Name: Murine Superficial Lymph Node Surgery (Video) | JoVE Journal
Uploaded: 2012-05-21T12:00:00.000+00:00
Duration: 4 min 36 s
Description: Learn surgical lymph node removal in mice for immunology research using sequential harvesting techniques. This method enables temporal tracking of immune responses and flow cytometry analysis of viable lymphocyte populations.

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5 minutes

We thank Sylvie Lesage and all lab members for critical reading of the protocol. This work was supported by a grant (MOP-77545) from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). Nathalie Labrecque is supported by a FRSQ Senior Scholarship and M&eacute;lissa Mathieu received a NSERC Alexander Graham Bell Canada Graduate Scholarship.

1. Preparation Before The Surgery
Mice were treated in accordance to the Canadian Council on Animal Care guidelines.
<ol>
	<li>Anesthetise mice by injection of ketamine/xylazine (150/300 mg/kg, i.p.) or by inhalation of isoflurane (2%, 1L oxygen). If available, isoflurane should be used as it allows for a better control of anaesthesia time and depth. Also, oxygen is administered at the same time which supports the physiological functions of the animal. Moreover, isoflurane is directly eliminated by the lungs and thus does not require hepatic or kidney metabolism.</li>
	<li>Inject buprenorphine (0.05 - 0.1 mg/kg, s.c.) or another analgesic.</li>
	<li>Apply ointment on the mouse eyes before surgery to avoid eye dryness (if isoflurane is used).</li>
	<li>Verify that the mouse is asleep by pinching its paw and rolling its tail. If the mouse does not react, proceed with the surgery.</li>
</ol>
2. The Surgery
It is possible to remove 4 of the superficial lymph nodes (LN) by surgery: the 2 inguinal and the 2 brachial. The isolation of LN is easier in young lean mice (6-8 weeks) since the presence of fatty tissue in older mice can interfere with LN isolation. However, this limitation is overcome with repeated practice. For the mice comfort, we harvest a maximum of 2 LNs at a time and when we perform time-course experiments, we harvest LNs every second day. Also, to prevent infection, antibiotics could be given to the mouse, but we do not and wounds are healing just fine. One needs to be aware that depending on the experimental design, the use of an antibiotic could influence the result observed (for example if a response to a bacterium is measured). Note that all instruments are sterilized after each use and aseptic conditions are maintained throughout the procedures.
<ol>
	<li>Put the mouse on its side. </li>
	<li>Localize the region where you will perform an incision, depending on the LN you want to harvest. (Figure 1).</li>
	<li>Apply chlorhexidine, or another disinfectant, to that region.</li>
	<li>Make a tiny incision with sharp scissors (about 5 mm) either on the back of the foreleg or above the hind paw near the abdomen (Figure 1).</li>
	<li>Remove the loose hairs you have cut with the forceps. If you prefer, you may shave the mouse before making the incision. However, it lengthens the procedure and we find that it is not necessary since, as shown here, it does not improve healing or decrease infection, which are both very rare.</li>
	<li>Stretch the incision with 2 forceps in order to see the LN. The incision might reach 10 mm. The LN appears grayish or darker than the surrounding fat.</li>
	<li>Pinch the fascia (the thin membrane covering the fat and tissue) on top of the LN with one forceps and pull lightly without breaking the surrounding tissue.</li>
	<li>Place the second forceps as far as possible underneath the LN. With the first forceps, break the fascia and remove the LN. If you have successfully harvested the LN, a stain of blood should appear at the location where the LN was previously located. Note that the LN sinks in isotonic solution. This simple test allows you to validate that you have extracted a LN and not fat tissue.</li>
	<li>Verify that no hairs are in the wound.</li>
	<li>Close the incision by sticking the 2 parts of skin together (the inside of the skin) and by stapling them with a clip. We use some Michel Clip with the applying forceps. Install one or 2 clips depending on the size of the incision. Most often, the clips fall off when the tissue heals.</li>
</ol>
3. Postoperative Care
<ol>
	<li>Add some wet food to the bottom of the cage so the mice can feed easily after the surgery.</li>
	<li>About 6 to 8 hours after the surgery, check the mice to ensure that they do not experience pain. Carefully observe their behaviour (posture, gait, interaction with congener and appearance of the fur). If the overall appearance of the mice is poor, administer a second dose of buprenorphine. By the next day the mice should regain their normal behaviour otherwise continue the administration of buprenorphine. The mice should never reach the endpoints previously determined and accepted by your Animal Care Council. You might want to seek advice and help from your animal care vivarium technician.</li>
</ol>
4. Lymph Node Handling
<ol>
	<li>In the laboratory, to obtain a single cell suspension, dissociate the LN as per your usual procedure. We press LN against frosted slides and routinely obtain 1-2 x 106 cells per LN. Alternatively, we prepare the LN for RNA extraction.</li>
	<li>Stain the cells as per your usual protocol. You should obtain expected LN flow cytometry profiles.</li>
</ol>
5. Representative Results
An example of forward and side scatter plot is shown for LNs harvested from an anesthetized mouse by surgery or from a sacrificed mouse (Figure 2). The profile and the percentages of cells in the live lymphocyte gate are the same demonstrating that LN surgery is an appropriate technique to harvest cells.
<img alt="Mouse anatomy comparison; lateral view diagrams, highlighting skeletal structures, research study." src="/files/ftp_upload/3444/3444fig1.jpg" data-altupdatedat="1788304762000" data-alt="Figure 1"> 
Figure 1. Inguinal and brachial LN localization in the mouse. A. The inguinal LN is located just above the hind paw, slightly toward the belly. B. The brachial LN is located behind the foreleg.
<img alt="Flow cytometry diagram; compares anesthetized vs. sacrificed samples; SSC-A vs. FSC-A data analysis." src="/files/ftp_upload/3444/3444fig2.jpg" data-altupdatedat="1788304762000" data-alt="Figure 2"> 
Figure 2. Flow cytometry profile of lymphocytes obtained following LN surgery. Forward and side scatter profiles are shown for LNs harvested from an anesthetized mouse by surgery (A) or from a sacrificed mouse (B). LNs were harvested, dissociated and analyzed on a flow cytometer. Percentages of cells in the live lymphocyte gate are shown.

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<li>Zhou, X. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=((Differentiation+and+persistence+of+memory+CD8%28%2B%29+T+cells+depend+on+T+cell+factor+1%5BTitle%5D)+AND+%22Immunity%22%5BJournal%5D)">Differentiation and persistence of memory CD8(+) T cells depend on T cell factor 1.</a> Immunity. 33, 229-240 (2010).</li>
<li>Wirth, T. C., Badovinac, V. P., Zhao, L., Dailey, M. O., Harty, J. T. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=((Differentiation+of+central+memory+CD8+T+cells+is+independent+of+CD62L-mediated+trafficking+to+lymph+nodes%5BTitle%5D)+AND+%22J.+Immunol%22%5BJournal%5D)">Differentiation of central memory CD8 T cells is independent of CD62L-mediated trafficking to lymph nodes.</a> J. Immunol. 182, 6195-6206 (2009).</li>
<li>Rooke, R., Waltzinger, C., Benoist, C., Mathis, D. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=((Targeted+complementation+of+MHC+class+II+deficiency+by+intrathymic+delivery+of+recombinant+adenoviruses%5BTitle%5D)+AND+%22Immunity%22%5BJournal%5D)">Targeted complementation of MHC class II deficiency by intrathymic delivery of recombinant adenoviruses.</a> Immunity. 7, 123-134 (1997).</li>
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No conflicts of interest declared.

We have described a protocol of LN surgery which can apply to many experimental systems. Although very useful to follow immune responses or immune cell homeostasis, this technique has a few limitations. First, only four LNs can be harvested. Second, the immune response studied must be systemic or occur in the superficial inguinal or brachial (skin-draining) LNs. Finally, the number of cells harvested is influenced by the quality of the LN removal, a technical limitation which may contribute to experimental variability wh...

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murine superficial lymph node surgery

Murine Superficial Lymph Node Surgery

In the field of immunology, to understand the progression of an immune response against a vaccine, an infection or a tumour, the response is often followed over time. Similarly, the study of lymphocyte homeostasis requires time course experiments. Performing these studies within the same mouse is ideal to reduce the experimental variability as well as the number of mice used. Blood withdrawal allows performance of time course experiments, but it only gives information about circulating lymphocytes and provides a limited number of cells1-4. Since lymphocytes circulating through the body and residing in the lymph nodes have different properties, it is important to examine both locations. The sequential removal of lymph nodes by surgery provides a unique opportunity to follow an immune response or immune cell expansion in the same mouse over time. Furthermore, this technique yields between 1-2x106 cells per lymph node which is sufficient to perform phenotypic characterization and/or functional assays. Sequential lymph node surgery or lymphadenectomy has been successfully used by us and others5-11. Here, we describe how the brachial and inguinal lymph nodes can be removed by making a small incision in the skin of an anesthetised mouse. Since the surgery is superficial and done rapidly, the mouse recovers very quickly, heals well and does not experience excessive pain. Every second day, it is possible to harvest one or two lymph nodes allowing for time course experiments. This technique is thus suitable to study the characteristics of lymph node-residing lymphocytes over time. This approach is suitable to various experimental designs and we believe that many laboratories would benefit from performing sequential lymph node surgeries.

To follow the progression of an immune response over time within the same mouse, lymph nodes can be sequentially removed by surgery. Here, we describe how this technique can be performed.

In the field of immunology, to understand the progression of an immune response against a vaccine, an infection or a tumour, the response is often ...

The overall goal of this procedure is to surgically remove lymph nodes from an anesthetized mouse. This is accomplished by first localizing the lymph nodes. The lymph nodes are harvested, and then the incision is closed.Finally, a single cell suspension can be obtained for experimental analysis. Ultimately, viable lymphocyte populations can be evaluated by flow cytometry. Visual demonstration of this technique is critical as lymph node localization and removal need to be viewed in order to be mastered.After anesthetizing the mouse, apply eye ointment, inject buprenorphine and confirm sedation by toe pinch, then turn the mouse onto its side. First, localize the brachial lymph node and then shave the region to be dissected. After brushing away any loose hairs, apply a disinfectant to the region and then make a tiny incision of about five millimeters on the back of the four Legg.Use two pairs of forceps to stretch the incision until the brachial lymph node, which can appear grayish or darker than the surrounding fat can be seen. Then pinch the fascia covering the lymph node with one pair of forceps. Place the second pair of forceps as far underneath the lymph node as possible and pull lightly on the membrane without breaking the surrounding tissue.Then use the first pair of forceps to break the fascia and remove the lymph node. If the lymph node has been successfully harvested, a stain of blood will appear where the lymph node was previously located. Place the excised lymph node into an isotonic solution if it sinks, this will confirm the harvested tissue is a lymph node not fat.Next, verify that no hairs are in the wound and close the incision by sticking the two insides of the skin together and by stapling them with one to two clips, depending on the size of the incision. Now localize a inguinal lymph node and shave the region to be dissected. After brushing away any loose hairs, apply a disinfectant to the region and then make a tiny incision of about five millimeters above the hind paw near the abdomen.After opening the incision with two pairs of forceps as just shown for the brachial lymph node, identify the inguinal lymph node nestled within the surrounding fat tissue. Then remove the lymph node with the two pairs of forceps as just demonstrated. Again, confirm successful harvesting of lymph node by noting the stain of blood that appears where the lymph node was previously located, and then drop the inguinal lymph node into a separate container of isotonic solution.After all the lymph nodes have been harvested, place the mouse into a cage and add wet food so the mouse can feed easily. After the surgery about six to eight hours later, check the mouse to ensure it is not experiencing pain. Carefully observe that posture, gait interaction with congen and appearance of the fur is similar to that of a normal healthy mouse.Finally, dissociate the lymph node by pressing it against frosted slides in a Petri dish and then transfer it into a tube to obtain a single cell suspension. After staining the cells for the cell surface antigens of interest, analyze the cells by flow cytometry. Here, sample forward and side, scatterplots are shown for lymph nodes harvested from either anesthetized or sacrificed animals.The profiles and percentages of cells in the live lymphocyte gates of the two scatterplots are the same. Demonstrating that lymph node surgery is an appropriate technique to harvest cells Once mastered the lymph node surgery can be done in five to 10 minutes per mouse if it is performed properly.

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Visualizing Lymph Node Structure and Cellular Localization using Ex-Vivo Confocal Microscopy

This animal model enables researchers to induce statistically significant secondary lymphedema in the hindlimb of mice, lasting at least 8 weeks. The model can be used to study the pathophysiology of lymphedema and to investigate novel treatment options.

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Blocking Lymph Flow by Suturing Afferent Lymphatic Vessels in Mice

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Murine Mesenteric Lymphadenectomy for Selective Disruption of Lymphatic Communication with Region-Specific Gut

Learn surgical lymph node removal in mice for immunology research using sequential harvesting techniques. This method enables temporal tracking of immune responses and flow cytometry analysis of viable lymphocyte populations.

Murine Superficial Lymph Node Surgery

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