Improving the Accuracy of Flow Cytometric Assessment of Mitochondrial Membrane Potential in Hematopoietic Stem and Progenitor Cells Through the Inhibition of Efflux Pumps

Summary

Xenobiotic efflux pumps are highly active in hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) and cause extrusion of TMRM, a mitochondrial membrane potential fluorescent dye. Here, we present a protocol to accurately measure mitochondrial membrane potential in HSPCs by TMRM in the presence of Verapamil, an efflux pump inhibitor.

Abstract

As cellular metabolism is a key regulator of hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) self-renewal, the various roles played by the mitochondria in hematopoietic homeostasis have been extensively studied by HSC researchers. Mitochondrial activity levels are reflected in their membrane potentials (ΔΨm), which can be measured by cell-permeant cationic dyes such as TMRM (tetramethylrhodamine, methyl ester). The ability of efflux pumps to extrude these dyes from cells can limit their usefulness, however. The resulting measurement bias is particularly critical when assessing HSCs, as xenobiotic transporters exhibit higher levels of expression and activity in HSCs than in differentiated cells. Here, we describe a protocol utilizing Verapamil, an efflux pump inhibitor, to accurately measure ΔΨm across multiple bone marrow populations. The resulting inhibition of pump activity is shown to increase TMRM intensity in hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs), while leaving it relatively unchanged in mature fractions. This highlights the close attention to dye-efflux activity that is required when ΔΨm-dependent dyes are used, and as written and visualized, this protocol can be used to accurately compare either different populations within the bone marrow, or the same population across different experimental models.

Introduction

Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) are self-renewing, multi-potent, and capable of giving rise to all the cells of the blood^1,2. Cellular metabolism is a key regulator of HSC maintenance, along with transcriptional factors, intrinsic signals and the microenvironment^3,4,5. The proper control of mitochondrial function and quality is therefore critical to HSC maintenance^6,7.

Mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm) is a key parame....

Protocol

All methods described here have been approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine.

1. Preparation of Solutions

1. Staining Buffer (phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) + 2% fetal bovine serum (FBS)): Add 10 mL of FBS in 500 mL of a sterile PBS solution.
   NOTE: This solution can be stored at 4 °C for at least one month in sterile condition. Before starting the following procedures, put an aliquot of this solution (50 mL) on ice.
2. ACK (ammonium-chloride-potassium) lysing buffer: Place an aliquot of ACK lysing buffer (1 mL) on ice before ....

Results

The protocol described above enables the easy isolation of BM-MNCs from a mouse model. Figure 1 summarizes the main steps of the protocol: bone isolation, flushing out of the bone marrow, red blood cell lysis, and antibody staining followed by TMRM staining to measure mitochondrial membrane potential in a specific hematopoietic population.

BM-MNCs contain several cell populations, including HSCs. The antibody cocktails used in this protocol are well-established in.......

Discussion

Mitochondrial membrane potential measurement is a cornerstone of the analysis and assessment of mitochondria, which are critical to the metabolic state of the cell. Here, we describe a protocol for the analysis of ΔΨm by TMRM staining. TMRM is a cell-permeant fluorescent dye which accumulates in active mitochondria due to ΔΨm, and its respective levels remain in equilibrium between the extracellular, cytoplasmic and mitochondrial compartments¹⁰. This protocol can be adapted for.......

Materials

List of materials used in this article

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
ACK lysing buffer	Life Technologies	A1049201
B220-biotin	BD Bioscience	553086
CD3e-biotin	Life Technologies	13-0031-85
CD4-biotin	Fischer Scientific	BDB553782
CD8-biotin	Life Technologies	13-0081-85
CD11b-biotin	BD Bioscience	553309
CD19-biotin	BD Bioscience	553784
CD34-FITC	eBioscience	11-0341-85
CD48-APC	eBioscience	17-0481-82
CD135-biotin	eBioscience	13-1351-82
CD150-PerCP/Cy5.5	Biolegend	115922
c-kit-APC/Cy7	Biolegend	105826
Cyclosporin H	Millipore Sigma	SML1575-1MG
DAPI solution (1 mg/mL)	Life Technologies	62248
Fetal Bovine Serum (FBS)	Denville	FB5001-H
FCCP	Millipore Sigma	C2920-10MG
Gr1-biotin	Biolegend	108404
IgM-biotin	Life Technologies	13-5790-85
Il7Rα-biotin	eBioscience	13-1271-85
Nk1.1-biotin	Fischer Scientific	BDB553163
Phosphate buffered saline (PBS)	Life Technologies	10010023
Sca-1-PE/Cy7	eBioscience	25-5981-81
SCF murine	PEPROTECH	250-03-10UG
StemSpan SFEM medium	STEMCELL technologies	9605
Streptavidin-Pacific Blue	eBioscience	48-4317-82
Ter119-biotin	Fischer Scientific	BDB553672
TMRM	Millipore Sigma	T5428-25MG
TPO	PEPROTECH	315-14-10UG
Verapamil hydrochloride	Millipore Sigma	V4629-1G