AUTHOR=Du Weijie , Lenz Daniel , Köhler Ralf , Zhang Erping , Cendon Carla , Li Jinchan , Massoud Mona , Wachtlin Joachim , Bodo Juliane , Hauser Anja E. , Radbruch Andreas , Dong Jun 

TITLE=Rapid Isolation of Functional ex vivo Human Skin Tissue-Resident Memory T Lymphocytes

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Immunology

VOLUME=12

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/immunology/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2021.624013

DOI=10.3389/fimmu.2021.624013

ISSN=1664-3224

ABSTRACT=<p>Studies in animal models have shown that skin tissue-resident memory T (T<sub>RM</sub>) cells provide enhanced and immediate effector function at the site of infection. However, analyses of skin T<sub>RM</sub> cells in humans have been hindered by the lack of an optimized isolation protocol. Here, we present a combinatorial strategy-the 6-h collagenase IV digestion and gentle tissue dissociation – for rapid and efficient isolation of skin T<sub>RM</sub> cells with skin tissue-specific immune features. In comparison with paired blood circulating memory T cells, these <italic>ex vivo</italic> isolated skin T cells express typical T<sub>RM</sub> cell markers and display higher polyfunctional properties. Moreover, these isolated cells can also be assessed for longer periods of time in <italic>ex vivo</italic> cultures. Thus, the optimized isolation protocol provides a valuable tool for further understanding of human skin T<sub>RM</sub> cells, especially for direct comparison with peripheral blood T cells at the same sample collection time.</p>