Bead Loading to Introduce Nucleic Acids Into Adherent Cultured Cells: A Technique to Load Fluorescent Protein-Encoding Plasmids Into Adherent Mammalian Cells

Published: April 30, 2023

Abstract

Source: Cialek, C. A. et al. Bead Loading Proteins and Nucleic Acids into Adherent Human Cells. J. Vis. Exp. (2021).

In this video, we describe the procedure to introduce nucleic acids into adherent mammalian cells using bead loading.

Protocol

1. Bead loading cells

NOTE: If required, wash the cells briefly with phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) and then add 2 mL of the optimal medium. Incubate for at least 30 min.

  1. Make a solution of 3-8 µL containing the desired plasmids, protein, and/or particles. Use ~1 µg (0.1-1 pmol) of each type of plasmid and ~0.5 µg (0.01 nmol) of protein, depending on experimental requirements. Use a low-retention tube for proteins so that they are not left behind on the tube walls. Bring the solution up to a minimum of 3 µL with PBS, and adjust the solution volume to coat the entire area of cells to be loaded (i.e., the chamber's microwell, Figure 1B).
  2. Mix the solution thoroughly by pipetting up and down and/or flicking the tube. Briefly spin the solution down to the bottom of the tube in a tabletop microfuge.
  3. Transfer the bead loading solution and the chamber of cells into a tissue culture hood. Perform the remaining steps in the tissue culture hood using sterile technique.
  4. Remove the medium from the cells and temporarily store it in a sterile tube. Gently aspirate all medium from around the edges of the chamber and tilt the chamber at approximately a 45° angle and remove the remaining drop of media in the center microwell. During medium removal, make sure to avoid letting the pipette tip touch the glass, which may result in cell peeling and loss. Move quickly to the next step so that the cells are not dry for long.
  5. Gently pipette the bead loading solution onto the glass microwell in the center of the chamber. Optional: Incubate with gentle rocking for ~30 s without allowing the chamber to dry up completely.
  6. Gently disperse a monolayer of glass beads on top of the cells, preferably using a bead loading apparatus (Figure 1A). Ensure that the beads cover the cells in the glass-bottom microwell completely.
  7. Pinching the chamber with two fingers, tap it against the hood surface by lifting it ~2 inches and bringing it down firmly. Use a force approximately equivalent to dropping the dish from that height. Repeat for a total of ~10 taps.
    NOTE: Ensure that the taps do not substantially peel the cells. Tapping can be optimized for the cell type. If cells load poorly, tap harder; however, if many cells peel off, tap more lightly.
  8. Gently add medium back into the chamber by pipetting slowly onto the plastic side of the chamber. Try to aspirate any floating beads without disturbing the cells. Add more pre-warmed media at this step if too much was removed. Incubate the cells for 0.5-2 h in the incubator.

Representative Results

Figure 1
Figure 1: Bead loading apparatus, technique, and timeline

Disclosures

The authors have nothing to disclose.

Materials

10 cm cell culture dishes VWR 82050-916 Use to culture cells
35 mm cell culture dishes Falcon 353001 Use to construct bead loader
Attofluor Cell Chamber Thermo Fisher Scientific A7816 Use to construct the custom bead loader
DMEM, high glucose, no glutamine Thermo Fisher Scientific 11960069 Use in general cell culture
Glass bottom dishes, 35 mm, #1.5, 14 mm glass MatTek Corporation P35G-1.5-14-C Seed cells onto these chambers for imaging
Glass beads, acid washed, ≤106 µm Millipore Sigma G4649 Sprinkle on cells to bead load plasmid DNA and proteins
Phosphate Buffered Saline (PBS) Thermo Fisher Scientific AM9625 Working stock of sterile 1X PBS
Phenol-free DMEM Thermo Fisher Scientific 31053036 Use on cells before imaging
Opti-MEM, Reduced Serum Medium Thermo Fisher Scientific 31985070 Optimal media for incubating cells before bead loading (optional step)

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Cite This Article
Bead Loading to Introduce Nucleic Acids Into Adherent Cultured Cells: A Technique to Load Fluorescent Protein-Encoding Plasmids Into Adherent Mammalian Cells. J. Vis. Exp. (Pending Publication), e20985, doi: (2023).

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