Isolation and Culture of Juvenile Pig Thyroid Follicular Epithelia

Epithelial tissues are defined by their polarity and their ability to transport directionally. Thyroid is a tissue comprising functional epithelial units organized as enclosed follicles, with their luminal spaces defined by thyrocyte apices. Thus, the native arrangement of thyroid epithelia limits accessibility to the follicular space, presenting a challenge in studying transepithelial movements. This limitation can be overcome by studying thyrocytes grown as two-dimensional cultures. Herein we present methods for isolation of thyroid follicles from juvenile pigs and preparation of high-resistance, polarized cultures.