Protocol for the isolation and purification of human follicular dendritic cells for functional assays

Martijn Breeuwsma; Balthasar A Heesters

doi:10.1016/j.xpro.2023.102404

Protocol for the isolation and purification of human follicular dendritic cells for functional assays

STAR Protoc. 2023 Sep 15;4(3):102404. doi: 10.1016/j.xpro.2023.102404. Epub 2023 Jun 30.

Authors

Martijn Breeuwsma¹, Balthasar A Heesters²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery, Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands. Electronic address: m.breeuwsma@uu.nl.
² Department of Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery, Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands. Electronic address: b.a.heesters@uu.nl.

Abstract

In this protocol, we detail how to isolate and purify human follicular dendritic cells (FDCs) from lymphoid tissues. FDCs play a vital role in antibody development by presenting antigens to B cells in germinal centers. The assay involves enzymatic digestion and fluorescence-activated cell sorting and is successfully applied to various lymphoid tissues, including tonsils, lymph nodes, and tertiary lymphoid structures. Our robust technique enables the isolation of FDCs and facilitates downstream functional and descriptive assays. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Heesters et al.¹.

Keywords: Cell Biology; Cell Isolation; Flow Cytometry/Mass Cytometry; Immunology; Single Cell.

MeSH terms

B-Lymphocytes
Dendritic Cells, Follicular*
Flow Cytometry
Germinal Center*
Humans
Lymph Nodes