Isolation and purification of colon lamina propria dendritic cells from mice with colitis

Dendritic cells are prime antigen presenting cells for stimulation of T cell immune responses. These cells are present in trace amounts in normal tissue. At sites of disease the increased frequency of these cells interacting with T cells may provide the basis for the release of pro-inflammatory mediators and contribute to localised cell and tissue damage. Studies on dendritic cells in the colon lamina propria of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) mice have been limited due to the difficulties encountered in the isolation and purification of sufficient numbers of these cells. This is the first detailed, reproducible method provided in the literature for the isolation of colon lamina propria dendritic cells from mice with colitis, yielding optimum purity of cells and sufficient numbers to advance the study of dendritic cell function in the colons of mice. The most frequently used identification marker of murine DC is the CD11c surface antigen. We have adapted, combined, and improved procedures developed for the isolation of other cell types, to develop an efficient procedure for the isolation of dendritic cells from colon tissue. This protocol describes a step-by-step method for optimising the purity and recovery of lamina propria CD11c+ dendritic cells from mice colons.