Use of stable isotope-tagged thymidine and multi-isotope imaging mass spectrometry (MIMS) for quantification of human cardiomyocyte division.

TitleUse of stable isotope-tagged thymidine and multi-isotope imaging mass spectrometry (MIMS) for quantification of human cardiomyocyte division.
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2021
AuthorsYester JW, Liu H, Gyngard F, Ammanamanchi N, Little KC, Thomas D, Sullivan MLG, Lal S, Steinhauser ML, Kühn B
JournalNat Protoc
Volume16
Issue4
Pagination1995-2022
Date Published2021 Apr
ISSN1750-2799
KeywordsCell Division, Cell Nucleus, Cell Proliferation, Female, Fetus, Humans, Imaging, Three-Dimensional, Infant, Isotope Labeling, Leukocytes, Mass Spectrometry, Myocardium, Myocytes, Cardiac, Nitrogen Isotopes, Ploidies, Pregnancy, Sarcomeres, Tetralogy of Fallot, Thymidine
Abstract

Quantification of cellular proliferation in humans is important for understanding biology and responses to injury and disease. However, existing methods require administration of tracers that cannot be ethically administered in humans. We present a protocol for the direct quantification of cellular proliferation in human hearts. The protocol involves administration of non-radioactive, non-toxic stable isotope 15Nitrogen-enriched thymidine (15N-thymidine), which is incorporated into DNA during S-phase, in infants with tetralogy of Fallot, a common form of congenital heart disease. Infants with tetralogy of Fallot undergo surgical repair, which requires the removal of pieces of myocardium that would otherwise be discarded. This protocol allows for the quantification of cardiomyocyte proliferation in this discarded tissue. We quantitatively analyzed the incorporation of 15N-thymidine with multi-isotope imaging spectrometry (MIMS) at a sub-nuclear resolution, which we combined with correlative confocal microscopy to quantify formation of binucleated cardiomyocytes and cardiomyocytes with polyploid nuclei. The entire protocol spans 3-8 months, which is dependent on the timing of surgical repair, and 3-4.5 researcher days. This protocol could be adapted to study cellular proliferation in a variety of human tissues.

DOI10.1038/s41596-020-00477-y
Alternate JournalNat Protoc
PubMed ID33627842
PubMed Central IDPMC8221415
Grant ListDP2 CA216362 / CA / NCI NIH HHS / United States
UL1 TR001857 / TR / NCATS NIH HHS / United States
R01 HL151415 / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States
R01 HL106302 / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States
S10 RR025488 / RR / NCRR NIH HHS / United States
KL2 TR001856 / TR / NCATS NIH HHS / United States
T32 HD071834 / HD / NICHD NIH HHS / United States
TL1 TR001858 / TR / NCATS NIH HHS / United States
R01 HL151386 / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States