Isolation, culture, and motility measurements of epidermal melanocytes from GFP-expressing reporter mice

Abstract

In this article, we provide a method to isolate primary epidermal melanocytes from reporter mice, which also allow targeted gene inactivation. The mice from which these cells are isolated are bred into a Rosa26mT/mG reporter background, which results in GFP expression in the targeted melanocytic cell population. These cells are isolated and cultured to >95% purity. The cells can be used for gene expression studies, clonogenic experiments, and biological assays, such as capacity for migration. Melanocytes are slow moving cells, and we also provide a method to measure motility using individual cell tracking and data analysis.