Abstract
Immunodeficient mice engrafted with human immune systems provide an exciting model to study human immunobiology in an in vivo setting without placing patients at risk. The essential parameter for creation of these “humanized models” is engraftment of human hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) that will allow for optimal development of human immune systems. However, there are a number of strategies to generate humanized mice and specific protocols can vary significantly among different laboratories. Here we describe a protocol for the co-implantation of human HSC with autologous fetal liver and thymic tissues into immunodeficient mice to create a humanized model with optimal human T cell development. This model, often referred to as the Thy/Liv or BLT (bone marrow, liver, thymus) mouse, develops a functional human immune system, including HLA-restricted human T cells, B cells, and innate immune cells.
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Acknowledgements
We thank Jamie Kady, Meghan Dolan, Pamela St Louis, Linda Paquin, Michael Bates, Bruce Gott, and Allison Ingalls for excellent technical assistance. This work was supported by National Institutes of Health research grants AI046629 and grants from the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International and the Helmsley Charitable Trust. The contents of this publication are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.
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Aryee, KE., Shultz, L.D., Brehm, M.A. (2014). Immunodeficient Mouse Model for Human Hematopoietic Stem Cell Engraftment and Immune System Development. In: Bunting, K., Qu, CK. (eds) Hematopoietic Stem Cell Protocols. Methods in Molecular Biology, vol 1185. Humana Press, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-1133-2_18
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-1133-2_18
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