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Updated: Aug 8, 2026
Isolation of Lymphocytes from Mouse Genital Tract Mucosa
Published on: September 3, 2012
Normal uterine cervix: characterization of isolated lymphocyte phenotypes and immunoglobulin secretion
P A Crowley-Nowick1, M Bell, R P Edwards
1Department of Ob/Gyn and Reproductive Sciences, University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, PA, USA.
Insights
Researchers isolated viable immune cells from normal cervical tissue, finding B lymphocytes are predominant. This establishes a baseline for studying cervical immunity changes related to infection or neoplasia.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Gynecologic Pathology
Background:
- Understanding genital tract immunity requires isolating and characterizing functional immune cells from healthy cervical tissue.
- Cervical immune cell populations and their functions are crucial for immune responses in the female reproductive system.
Purpose of the Study:
- To isolate viable lymphocyte populations from normal cervical tissue.
- To characterize the function and phenotype of these isolated cervical lymphocytes.
- To establish a baseline for future studies on cervical immune responses.
Main Methods:
- Normal cervical tissue was processed using multi-enzymatic digestion.
- Flow cytometry (FACS) analysis was used for lymphocyte characterization.
- ELISPOT assays identified immunoglobulin-secreting cells.
Main Results:
- Viable lymphocytes (90-98% viability) were successfully isolated from cervical tissue.
- B lymphocytes were the predominant cell type, significantly higher than in peripheral blood.
- T lymphocytes and NK cells were significantly lower than in peripheral blood; IgG and IgA were the main secreted immunoglobulins.
Conclusions:
- This study provides the first analysis of viable mononuclear cells from normal cervical tissue.
- The findings establish a crucial baseline for comparing cervical immune cell changes in response to disease.
- This research facilitates future investigations into cervical infections and neoplasia.
Problem:
Isolation of viable cervical lymphocyte populations and characterization of their function in healthy tissue is necessary to understand immunity in the genital tract.
Methods:
Normal, cervical tissue was digested using a multi-enzymatic digestion procedure. Lymphocytes were characterized using FACS analysis and ELISPOT analysis for immunoglobulin secreting cells.
Results:
Following the digestion procedure, 0.16 x 10(6) +/- 0.8 cells/g of tissue with a viability of 90-98% were isolated from normal cervical tissue. FACS analysis determined that B lymphocytes were the predominant cell type in normal cervical tissue representing a significantly higher percentage than that found in peripheral blood (P = 0.015). T lymphocytes and NK cells represented a significantly lower percentage than that found in peripheral blood (P = 0.0001 and 0.026, respectively). The largest percentage of immunoglobulin secreting cells isolated were secreting IgG followed by IgA. A limited number of IgM secreting cells were detected. IgA2 secreting cells represented 34.46 +/- 4.6% of the total number of IgA plasma cells.
Conclusion:
These studies represent the first analysis of viable mononuclear cells isolated from normal cervical tissue. The results form a baseline from which it will now be possible to compare changes that occur at the cervical squamocolumnar junction in response to infection or neoplasia.
