Co-Culture and Transduction of Murine Thymocytes on Delta-Like 4-Expressing Stromal Cells to Study Oncogenes in T-Cell Leukemia

J Vis Exp. 2023 Jun 9:(196):10.3791/64271. doi: 10.3791/64271.

Abstract

Transduced mouse immature thymocytes can be differentiated into T cells in vitro using the delta-like 4-expressing bone marrow stromal cell line co-culture system (OP9-DL4). As retroviral transduction requires dividing cells for transgene integration, OP9-DL4 provides a suitable in vitro environment for cultivating hematopoietic progenitor cells. This is particularly advantageous when studying the effects of the expression of a specific gene during normal T cell development and leukemogenesis, as it allows researchers to circumvent the time-consuming process of generating transgenic mice. To achieve successful outcomes, a series of coordinated steps involving the simultaneous manipulation of different types of cells must be carefully performed. Although these are very well-established procedures, the lack of a common source in the literature often means a series of optimizations are required, which can be time-consuming. This protocol has been shown to be efficient in transducing primary thymocytes followed by differentiation on OP9-DL4 cells. Detailed here is a protocol that can serve as a quick and optimized guide for the co-culture of retrovirally transduced thymocytes on OP9-DL4 stromal cells.

Publication types

  • Video-Audio Media
  • Research Support, N.I.H., Intramural

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Cell Differentiation / physiology
  • Coculture Techniques
  • Leukemia, T-Cell* / genetics
  • Leukemia, T-Cell* / metabolism
  • Mice
  • Mice, Transgenic
  • Oncogenes
  • Stromal Cells
  • Thymocytes* / metabolism