Impact of cell harvesting methods on detection of cell surface proteins and apoptotic markers

Assays based on the flow cytometry technique allow a convenient analysis of multiple cellular parameters; however, their results should be interpreted cautiously due to a strong impact of confounding factors. Different techniques in cell culturing such as either enzymatic or mechanic detachment of adherent cells can heavily influence the structure of the cell membrane or presence of the surface antigens leading to strong false positive signals, and finally, substantial experimental bias. The aim of our study was to assess and compare the impact of cell harvesting methods (both enzymatic and non-enzymatic) on the apoptosis process and on the surface antigen cytometric analyses. We found significant differences in the quality of analysis in terms of the amount of detected surface markers determined by the detachment method. Our results demonstrated clearly how important it is to carefully choose the appropriate detachment method and may help to avoid mistakes in experiment planning. In conclusion, we recommend to adjust the detachment method to the type of analyzed markers (surface antigens or translocated phosphatidylserine).

Production of ZFN-mediated GGTA1 knock-out pigs by microinjection of gene constructs into pronuclei of zygotes

Animals as a source of organs and tissues for xenotransplantation could become a backup solution for the growing shortage of human donors. The presence of human xenoreactive anti- bodies directed against Galα1,3Gal antigens on the cell surface of a pig donor triggers the activa- tion of the complement leading to a hyperacute reaction. The development of genetic engineer- ing techniques has enabled the modification of genomes by knocking in and/or knocking out genes. In this paper, we report the generation of modified pigs with ZFN mediated disruption of the GGTA1 gene encoding the enzyme responsible for synthesis of Galα1,3Gal antigens. ZFN plasmids designed to target the exon 9 region of the pig GGTA1 gene encoding the catalytic domain were injected into the pronuclei of fertilized egg cells. Among 107 piglets of the F0 gene- ration analyzed, one female with 9-nt deletion in exon 9 of the GGTA1 gene was found. 13 of 33 piglets of the F1 generation represented the +/- GGTA1 genotype and 2 of 13 F2 piglets repre- sented the -/- GGTA1 genotype. No changes in the animals' behavior, phenotype or karyotype were observed. Analysis confirmed heredity of the trait in all animals. A complex functional analysis of the modified animals, including flow cytometry, human serum cytotoxicity test and immunohistochemical detection, was performed to estimate the phenotype effect of genetic modification and this indicated an efficient GGTA1 knock-out in modified pigs.