Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 17, 2025
Isolating Lymphocytes from the Mouse Small Intestinal Immune System
Published on: February 28, 2018
Protocol to isolate immune cells from mouse pancreatic lymph nodes and whole pancreas for mass cytometric analyses
Titli Nargis1, Annie R Piñeros2, Sarah C May1
1Kovler Diabetes Center, Department of Medicine, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA.
Insights
This study details a new protocol for isolating immune cells from mouse pancreas and lymph nodes. This method aids in understanding the immune attack on beta cells in autoimmune diabetes.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Endocrinology
- Diabetes Research
Background:
- Autoimmune diabetes involves an immune system attack on pancreatic beta cells.
- Understanding these immune responses is key to developing treatments.
Purpose of the Study:
- To present a protocol for isolating immune cells from mouse pancreatic lymph nodes and pancreas.
- To enable the analysis of immune cell subsets involved in autoimmune diabetes.
Main Methods:
- Protocol for immune cell isolation from mouse pancreatic lymph nodes and pancreas.
- Mass cytometry for detailed immune cell subset analysis.
- Adaptable protocol for immune cells from various tissues.
Main Results:
- Successful isolation and analysis of immune cells using the developed protocol.
- Identification of innate and adaptive immune cell subsets critical to autoimmune diabetes.
- Protocol effective with as few as 5 x 10^5 cells.
Conclusions:
- The presented protocol is effective for studying immune cells in autoimmune diabetes.
- This method can be adapted for research on immune cells in other tissues.
- Facilitates deeper understanding of the immune attack on beta cells.
Abstract:
Investigating the immune attack on β cells is critical to understanding autoimmune diabetes. Here, we present a protocol to isolate immune cells from mouse pancreatic lymph nodes and whole pancreas, followed by mass cytometric analyses. This protocol can be used to analyze subsets of innate and adaptive immune cells that play critical roles in autoimmune diabetes, with as few as 5 × 105 cells. This protocol can also be adapted to study resident immune cells from other tissues. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Piñeros et al. (2022).1.
