Isolation of Microglia from Mouse or Human Tissue

• Published in: STAR protocols 2020-06, Vol.1 (1), p.100035, Article 100035
• Main Authors: Bordt, Evan A., Block, Carina L., Petrozziello, Tiziana, Sadri-Vakili, Ghazaleh, Smith, Caroline J., Edlow, Andrea G., Bilbo, Staci D.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; CD11b Antigen - metabolism; Cell Separation - methods; Humans; Mice; Microglia - metabolism; Protocol
• ISSN: 2666-1667; 2666-1667
• DOI: 10.1016/j.xpro.2020.100035

Microglia are the innate immune cells of the central nervous system. Although numerous methods have been developed to isolate microglia from the brain, the method of dissociation and isolation can have a profound effect on the function of these highly dynamic cells. Here, we present an optimized protocol to isolate CD11b+ cells (microglia) from mouse or human brain tissue using magnetic bead columns. Isolated microglia can be used to model diseases with neuroinflammatory components for potential therapeutic discoveries. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Hanamsagar et al. (2017), Rivera et al. (2019), and Edlow et al. (2019) [Display omitted] •An optimized protocol for isolation of mouse or human microglia•Use of magnetic beads for CD11b+ cell isolation•Adaptations for isolation from embryonic or adult tissue•Adaptable for different endpoints (e.g., RNA, protein, flow cytometry, cell culture) Microglia are the innate immune cells of the central nervous system. Although numerous methods have been developed to isolate microglia from the brain, the method of dissociation and isolation can have a profound effect on the function of these highly dynamic cells. Here, we present an optimized protocol to isolate CD11b+ cells (microglia) from mouse or human brain tissue using magnetic bead columns. Isolated microglia can be used to model diseases with neuroinflammatory components for potential therapeutic discoveries.