Gavaging Adult Zebrafish

The zebrafish has become an important in vivo model in biomedical research. Effective methods must be developed and utilized to deliver compounds or ...

The Rockefeller University

The expanding use of genetically engineered mice has placed increasing demands upon research facilities to import mutant strains from noncommercial sources. Conventional quarantine strategies use relatively large amounts of space per animal and/or require specialized equipment (e.g., cubicles, isolators, and ventilated racks). We have retrospectively assessed a quarantine program instituted 4 years ago that used a small amount of space and minimized the need for special equipment. Shipments presumed, in light of health reports, to be free of agents excluded from our colonies were housed in static microisolator caging in a shared quarantine room. Rather than functioning as an "all-in-all-out" area, the room continually received new shipments, which were released intermittently as multi-shipment groups after testing was performed. Noninvasive testing of the imported mice was combined with nonsurvival sampling of sentinels that had been exposed to shipped animals via direct contact and/or exposure to soiled bedding. During the 4-year period examined, the vast majority of shipments presumed to be free of excluded agents showed no evidence of contamination when screened. When active infection was detected in the shared room, the procedures in place proved sufficient to prevent cross-contamination of other shipments. The use of sentinel animals to detect the shedding of infectious agents during quarantine was found to be an effective strategy that minimized the potential impact of invasive testing on quarantined animals. Although the program we describe is not appropriate for all situations, this type of approach may be considered by institutions wishing to explore alternatives to conventional quarantine strategies during periods of restricted space availability.

Use of microisolator caging in a risk-based mouse import and quarantine program: a retrospective study.

It is important to perform genetic quality control on inbred mouse strains to minimize variability of genetic backgrounds. We used sensitive molecular methods to examine the genetic integrity of inbred mouse substrains maintained at an academic institution. Our goal, in part, was to compare the different molecular genetic monitoring methods to determine which were most sensitive, efficient, and beneficial in our genetic monitoring program. We examined the sensitivity and efficiency of simple sequence length polymorphism (SSLP) analysis of microsatellites and restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis of minisatellites with commercial, human, and synthetic mouse minisatellite probes. Although no polymorphisms were detected with the microsatellite analysis, certain minisatellite probes detected a small degree of polymorphism between our mouse substrains and the commercially available strains used as controls. Minisatellite probes also detected intra-substrain variation within our colonies; this variation probably represents mutations in highly unstable loci rather than genetic variation. Our analysis indicated that the genetic integrity of in-house C57BL/Ka, BALB/cKa, and C3H/Km inbred substrains had remained intact over 35 generations. Genetic monitoring by RFLP minisatellite analysis was more sensitive and efficient in detecting substrain differences than was SSLP microsatellite analysis. On the basis of these results, we established a strategy for future analysis of the in-house breeding colony.

Use of molecular methods for genetic monitoring of an institutional mouse breeding colony.

The neurotrophin brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is an endogenous regulator of the myelination process during development in the peripheral nervous system. Enhancement of myelin formation by BDNF is mediated by the neurotrophin receptor p75(NTR). Although this neurotrophin is a positive modulator of myelination during early development, the final effects of BDNF on myelin sheaths after active myelination is completed are largely unknown. Using BDNF transgenic mice, we examined the long-term effects of BDNF on myelination of the peripheral nervous system in vivo. Elevation of BDNF levels in the transgenic mice produced an increase in both the rate and extent of the myelination process. BDNF enhanced and accelerated myelin formation during early development and this increase in myelin content and thickness was maintained in adulthood. Besides enhanced myelination, BDNF also influenced axon caliber size but to a lesser extent. This lagging increase in axon caliber compared to myelin suggests that the axon size is not the only determinant of myelin thickness.

BDNF overexpression produces a long-term increase in myelin formation in the peripheral nervous system.

The Trembler-J (TrJ) mouse, containing a point mutation in the peripheral myelin protein 22 gene, is characterized by severe hypomyelination and is a representative model of Charcot-Marie-Tooth 1A disease/Dejerine-Sottas Syndrome. Previous studies have shown that protein kinase inhibitor K252a enhances wild-type Schwann cell myelination in culture. We used a dorsal root ganglion (DRG) explant culture system from the heterozygous TrJ/+ mouse to investigate if myelination could be enhanced by K252a. The TrJ/+ DRG explant cultures replicated some important features of the TrJ/+ mouse, showing reduced myelin protein accumulation, thinner myelin sheaths, and shortened myelin internodes. K252a increased myelin protein accumulation and myelin sheath thickness but did not substantially increase myelin internode length. Furthermore, the TrJ/+ DRG explant culture and sciatic nerves continued to respond to K252a during the stage when myelination is complete in the wild type. A general tyrosine kinase inhibitor, genistein, but not inhibitors of serine/threonine protein kinase inhibitors, had a similar effect to K252a. K252a is therefore able to partially overcome hypomyelination by enhancing mutant Schwann cell myelin formation in the TrJ/+ mouse.

Enhancement of Schwann cell myelin formation by K252a in the Trembler-J mouse dorsal root ganglion explant culture.

Medium-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase (MCAD) deficiency is the most common inherited disorder of mitochondrial fatty acid beta-oxidation in humans. To better understand the pathogenesis of this disease, we developed a mouse model for MCAD deficiency (MCAD-/-) by gene targeting in embryonic stem (ES) cells. The MCAD-/- mice developed an organic aciduria and fatty liver, and showed profound cold intolerance at 4 degrees C with prior fasting. The sporadic cardiac lesions seen in MCAD-/- mice have not been reported in human MCAD patients. There was significant neonatal mortality of MCAD-/- pups demonstrating similarities to patterns of clinical episodes and mortality in MCAD-deficient patients. The MCAD-deficient mouse reproduced important aspects of human MCAD deficiency and is a valuable model for further analysis of the roles of fatty acid oxidation and pathogenesis of human diseases involving fatty acid oxidation.

Medium-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency in gene-targeted mice.

Sensory experience refines neuronal structure and functionality. The visual system has proved to be a productive model system to study this plasticity. In the neonatal retina, the dendritic arbors of a large proportion of ganglion cells are diffuse in the inner plexiform layer. With maturation, many of these arbors become monolaminated. Visual deprivation suppresses this remodeling. Little is known of the molecular mechanisms controlling maturational and experience-dependent refinement. Here, we tested the hypothesis that brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which is known to regulate dendritic branching and synaptic function in the brain, modulates the developmental and visual experience-dependent refinement of retinal ganglion cells. We used a transgenic mouse line, in which a small number of ganglion cells were labeled with yellow fluorescence protein, to delineate their dendritic structure in vivo. We found that transgenic overexpression of BDNF accelerated the laminar refinement of ganglion cell dendrites, whereas decreased TrkB expression or retina-specific deletion of TrkB, the cognate receptor for BDNF, retarded it. BDNF-TrkB signaling regulated the maturational formation of new branches in ON but not the bilaminated ON-OFF ganglion cells. Furthermore, BDNF overexpression overrides the requirement for visual inputs to stimulate laminar refinement and dendritic branching of ganglion cells. These experiments reveal a previously unrecognized action of BDNF and TrkB in controlling cell-specific, experience-dependent remodeling of neuronal structures in the visual system.

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor and TrkB modulate visual experience-dependent refinement of neuronal pathways in retina.

The heterozygous Trembler-J (TrJ/+) mouse, containing a point mutation in the peripheral myelin protein 22 (Pmp22) gene, is characterized by severe hypomyelination and is a representative model of Charcot-Marie-Tooth 1A (CMT1A) disease/Dejerine-Sottas syndrome (DSS). Given that the neurotrophin-3 (NT3)-TrkC signaling pathway is inhibitory to myelination during development, we investigated the role of the NT3-TrkC pathway in myelination and manipulated this pathway to improve myelin formation in the CMT1A/DSS mouse model. Injection of NT3 to the TrJ/+ mice decreased the myelin protein P(0) level in the sciatic nerves. Suppressing the NT3-TrkC pathway with TrkC-Fc, an NT3 scavenger, enhanced myelination in vitro and in vivo in the TrJ/+ mouse. Furthermore, we found that full-length TrkC was expressed in adult TrJ/+ mouse sciatic nerves but was not detected in the wild-type adults, suggesting that the full-length TrkC is a potential target of treatment to enhance myelination in the TrJ/+ mouse.

Depleting endogenous neurotrophin-3 enhances myelin formation in the Trembler-J mouse, a model of a peripheral neuropathy.

We examined the potential of bone marrow transplantation (BMT) to rescue dopaminergic neurons in a mouse model of Parkinson's disease (PD). A BMT from mice transgenic for green fluorescent protein (GFP(+)) given either before or after administration of the neurotoxin 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) led to the accumulation of transplanted adult GFP(+) bone-marrow-derived cells (BMDC) in the substantia nigra, where dopaminergic neurodegeneration occurs in PD. Post-BMT, mice exposed to MPTP had substantially greater numbers of endogenous tyrosine hydroxylase-positive neuronal cell bodies in the substantia nigra and increased dopamine transporter-positive projections into the striatum compared to controls. Moreover, motor function was restored to normal within 1 month post-MPTP in BMT-treated mice assayed by a rotarod behavioral test. The effect of BMT on PD was indirect, as no evidence of BMDC fusion with or transdifferentiation into dopaminergic neurons was observed. BMDC activated by BMT or associated factors could play a trophic role in rescuing damaged cells. Alternatively, the beneficial effects of BMT are due to immunosuppression reflected by a reduction in the proportion of T-cells and a reduction of T-cell proliferation in BMT mice. These findings highlight that when immunosuppression is required for transplantation studies, the amelioration of symptoms may not be due to the transplant itself. Further, they suggest that the immune system plays a role in the development of characteristics typical of PD.

Increased host neuronal survival and motor function in BMT Parkinsonian mice: involvement of immunosuppression.

Excessive noise is well known to impair rodent health. To better understand the effect of construction noise and to establish effective noise limits during a planned expansion of our vivarium, we analyzed the effects of construction noise on mouse gestation and neonatal growth. Our hypothesis was that high levels of construction noise would reduce the number of live births and retard neonatal growth. Female Swiss Webster mice were individually implanted with 15 B6CBAF1/J embryos and then exposed to 70- and 90-dBA concrete saw cutting noise samples at defined time points during gestation. In addition, groups of mice with litters were exposed to noise at 70, 80, or 90 dBA for 1 h daily during the first week after parturition. Litter size, birth weight, incidence of stillborn pups, and rate of neonatal weight gain were analyzed. Noise decreased reproductive efficiency by decreasing live birth rates and increasing the number of stillborn pups.

Construction noise decreases reproductive efficiency in mice.

The potential of a severe influenza pandemic necessitates the development of an organized, rational plan for continued laboratory animal facility operation without compromise of the welfare of animals. A comprehensive laboratory animal program pandemic response plan was integrated into a university-wide plan. Preparation involved input from all levels of organizational hierarchy including the IACUC. Many contingencies and operational scenarios were considered based on the severity and duration of the influenza pandemic. Trigger points for systematic action steps were based on the World Health Organization's phase alert criteria. One extreme scenario requires hibernation of research operations and maintenance of reduced numbers of laboratory animal colonies for a period of up to 6 mo. This plan includes active recruitment and cross-training of volunteers for essential personnel positions, protective measures for employee and family health, logistical arrangements for delivery and storage of food and bedding, the removal of waste, and the potential for euthanasia. Strategies such as encouraging and subsidizing cryopreservation of unique strains were undertaken to protect valuable research assets and intellectual property. Elements of this plan were put into practice after escalation of the pandemic alerts due to influenza A (H1N1) in April 2009.

A comprehensive laboratory animal facility pandemic response plan.

Environmental variables and husbandry practices can influence physiology and alter behavior in mice. Our study evaluated the effects of cage change on serum corticosterone levels and anxiety-like behaviors in C57BL/6 male mice. We examined the effects of 3 different methods of performing cage transfer and of transferring mice to a clean or a dirty familiar cage microenvironment. The 3 different handling methods were forceps transfer, gentle transfer with gloved hands, and a passive transfer technique that did not involve active handling. Active handling methods and transfer to both clean and dirty cage microenvironments significantly increased serum corticosterone 15 min after cage change; however, at 60 min after cage change, levels were comparable to those of unmanipulated mice. Although the effects were transient, cage change altered anxiety-like behaviors in the open field when behavioral testing was performed on the same day. These results demonstrate that the timing of cage change can influence behavioral results, an effect that is an important consideration for rodent behavioral studies.

Ravi J. Tolwani

Comparative Bioscience Center

The Rockefeller University

Gavaging Adult Zebrafish

Ravi J. Tolwani

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The Rockefeller University

Gavaging Adult Zebrafish

Comparative Bioscience Center