Bone Marrow-Derived Macrophage (BMDM ) Infection by Listeria monocytogenes

Listeria monocytogenes is a gram-positive bacterium adapted to life as both an environmental saprophyte and a pathogenic parasite of mammalian hosts, with a transcriptomic program tailored for each niche. Study of the L. monocytogenes pathogenic lifestyle requires conditions that mimic the mammalian niche. Of the myriad experimental models used to achieve such conditions, the bone marrow-derived macrophage (BMDM) is a relatively simple and reliable primary immune cell model for L. monocytogenes infections. Here we describe the extraction, preparation, and storage of BMDMs and their use in L. monocytogenes infection experiments.