FACS-Isolation and Culture of Fibro-Adipogenic Progenitors and Muscle Stem Cells from Unperturbed and Injured Mouse Skeletal Muscle

Fibro-adipogenic progenitor cells (FAPs) are a population of skeletal muscle-resident mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) capable of differentiating along fibrogenic, adipogenic, osteogenic, or chondrogenic lineage. Together with muscle stem cells (MuSCs), FAPs play a critical role in muscle homeostasis, repair, and regeneration, while actively maintaining and remodeling the extracellular matrix (ECM). In pathological conditions, such as chronic damage and muscular dystrophies, FAPs undergo aberrant activation and differentiate into collagen-producing fibroblasts and adipocytes, leading to fibrosis and intramuscular fatty infiltration. Thus, FAPs play a dual role in muscle regeneration, either by sustaining MuSC turnover and promoting tissue repair or contributing to fibrotic scar formation and ectopic fat infiltrates, which compromise the integrity and function of the skeletal muscle tissue. A proper purification of FAPs and MuSCs is a prerequisite for understanding the biological role of these cells in physiological as well as in pathological conditions. Here, we describe a standardized method for the simultaneous isolation of FAPs and MuSCs from limb muscles of adult mice using fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS). The protocol describes in detail the mechanical and enzymatic dissociation of mononucleated cells from whole limb muscles and injured tibialis anterior (TA) muscles. FAPs and MuSCs are subsequently isolated using a semi-automated cell sorter to obtain pure cell populations. We additionally describe an optimized method for culturing quiescent and activated FAPs and MuSCs, either alone or in coculture conditions.