Isolation and functional characterization of primary endothelial cells from mouse cerebral cortex

Julie Ouellette; Baptiste Lacoste

doi:10.1016/j.xpro.2021.101019

Isolation and functional characterization of primary endothelial cells from mouse cerebral cortex

STAR Protoc. 2021 Dec 11;2(4):101019. doi: 10.1016/j.xpro.2021.101019. eCollection 2021 Dec 17.

Authors

Julie Ouellette^{1

2}, Baptiste Lacoste^{1

2

3}

Affiliations

¹ Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Neuroscience Program, Ottawa, ON K1H8M5, Canada.
² University of Ottawa, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Ottawa, ON K1H8M5, Canada.
³ University of Ottawa Brain and Mind Research Institute, Ottawa, ON K1H8M5, Canada.

Abstract

Endothelial cells (ECs) lining blood vessels are implicated in organ development, function, and maintenance. We present a detailed protocol enabling isolation and characterization of primary mouse brain ECs, including quality controls and functional assays. These procedures promote survival of primary brain ECs for the assessment of endothelial health. Since alterations in brain ECs are involved in the onset and progression of neurological disorders, this protocol represents a valuable tool to better understand the roles of ECs in brain health. For complete details on the use and execution of this profile, please refer to Ouellette et al. (2020).

Keywords: Cell Biology; Cell culture; Cell isolation; Cell-based Assays; Molecular Biology; Neuroscience.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Animals
Cells, Cultured
Cerebral Cortex / cytology*
Endothelial Cells / cytology
Mice

Grants and funding

CIHR/Canada