1
|
Mulas C, Hodgson AC, Kohler TN, Agley CC, Humphreys P, Kleine-Brüggeney H, Hollfelder F, Smith A, Chalut KJ. Microfluidic platform for 3D cell culture with live imaging and clone retrieval. Lab Chip 2020; 20:2580-2591. [PMID: 32573646 DOI: 10.1039/d0lc00165a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Combining live imaging with the ability to retrieve individual cells of interest remains a technical challenge. Combining imaging with precise cell retrieval is of particular interest when studying highly dynamic or transient, asynchronous, or heterogeneous cell biological and developmental processes. Here, we present a method to encapsulate live cells in a 3D hydrogel matrix, via hydrogel bead compartmentalisation. Using a small-scale screen, we optimised matrix conditions for the culture and multilineage differentiation of mouse embryonic stem cells. Moreover, we designed a custom microfluidic platform that is compatible with live imaging. With this platform we can long-term culture and subsequently extract individual cells-in-beads by media flow only, obviating the need for enzymatic cell removal from the platform. Specific beads may be extracted from the platform in isolation, without disrupting the adjacent beads. We show that we can differentiate mouse embryonic stem cells, monitor reporter expression by live imaging, and retrieve individual beads for functional assays, correlating reporter expression with functional response. Overall, we present a highly flexible 3D cell encapsulation and microfluidic platform that enables both monitoring of cellular dynamics and retrieval for molecular and functional assays.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Carla Mulas
- Wellcome-MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, Jeffrey Cheah Biomedical Centre, University of Cambridge, Puddicombe Way, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, CB2 0AW, UK.
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
2
|
Kleine-Brüggeney H, van Vliet LD, Mulas C, Gielen F, Agley CC, Silva JCR, Smith A, Chalut K, Hollfelder F. Long-Term Perfusion Culture of Monoclonal Embryonic Stem Cells in 3D Hydrogel Beads for Continuous Optical Analysis of Differentiation. Small 2019; 15:e1804576. [PMID: 30570812 DOI: 10.1002/smll.201804576] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2018] [Revised: 12/02/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Developmental cell biology requires technologies in which the fate of single cells is followed over extended time periods, to monitor and understand the processes of self-renewal, differentiation, and reprogramming. A workflow is presented, in which single cells are encapsulated into droplets (Ø: 80 µm, volume: ≈270 pL) and the droplet compartment is later converted to a hydrogel bead. After on-chip de-emulsification by electrocoalescence, these 3D scaffolds are subsequently arrayed on a chip for long-term perfusion culture to facilitate continuous cell imaging over 68 h. Here, the response of murine embryonic stem cells to different growth media, 2i and N2B27, is studied, showing that the exit from pluripotency can be monitored by fluorescence time-lapse microscopy, by immunostaining and by reverse-transcription and quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR). The defined 3D environment emulates the natural context of cell growth (e.g., in tissue) and enables the study of cell development in various matrices. The large scale of cell cultivation (in 2000 beads in parallel) may reveal infrequent events that remain undetected in lower throughput or ensemble studies. This platform will help to gain qualitative and quantitative mechanistic insight into the role of external factors on cell behavior.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hans Kleine-Brüggeney
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, 80 Tennis Court Road, Cambridge, CB2 1GA, UK
| | - Liisa D van Vliet
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, 80 Tennis Court Road, Cambridge, CB2 1GA, UK
| | - Carla Mulas
- Wellcome Trust/Medical Research Council Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge, CB2 1QR, UK
| | - Fabrice Gielen
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, 80 Tennis Court Road, Cambridge, CB2 1GA, UK
| | - Chibeza C Agley
- Wellcome Trust/Medical Research Council Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge, CB2 1QR, UK
| | - José C R Silva
- Wellcome Trust/Medical Research Council Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge, CB2 1QR, UK
| | - Austin Smith
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, 80 Tennis Court Road, Cambridge, CB2 1GA, UK
- Wellcome Trust/Medical Research Council Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge, CB2 1QR, UK
| | - Kevin Chalut
- Wellcome Trust/Medical Research Council Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge, CB2 1QR, UK
- Department of Physics, University of Cambridge, 19 J J Thomson Avenue, Cambridge, CB3 0HE, UK
| | - Florian Hollfelder
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, 80 Tennis Court Road, Cambridge, CB2 1GA, UK
| |
Collapse
|