Isolation and Analysis of Mouse and Human Skin γδ T Cells

Abstract

Skin‐resident and infiltrating γδ T lymphocytes are components of the cutaneous immune system that provide the first line of defense against pathogens and the environment. Research that employs the isolation and culture of T cells from murine and human skin can help delineate the molecular and cellular mechanisms utilized by T lymphocytes in skin‐specific immunity. However, obtaining high numbers of T cells from epithelial tissue without resorting to long‐term culture or transformation can be difficult. Here, specific approaches are described for the isolation and culture of γδ T lymphocytes from murine skin and human skin explant cultures. In addition, a protocol to assess the morphology and activation of epidermal γδ T cells in situ using immunofluorescent microscopy is detailed. These techniques can be used to analyze resident and infiltrating γδ T lymphocytes in the skin via flow cytometry, RNA‐seq, or proteomics to further study inflammatory diseases, cancer, or autoimmunity. © 2019 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.