Isolation of functional dendritic cells from murine kidneys for immunological characterization.

Aim:  The kidney is a complex organ, requiring the contributions of multiple cell types to perform its various functions. Within this system the dendritic cell has been demonstrated to play a key role in maintaining the immunological balance of the kidney. In this methods paper we aim to identify the best method for isolating murine renal dendritic cells. Methods:  The efficiency of isolating dendritic cells from enzymatically digested renal parenchyma by density centrifugation, MACS and FACS was compared. Results:  Density centrifugation enriched dendritic cells by only approximately two fold. However, MACS and FACS resulted in a much higher purity (80% versus 95% respectively). Conclusions:  Although FACS gave the highest purity, MACS is the optimal method for isolating dendritic cells given cost and time factors. Isolation of a homogeneous population of renal dendritic cells will enable the molecular and functional dissection of these cells in both homeostasis and disease models.