Isolation of Glomerular Podocytes by Cationic Colloidal Silica-coated Ferromagnetic Nanoparticles

Method: Here, a novel, antibody-free method for isolation of podocyte protein and RNA from mouse glomeruli is described. Preparations of isolated glomeruli were added to a suspension of cationic silica-coated colloidal ferromagnetic nanoparticles. The nanoparticles bound to the negatively charged cell surfaces of podocytes residing on the outer surface of the isolated glomeruli. After enzymatic and mechanical dissociation of glomerular cells, nanoparticle-coated podocytes were isolated in a magnetic field. The method was tested in adult wild-type mice without renal lesions and in mice of two nephropathy models (Growth hormone (GH)-transgenic mice and transgenic mice expressing a dominant negative receptor for the glucose dependent insulinotropic polypeptide, GIPR) displaying albuminuria, glomerular hypertrophy and evidence for a reduced negative cell surface charge of podocytes.