Tu178 - Isolation of Amnion Cells from Human and Non-human Primate Placenta for Flow Cytometry and Transcriptomics

Daniel Short – CHELSEA AND WESTMINSTER HOSPITAL NHS FOUNDATION TRUST; Marco Morselli – University of Parma; Matteo Pellegrini – University of California Los Angeles; Mark Johnson – CHELSEA AND WESTMINSTER HOSPITAL NHS FOUNDATION TRUST); Yalda Afshar – University of California Los Angeles; Suhas Kallapur – University of California Los Angeles; Pietro Presicce – University of California Los Angeles

Abstract Text: Intrauterine infection/inflammation (IUI) is a frequent complication of pregnancy leading to preterm labor and fetal inflammation. How inflammation is modulated at the maternal-fetal interface is unresolved. The amnion is a thin layer of fetal origin in contact with the amniotic fluid which plays a key role at the feto-maternal interface during pregnancy. Here, we present a detailed protocol for isolation of human and Rhesus macaque amnion cells as well as two complementary methods (flow cytometry and RNAseq library preparation and analysis). Of note, a deep characterization of these cells via different approaches may provide a new understanding of altered immunological pathways during intrauterine infections to develop new therapeutic strategies.