Isolation of mononuclear cells from tonsillar tissue.

This unit describes a protocol for the derivation of lymphoid cell populations from tonsillar tissue. The procedure can also be applied with little or no modification to spleen and lymph node tissue. Human tonsils are the most readily available lymphoid organs and are often used as a source of large numbers of cells characteristic of local lymphoid tissue. Mononuclear cells are isolated by mechanical disruption of tonsil tissue followed by Ficoll-Hypaque gradient centrifugation. Cells may then be separated into subpopulations according to general protocols used for peripheral blood lymphocytes.