细胞,具有很高的产量、存活率及纯度,且操作简便,耗时短,重复性好,是一种较为理想的原代细胞分离、培养方法,可满足各种后续实验要求。     

神经脊来源许旺细胞的体外培养研究

目的:探讨坐骨神经中神经脊来源的许旺细胞所占的比率。方法:将Wnt1-Cre+/-与Rosa-EGFP+/-小鼠杂交,获取Wnt1/EGFP小鼠,其所有起源于神经脊的细胞都有EGFP蛋白表达。取其坐骨神经,经过消化分离纯化,获得许旺细胞。进行抗GFP免疫荧光染色和流式分析的检测。结果:根据P1代许旺细胞的形态学观察,其纯度约为60%。抗GFP免疫荧光染色显示,并非所有的许旺细胞均呈阳性。P3代许旺细胞的纯度约为99%,流式细胞术分析显示约65%左右的GFP阳性率。结论:小鼠坐骨神经中的许旺细胞在体外培养提纯后,神经脊起源的许旺细胞占总许旺细胞的比例约为65%。     

Ⅱ型肺泡细胞特异表达SARS冠状病毒核衣壳蛋白转基因小鼠的建立

目的:建立Ⅱ型肺泡细胞特异表达SARS冠状病毒(SARS-CoV)核衣壳蛋白(N蛋白)的转基因小鼠。方法:用分子克隆的方法构建包括肺表面活性蛋白A(SP-A)启动子、SARS-CoVN蛋白基因、β-半乳糖苷酶(LacZ)报告基因和人生长激素(hGH)polyA的转基因载体pSP-A-N。以显微注射的方法将8.3kb的转基因片段引入小鼠受精卵。通过PCR、Southern印迹和LacZ染色检测子代小鼠中转基因的整合及表达。结果:共注射952枚受精卵,移植至42只假孕母小鼠的输卵管中发育,获得子代小鼠128只,经PCR、Southern印迹鉴定,其中11只小鼠基因组上整合有SARS-CoVN蛋白基因,整合率为8.6%。鉴定结果显示,11只转基因首建者小鼠中有1只表达外源基因并能正常传代。LacZ染色结果表明N蛋白基因在转基因小鼠Ⅱ型肺上皮细胞中特异表达。结论:成功构建了Ⅱ型肺泡细胞特异表达SARS-CoVN蛋白的转基因小鼠,为深入研究该基因的病理生理学效应奠定了基础。     

一种改良的逼尿肌急性分离方法及离子通道电流检测

目的:建立一种稳定的适合膜片钳技术的逼尿肌细胞急性酶分离方法,为排尿相关障碍性疾病的研究提供必要的技术平台.方法:采用H型胶原酶和木瓜蛋白酶相混合的鸡尾酒酶液对新鲜离体的大鼠膀胱逼尿肌条在37℃条件下振荡消化,α-actin免疫荧光染色对分离并培养的原代细胞进行鉴定,在膜片钳工作台上分别对其进行L型钙电流和BKca钾电流的全细胞记录.结果:可获得大量的单个逼尿肌细胞.经过免疫荧光染色证实为平滑肌细胞.分离细胞活性良好,在膜片钳实验系统上可记录到多种通道电流.结论:建立了一种操作简单、成功率高、活性好的逼尿肌细胞急性酶分离方法并成功应用于膜片钳技术.     

SD大鼠胸腹主动脉平滑肌细胞的原代培养及鉴定

目的建立原代大鼠胸腹主动脉平滑肌细胞培养方法,为研究心脑血管动脉粥样硬化疾病提供重要的载体和工具细胞。方法选取6～8周龄SD大鼠2只,剪开胸腹腔,剥离主动脉,刮除血管内、外膜,经0.2%Ⅱ型胶原酶/弹性蛋白酶消化后,剪碎成块,种瓶进行原代培养。通过细胞形态学观察、α平滑肌肌动蛋白免疫细胞化学染色法鉴定所培养的目的细胞。结果接种于培养瓶中的血管组织块培养48h后开始贴壁;72h后细胞以组织块为中心,向外迁移,"岛屿状"细胞团簇初步形成;96h后原代细胞集落逐渐融合,铺满瓶底,呈现典型的"峰-谷"样生长;第一代传代细胞形态基本保持不变,高倍镜下细胞呈三角形或星形。免疫细胞化学染色显示,细胞α平滑肌肌动蛋白阳性率达99%以上。结论复合酶消化法结合组织块法能够成功高效地分离培养出原代大鼠胸腹主动脉平滑肌细胞。     

Expression of calponin in rabbit and human aortic smooth muscle cells

Summary Polyclonal antibodies to chicken gizzard calponin were used to localize calponin and determine calponin expression in rabbit and human aortic smooth muscle cells in culture. Calponin was localized on the microfilament bundles of cultured smooth muscle cells. Early in primary culture,ccalponin staining was accumulated preferentially in the central part of the cell body. With time in culture, the number of calponin-negative smooth muscle cells increased while the distribution of calponin in calponin-positive cells became more even along the stress fibers. Calponin content and the calponin/actin ratio decreased about 5-fold in rabbit aortic smooth muscle cells during the first week in primary culture and remained low in proliferating cells. The same tendency in calponin expression was observed when human vascular smooth muscle was studied. On cryostat sections of human umbilical cord, calponin antibodies mainly stained vessel walls of both the arteries and veins, although less intensive labelling was also observed in non-vascular tissue. When primary isolates of human aortic intimal and medial smooth muscle cells were compared with corresponding passaged cultures, it was found that calponin content was reduced about 9-fold in these cells in culture and was similar to the amount of calponin in endothelial cells and fibroblasts. Thus, high calponin expression may be used as an additional marker of vascular smooth muscle cell contractile phenotype.     

Epac1 is upregulated during neointima formation and promotes vascular smooth muscle cell migration

Vascular remodeling after mechanoinjury largely depends on the migration of smooth muscle cells, an initial key step to wound healing. However, the role of the second messenger system, in particular, the cAMP signal, in regulating such remodeling remains controversial. Exchange protein activated by cAMP (Epac) has been identified as a new target molecule of the cAMP signal, which is independent from PKA. We thus examined whether Epac plays a distinct role from PKA in vascular remodeling. To examine the role of Epac and PKA in migration, we used primary culture smooth muscle cells from both the fetal and adult rat aorta. A cAMP analog selective to PKA, 8-(4-parachlorophenylthio)-cAMP (pCPT-cAMP), decreased cell migration, whereas an Epac-selective analog, 8-pCPT-2'-O-Me-cAMP, enhanced migration. Adenovirus-mediated gene transfer of PKA decreased cell migration, whereas that of Epac1 significantly enhanced cell migration. Striking morphological differences were observed between pCPT-cAMP- and 8-pCPT-2'-O-Me-cAMP-treated aortic smooth muscle cells. Furthermore, overexpression of Epac1 enhanced the development of neointimal formation in fetal rat aortic tissues in organ culture. When the mouse femoral artery was injured mechanically in vivo, we found that the expression of Epac1 was upregulated in vascular smooth muscle cells, whereas that of PKA was downregulated with the progress of neointimal thickening. Our findings suggest that Epac1, in opposition to PKA, increases vascular smooth muscle cell migration. Epac may thus play an important role in advancing vascular remodeling and restenosis upon vascular injury.     

Effects of isolation and culture on prostaglandin synthesis by porcine aortic endothelial and smooth muscle cells

Freshly isolated neonatal porcine aortic tissue (smooth muscle with or without endothelium present) produced approximately 30 ng/mg wet tissue of 6-oxo-prostaglandin F1 alpha (the stable hydrolysis product from prostacyclin) and approximately 15 ng/mg of prostaglandin E2, as measured by radioimmunoassay after 24 h incubation in culture medium. Primary cultures of porcine endothelial and smooth muscle cells (isolated by enzymic digestion of aortic tissue) exhibited the same pattern of prostaglandin production, but absolute values were greater than for fresh tissue, particularly in the case of endothelium. Subcultures of endothelium produced smaller amounts of prostaglandins, although the pattern remained similar. In contrast, subcultures of smooth muscle cells produced a greater total amount of prostaglandins than did primary cultures, and the main product was prostaglandin E2. Experiments with [14C] prostaglandin H2 or [14C]arachidonic acid confirmed that aortic tissue, cultured endothelium, and primary cultures or aortic smooth muscle cells synthesized prostacyclin, and demonstrated that subcultured smooth muscle cells enzymically isomerised prostaglandin H2 to prostaglandin E2. Kinetic studies showed that prostaglandin production by cultured vascular cells was transiently increased by subculture or changing the growth medium, and that production per cell declined with increasing cell density. The change in pattern of prostaglandin production during culture was shown to be due to a rapid decline in the rate of prostacyclin production (which apparently began immediately after tissue isolation), together with a more gradual rise in prostaglandin E2 production. These results indicate that the amounts and ratios of prostaglandins produced by vascular endothelial and smooth muscle cells are greatly affected by the conditions used to isolate and culture the cells; vascular cells in vivo may similarly alter their pattern of prostaglandin production in response to local changes in their environment.     

Preparation of primary cultured mesenteric artery smooth muscle cells for fluorescent imaging and physiological studies

In this protocol, we describe a method for isolation and culture of smooth muscle cells derived from the adult rat (or mouse) superior mesenteric artery. Arterial myocytes are obtained by enzymatic dissociation and established in primary culture. The cultured cells retain expression of smooth muscle-specific alpha-actin and physiological responses to agonists. Cultured arterial myocytes (prepared from wild-type or transgenic animals) provide a useful model for studying the regulation of a wide range of vascular smooth muscle responses at the cellular and subcellular levels. Plasmids, RNA interference and antisense oligodeoxynucleotides can be readily introduced into the cells to alter protein expression. Fluorescent dyes can also be introduced to visualize a variety of activities, some of which may be specific to vascular smooth muscle cells. This protocol requires about 3 h on each of 2 consecutive days to complete.     

Angiotensin II-induced growth effects in vascular smooth muscle in cell culture and in the aortic tunica media in organ culture

Several different studies have investigated the growth effects of angiotensin II on vascular smooth muscle cells in culture. However, smooth muscle cells change their phenotype when placed in culture. The objective of the present study was to investigate the effects of angiotensin II on (3)H-thymidine and (3)H-proline incorporation in vascular smooth muscle cells in culture and in the tunica media of blood vessels perfused at normal physiological pressures in organ culture, thus avoiding the phenotypic changes observed in cell culture. The perfusion system consisted of a peristaltic pump and a closed circuit of plastic tubing connected to a culture media bottle where thoracic rat aortae were placed. Angiotensin II induced an increase in (3)H-thymidine and (3)H-proline incorporation in both culture systems. The results suggest that angiotensin II may play a role in mediating cell growth in vascular smooth muscle cells in their 'contractile' as well as in their 'synthetic' phenotype.     

The uptake and expression of the factor VIII and reporter genes by vascular cells.

The conditions and efficacy of transfection of vascular cells in primary culture using DEAE-dextran, calcium phosphate and lipofectin have been investigated using chloramphenicol acetyltransferase and luciferase as reporter genes. Subsequently factor VIII was expressed in endothelial and smooth muscle cells. Both reporter genes could be expressed after transfection of umbilical vein endothelial cells, umbilical artery smooth muscle cells and fibroblasts. The expression of both reporter genes in endothelial and smooth muscle cells was highest using lipofectin. After transfection of smooth muscle cells with both full-length and mutant factor VIII genes, factor VIII activity and antigen were secreted into the culture medium, the secretion remaining stable to serial cell passage. The secretion of factor VIII from transfected smooth muscle cells was confirmed by the immunoprecipitation of [35S]methionine labelled protein. Endothelial cells also were successfully transfected with the mutant factor VIII gene.     

Modulation of vascular smooth muscle cells proteoglycan synthesis by the extracellular matrix

In this study, we investigated the effect of the extracellular matrix (ECM) secreted by vascular cells on proteoglycan (PG) synthesis by vascular smooth muscle cells in culture. PG synthesis of human aortic smooth muscle cells plated on plastic or the matrices derived from vascular endothelial cells, vascular smooth muscle cells, or THP-1 macrophages was characterized. Smooth muscle cell and macrophage matrices increased both secreted and cellular smooth muscle cells PG production by 2.5-fold to 3.9-fold, respectively, over plastic and endothelial cell matrix. Macrophage matrix was more potent than smooth muscle cell matrix in this regard. Selective enzymatic removal of chondroitin sulfates, collagen, and elastin from smooth muscle cell matrix enhanced the stimulation of PG synthesis, as did the removal of chondroitin sulfates from macrophage matrix. PG turnover rates were similar for smooth muscle cells plated on the three matrices. The newly synthesized PG from cultures plated on smooth muscle cell-, and macrophage-derived matrices had greater charge density, larger molecular size, and longer glycosaminoglycan chains than those from endothelial cell matrix cultures. These data show that the ECM plays a major role in modulating vascular smooth muscle cell PG metabolism in vitro.     

Cerebral microvascular smooth muscle in tissue culture

Cerebral endothelium is being studied rather extensively in tissue culture, but no reports are available describing the tissue culture of cerebral microvascular smooth muscle. The present paper describes for the first time the isolation and culture of non-neoplastic mouse cerebral vascular smooth muscle. Microvessels from a dounce homogenate of mouse brain are plated onto plastic culture dishes in Dulbecco's modified Eagle media plus 20% fetal bovine serum and treated briefly with collagenase. Cells migrate from vessels and proliferate sufficiently to be transferred out of primary culture in 2 to 3 wk. Light microscopy reveals generally broad, polygonal cells that grow collectively in a "hill and valley" pattern. By transmission electron microscopy the cells possess many characteristics of smooth muscle: basal laminas, clusters of pinocytotic vesicles, and bundles of thin filaments. Several ill-defined cell-to-cell junctions are also present. Isoelectric focusing and sodium dodecyl sulfate-electrophoresis of cellular proteins on polyacrylamide gels after pulse labeling cultures with [S-35]methionine demonstrate that these cells actively synthesize a smooth-muscle-specific isoactin, alpha-actin. The identity of alpha-actin is confirmed by analysis of NH2-terminal peptides after actin digestion with trypsin and subsequent peptide cleavage with thermolysin. Both their morphology and active synthesis of alpha-actin strongly suggest that these cells are of smooth-muscle origin. Future studies of their metabolism and interactions with endothelium and astrocytes should provide a better understanding of the cerebral microcirculation.     

Accelerated entry of aortic smooth muscle cells from spontaneously hypertensive rats into the S phase of the cell cycle.

The present study was designed to characterize the growth kinetics of the exaggerated proliferative response to mitogens of vascular smooth muscle cells from spontaneously hypertensive rats compared with cells from normotensive Wistar-Kyoto controls. Cellular DNA content, analyzed by flow cytometry, demonstrated a 4-h accelerated entry into the S phase of the cell cycle of vascular smooth muscle cells from spontaneously hypertensive rats; the significant (4.5-fold) increase in the percentage of cells in the S phase occurred between 8 and 12 h after calf serum stimulation. A 3.9-fold increase of cells in the S phase was seen in the normotensive controls only between 12 and 16 h. Transit through the cell cycle was quantitated by flow cytometry using the Hoechst 33,342--bromodeoxyuridine substitution technique. Vascular smooth muscle cells from spontaneously hypertensive rats went through the cell cycle 4 h ahead of cells from normotensive Wistar-Kyoto rats. This accelerated transit of spontaneously hypertensive rat cells was mostly due to an earlier entry into the S phase. Persistence of this new intermediate phenotype in cell culture suggests its primary pathogenetic role in spontaneous hypertension.     

Meta-vinculin distribution in adult human tissues and cultured cells

Meta-vinculin distribution in adult human tissue was studied by immunoblotting technique. Meta-vinculin was found in smooth (aorta wall and myometrium) and cardiac muscle, rather than in skeletal muscle, liver, kidney and cultured cells - macrophages, foreskin fibroblasts, peripheral blood lymphocytes and vascular endothelial cells. In the primary culture of smooth muscle cells from human aorta the meta-vinculin/vinculin ratio was reduced, and on the onset of cell division meta-vinculin could hardly be detected. Subcultured smooth muscle cells from human aorta did not contain meta-vinculin. The data show that the presence of meta-vinculin is characteristic of 'contractile' smooth muscle cells rather than of proliferating in vitro.