Supervised Machine Learning for Semi-Quantification of Extracellular DNA in Glomerulonephritis

Summary

Extracellular DNA (ecDNA) released during cell death is proinflammatory and contributes to inflammation. Measurement of ecDNA at the site of injury can determine the efficacy of therapeutic treatment in the target organ. This protocol describes the use of a machine learning tool to automate measurement of ecDNA in kidney tissue.

Abstract

Glomerular cell death is a pathological feature of myeloperoxidase anti neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody associated vasculitis (MPO-AAV). Extracellular deoxyribonucleic acid (ecDNA) is released during different forms of cell death including apoptosis, necrosis, necroptosis, neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) and pyroptosis. Measurement of this cell death is time consuming with several different biomarkers required to identify the different biochemical forms of cell death. Measurement of ecDNA is generally conducted in serum and urine as a surrogate for renal damage, not in the actual target organ where the pathological injury occurs. The current difficulty in investigating ecDNA in the kidney is the lack of methods for formalin fixed paraffin embedded tissue (FFPE) both experimentally and in archived human kidney biopsies. This protocol provides a summary of the steps required to stain for ecDNA in FFPE tissue (both human and murine), quench autofluorescence and measure the ecDNA in the resulting images using a machine learning tool from the publicly available open source ImageJ plugin trainable Weka segmentation. Trainable Weka segmentation is applied to ecDNA within the glomeruli where the program learns to classify ecDNA. This classifier is applied to subsequent acquired kidney images, reducing the need for manual annotations of each individual image. The adaptability of the trainable Weka segmentation is demonstrated further in kidney tissue from experimental murine anti-MPO glomerulonephritis (GN), to identify NETs and ecMPO, common pathological contributors to anti-MPO GN. This method provides objective analysis of ecDNA in kidney tissue that demonstrates clearly the efficacy in which the trainable Weka segmentation program can distinguish ecDNA between healthy normal kidney tissue and diseased kidney tissue. This protocol can easily be adapted to identify ecDNA, NETs and ecMPO in other organs.

Introduction

Myeloperoxidase anti neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody associated vasculitis (MPO-AAV) is an autoimmune disease that results in renal failure from pathological glomerular injury with considerable cell death and release of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)^1,2. DNA can activate the immune system by acting as a danger signal. Under normal healthy conditions, the nuclear location of DNA offers protection from exposure to the immune system. Self-DNA that is released extracellularly during either pathogenic processes or autoimmunity is seen by the immune system as a potent proinflammatory damage associated molecular self-pr....

Protocol

This method enables detection of pan ecDNA from all forms of cell death. The same method and antibodies are used for human kidney biopsy tissue (from step 4). All animal and human subjects had Ethics approval from Monash University, and Monash Health, Clayton, Victoria, Australia.

1. Staining for ecDNA with DAPI and β-Actin

1. Induce a 20 day model of anti-myeloperoxidase glomerulonephritis (anti-MPO-GN) in 8-10 week old C57/Bl6 mice, with controls⁹.
   1. Euthanize mice humanely using a CO₂ chamber.
   2. Remove kidneys by making an anterior midline incision through the skin with ....

Results

These images represent the multiple steps required to successfully use trainable Weka segmentation to minimize the labor-intensive manual measurement of ecDNA in fluorescently stained FFPE kidney tissue from a mouse with induced anti-MPO GN. These steps are summarized in Figure 1 and Figure 2 with images taken directly from the Weka segmentation program, outlining every step in the analysis process. Measurements from this analysi.......

Discussion

Multiple protocols exist that measure proinflammatory markers in the serum and urine of both patients and mouse models of glomerulonephritis. This described protocol allows analysis of the products of cell death (ecDNA, NETs and ecMPO) within the glomerulus directly. The most crucial steps in this protocol is the tissue preparation and imaging. The major restricting element of using a fluorescent staining method for analysis is the tissue autofluorescence. Formalin fixed paraffin tissue is subject to autofluorescence tha.......

Materials

List of materials used in this article

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
Bovine Serum Albumin	SIGMA	A2153	5% and 1% solutions are made up in PBS, can be made in bulk and frozen- discard once thawed.
Chicken anti Goat IgG (H+L) cross absorbed antibody Alexa Fluor 594	ThermoFisher Scientific	A-21468	Spin in mini centrifuge for 1 minute prior to use to avoid any free conjugate in your antibody cocktail
Chicken anti mouse IgG (H+L) cross absorbed antibody, Alex Fluor 647	ThermoFisher Scientific	A-121468	Spin in mini centrifuge for 1 minute prior to use to avoid any free conjugate in your antibody cocktail
Chicken anti rabbit IgG (H+L) Cross absorbed antibody Alexa Fluor 488	ThermoFisher Scientific	A-21441	Spin in mini centrifuge for 1 minute prior to use to avoid any free conjugate in your antibody cocktail
Chicken sera	SIGMA	C5405	Made up in 1%BSA/PBS
Coverslips 24 x60 mm	Azerscientific	ES0107222	#1.5 This is not standard thickness- designed for use in confocal microscopy
EDTA 10mM	SIGMA	E6758	Add TRIS and EDTA together in distilled water and pH to 9, for antigen retrieval, can be made up in a 10x Solution
Ethanol 30%, 70% and 100%	Chem Supply	UN1170	Supplied as 100% undenatured ethanol- dilute to 30% and 70% using distilled water
Formaldehyde, 4% (10% Neutral buffered Formalin)	TRAJAN	NBF-500	Kidney is put into a 5ml tube containing 3ml of formalin for 16 hours at RT, formalin should be used in a fume hood
Glass histology slides- Ultra Super Frost, Menzel Glaze, 25x75 x1.0mm	TRAJAN	J3800AM4	Using positive charged coated slides is essential. We do not recommend using poly-L-lysine for coating slides as tissue dislodges from slides during the antigen retrieval step
Goat anti human/mouse MPO antibody	R&D	AF3667	Aliquot and freeze at minus 80 degrees upon arrival
Histosol	Clini Pure	CPL HISTOSOL 08	Used neat, in 200ml staining rack containers, use in a fume hood
Hydrophobic pen	VECTOR Labs	H-400	Use to draw circle around kidney tissue
Mouse anti human/mouse Peptidyl arginase 4 (PAD4)	ABCAM	ab128086	Aliquot and freeze at minus 80 degrees upon arrival
Nikon C1 confocal scanning laser head attached to Nikon Ti-E inverted Microscope	Coherent Scientific		Aliquot and freeze at minus 80 degrees upon arrival
Phosphate Buffered Saline	SIGMA	P38135	0.01M PB/0.09% NaCl Make up 5L at a time
Pressure Cooker 6L Tefal secure 5 Neo stainless	Tefal	GSA-P2530738	Purchased at local homeware store
Prolong Gold DAPI	Life Technologies	P36962	Apply drops directly to coverslip
Rabbit anti human/mouse Beta Actin antibody	ABCAM	ab8227	Aliquot and freeze at minus 80 degrees upon arrival
Rabbit anti human/mouse H3Cit antibody	ABCAM	ab5103	Aliquot and freeze at minus 80 degrees upon arrival
Staining rack 24 slides	ProScitech	H4465	Staining rack chosen has to be able to withstand boiling under pressure and incubation in 60 degree oven
Sudan Black B	SIGMA	199664	0.3% Add 3g to a 1L bottle in 70% Ethanol, filter and protect from the light- stable for 6 months at room temperature
Tris 10mM	SIGMA	T4661	Add TRIS and EDTA together in distilled water and pH to 9, for antigen retrieval, can be made up in a 10x solution
Xylene	Trajan	XL005/20	Must be use used in a fume hood