Laser capture microdissection: techniques and applications in liver diseases

Routine transcriptomic and proteomic analysis are usually performed at a whole organ or tissue level. These approaches provide an average readout of all cell types present within the tissue but do not allow differentiating the profile of specific cell populations. Laser capture microdissection (LCM) constitutes an excellent tool to isolate cell populations or areas of interest within a tissue. By direct visualization, the selected area is excised by a laser and can be further processed for a variety of downstream analyses. This technology has been widely used in the study of liver diseases, from DNA and RNA sequencing to mass spectrometry. However, LCM also has important limitations. To ensure the best integrity of the molecule of interest, optimal tissue preservation, careful tissue sectioning, and optimization of the staining procedure are required. The present review provides a description of the LCM technology, including tips and technical recommendations to perform the procedure, as well as an overview of studies using LCM technology in the field of liver disease.