An Efficient and Flexible Cell Aggregation Method for 3D Spheroid Production

Summary

Here, we describe a rapid and flexible protocol for the formation of 3D cell spheroids through cell aggregation. This is easily adapted to multiple cell types and is suitable for use in a variety of applications including cell migration, invasion, or anoikis assays, and for imaging and quantifying cell-matrix interactions.

Abstract

Monolayer cell culture does not adequately model the in vivo behavior of tissues, which involves complex cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions. Three-dimensional (3D) cell culture techniques are a recent innovation developed to address the shortcomings of adherent cell culture. While several techniques for generating tissue analogues in vitro have been developed, these methods are frequently complex, expensive to establish, require specialized equipment, and are generally limited by compatibility with only certain cell types. Here, we describe a rapid and flexible protocol for aggregating cells into multicellular 3D spheroids of consistent size that is compatible with growth of a variety of tumor and normal cell lines. We utilize varying concentrations of serum and methyl cellulose (MC) to promote anchorage-independent spheroid generation and prevent the formation of cell monolayers in a highly reproducible manner. Optimal conditions for individual cell lines can be achieved by adjusting MC or serum concentrations in the spheroid formation medium. The 3D spheroids generated can be collected for use in a wide range of applications, including cell signaling or gene expression studies, candidate drug screening, or in the study of cellular processes such as tumor cell invasion and migration. The protocol is also readily adapted to generate clonal spheroids from single cells, and can be adapted to assess anchorage-independent growth and anoikis-resistance. Overall, our protocol provides an easily modifiable method for generating and utilizing 3D cell spheroids in order to recapitulate the 3D microenvironment of tissues and model the in vivo growth of normal and tumor cells.

Introduction

Biologically relevant assessment of tumor cell behavior is challenging using traditional two-dimensional (2D) cell culture methodologies, in part because these do not adequately reflect the cell microenvironment found in vivo. Alternative approaches incorporating extracellular matrix components into the culture (e.g., Boyden chamber assays) are more physiologically representative of the in vivo tissue environment. However, they can be limited to assessment of individual cell behavior, and do not recapitulate the complex in vivo combinations of cell-matrix and cell-cell interactions that contribute to tissue or tumor growth

Protocol

NOTE: All reagents and consumables are listed in the Materials List.

1. Spheroid Production by Cell Aggregation

1. Methyl cellulose solution: Prepare 100 mL of 100 mg/mL methyl cellulose.
   1. Heat 50 mL ultrapure H₂O to 80 °C. Add 10 g methyl cellulose powder and agitate until particles are evenly dispersed.
   2. Bring to final volume with cold ultrapure H₂O and stir at 4 °C until the solution becomes clear, straw colored, and contains no visible solids.
   3. Pass through a 0.45 µm filter to remove undissolved solids. Prepared solution may be....

Results

We describe a flexible and efficient method to generate discrete spheroids using cell-repellent plates and spheroid formation media supplemented with MC. Under the appropriate conditions of MC and serum, individual cells settle and adhere together at the center of the well to form spheroids with minimal adherence to the well bottom. Using this protocol, spheroids were generated from a variety of cell lines (Figure 2B). Titration of MC and serum concentrations is required .......

Discussion

We present a rapid and flexible method for producing 3D cell spheroids to model the architecture of in vivo tissues using inexpensive and widely available reagents. Our protocol exploits the non-cytotoxic and adhesion-promoting properties of MC^8,9 to mediate cell aggregation and minimize cell monolayer formation. Unlike protein-based matrices isolated from animal sources, MC is inert, contains no growth factors, and is easily removed by washing, allowing.......

Materials

List of materials used in this article

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
Buffers
10x Phosphate buffered saline	Thermo Fisher Scientific	AM9625
Calcium Chloride Solution	Sigma-Aldrich	21114	Used for PBS+ wash buffer; Do not autoclave PBS+ wash buffer upon addition of calcium chloride
Magnesium Chloride Solution	Sigma-Aldrich	M1028	Used for PBS+ wash buffer; Do not autoclave PBS+ wash buffer upon addition of magnesium chloride
Name	Company	Catalog number	Comments
For Spheroid Formation
96-well U-bottom Cell-Repellent Plate	Greiner Bio-One	650970
Dulbecco's Modified Eagle's Medium	Sigma-Aldrich	D5546	For culturing SH-SY5Y, PANC-1, TPC-1 cell lines
F12K Medium	Thermo Fisher Scientific	2112722	For culturing TT cell line
Fetal Bovine Serum	Sigma-Aldrich	F1051	Filter prior to use to remove particulate contaminants
Methyl cellulose	Sigma-Aldrich	M7027	Prepare in water to 100 mg/mL
Roswell Park Memorial Institute Medium	Sigma-Aldrich	R8758	For culturing HCT-116, BxPC-3 cell lines
TrypLE Express	Thermo Fisher Scientific	12605028	Dissociation buffer
Name	Company	Catalog number	Comments
For Invasion Assay
Bovine Type I Collagen	Corning Incorporated	354231	Stock 3.1 mg/mL; Maintain on ice when in use
DMEM Phenol Red Free Low Glucose	Thermo Fisher Scientific	11054-20	Less background fluorescence compared to Phenol Red supplemented medium
Glial Cell Line Derived Neurotrophic Factor	Peprotech	450-10	Chemoattractant
Name	Company	Catalog number	Comments
For Immunofluorescence Microscopy
#1.5 Coverglass	Electron Microscopy Sciences	72225-01	For mounting excised spheroids
Alexa-Fluor 488 Phalloidin	Thermo Fisher Scientific	A12379	Used to stain actin at 1:200
Bovine Serum Albumin	Bioshop Canada Incorporated	ALB001	Used in BSA blocking buffer
Dabco 33-LV	Sigma-Aldrich	290734	Antifade
Glycerol	Bioshop Canada Incorporated	GLY001	Used in MOWIOL mounting medium
ImageJ Software	Freeware, NIH	-	Used for image analysis
Microslides	VWR International	48312-024	For mounting excised spheroids
MOWIOL 4-88	EMD-Millipore	475904	Used in MOWIOL mounting medium
Paraformaldehyde	EMD-Millipore	PX0055-3	Used in fixation buffer
Triton X-100	Bioshop Canada Incorporated	TRX777	Used in permeabilization buffer