Name: organ culture and whole mount immunofluorescence staining of mouse wolffian ducts
Uploaded: 2017-01-13T15:00:00
Description: Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Organ Culture and Whole Mount Immunofluorescence Staining of Mouse Wolffian Ducts at JoVE.com

We would like to thank members of the gynaecology oncology group for critical reading of this manuscript. This work is in part supported by funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council, the Australian Research Council, and the Cancer Institute NSW (P.S.T). M.K. is a recipient of the University of Newcastle Postgraduate Research Fellowship.

Animal care and experimental procedures were conducted in accordance with the guidelines of the Animal Care and Ethics Committee of the University of Newcastle and confirmed to the New South Wales Animal Research Act, New South Wales Animal Research Regulation, and the Australian code for the care and use of animals for scientific purposes. All the procedures undertaken on mice were approved by the Animal Care and Ethics Committee of the University of Newcastle.
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	<li>Joseph, A., Yao, H., Hinton, B. T. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Development+and+morphogenesis+of+the+Wolffian/epididymal+duct,+more+twists+and+turns.">Development and morphogenesis of the Wolffian/epididymal duct, more twists and turns.</a> Dev Biol. 325, 6-14 (2009).</li><li>Murashima, A., Xu, B., Hinton, B. T. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Understanding+normal+and+abnormal+development+of+the+Wolffian/epididymal+duct+by+using+transgenic+mice.">Understanding normal and abnormal development of the Wolffian/epididymal duct by using transgenic mice.</a> Asian J Androl. 17, 1-7 (2015).</li><li>Carroll, T. J., Park, J. S., Hayashi, S., Majumdar, A., McMahon, A. P. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Wnt9b+plays+a+central+role+in+the+regulation+of+mesenchymal+to+epithelial+transitions+underlying+organogenesis+of+the+mammalian+urogenital+system.">Wnt9b plays a central role in the regulation of mesenchymal to epithelial transitions underlying organogenesis of the mammalian urogenital system.</a> Dev Cell. 9, 283-292 (2005).</li><li>Kumar, M., Syed, S. M., Taketo, M. M., Tanwar, P. S. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Epithelial+Wnt/&#946;catenin+signalling+is+essential+for+epididymal+coiling.">Epithelial Wnt/&#946;catenin signalling is essential for epididymal coiling.</a> Dev Biol. 412, 234-249 (2016).</li><li>Murashima, A., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Essential+roles+of+androgen+signaling+in+Wolffian+duct+stabilization+and+epididymal+cell+differentiation.">Essential roles of androgen signaling in Wolffian duct stabilization and epididymal cell differentiation.</a> Endocrinology. 152, 1640-1651 (2011).</li><li>Lin, J. H. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Applications+and+limitations+of+genetically+modified+mouse+models+in+drug+discovery+and+development.">Applications and limitations of genetically modified mouse models in drug discovery and development.</a> Curr Drug Metab. 9, 419-438 (2008).</li><li>Rak-Raszewska, A., Hauser, P. V., Vainio, S. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Organ+In+Vitro+Culture:+What+Have+We+Learned+about+Early+Kidney+Development?.">Organ In Vitro Culture: What Have We Learned about Early Kidney Development?.</a> Stem Cells Int. 959807, 1-16 (2015).</li><li>Hirashima, T., Adachi, T. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Procedures+for+the+Quantification+of+Whole-Tissue+Immunofluorescence+Images+Obtained+at+Single-Cell+Resolution+during+Murine+Tubular+Organ+Development.">Procedures for the Quantification of Whole-Tissue Immunofluorescence Images Obtained at Single-Cell Resolution during Murine Tubular Organ Development.</a> PLoS One. 10, 0135343 (2015).</li><li>Chan, W. Y., Blomberg, L. A. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Germline+Development:+Methods+and+Protocols.">Germline Development: Methods and Protocols.</a> Methods Mol Biol. 825, (2012).</li><li>Karner, C. M., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Tankyrase+Is+Necessary+for+Canonical+Wnt+Signaling+During+Kidney+Development.">Tankyrase Is Necessary for Canonical Wnt Signaling During Kidney Development.</a> Dev Dyn. 239, 2014-2023 (2010).</li><li>Traykova-Brauch, M., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=An+efficient+and+versatile+system+for+acute+and+chronic+modulation+of+renal+tubular+function+in+transgenic+mice.">An efficient and versatile system for acute and chronic modulation of renal tubular function in transgenic mice.</a> Nat Med. 14, 979-984 (2008).</li></ol>

The organ culture system has many advantages over the traditional cell culture system. This system retains the original structural relationships and interactions between different cell types. It mimics in vivo systems and gives more accurate information than cell culture studies where the niche factor is absent. The use of organ culture systems even have advantages over using the whole animal. These include the higher cost of using the whole animal, easy care and maintenance of organ culture system, etc.</em...

The male reproductive system primarily consists of testis, the site for germ cell development and differentiation, and a complex ductal system that is required for the maturation, transport, and storage of sperm. Epididymis is a tubular organ that connects testis with vas deferens and mainly involved in post-testicular development and maturation of germ cells 1. The highly coiled adult mouse epididymis develops from a simple and straight precursor tube, Wolffian duct (WD) 1. The complex and coiled structure of epididymis is essential for sperm to acquire the capacity to fertilize female germ cells 2. How such an essential organ for male fertility develops and gets into shape is not well understood. Various signaling pathways have been shown to be involved in the development of WD such as the Wnt signaling pathway 3,4 and the androgen signaling pathway 5. Our recent work has established the requirement of balanced Wnt signaling&#160;for WD coiling during prenatal development 4. However, further studies are required to understand the mechanisms involved in postnatal epididymal coiling, cellular differentiation, and cell-to-cell communication within the epididymal epithelium and with interstitial cells.
Genetically modified mouse models have been proven to be a powerful tool for identification/validation of molecular mechanisms underlying development and disease of various organ systems 6. Despite its extensive use, there are significant limitations of genetically modified mouse models, including the unpredicted phenotype of targeted mouse mutants with regards to presumed gene function, and no phenotype in null mutants in some models, influence of genetic and environmental factors, labor intensive and time-consuming process of developing mouse models. Therefore, the interpretation of the significance of the findings only from genetically modified mouse models is not always straightforward 6. These limitations can be overcome by using in vitro organ culture system which gives us the flexibility to manipulate multiple signaling pathways in real time in controlled culture conditions. Organ culture system is instrumental in understanding the physiology and pathology of whole organs 7. Moreover, imaging of whole organs stained with fluorophore labeled antibodies enables us to visualize the markers of interest in a three-dimensional context, as it exists in vivo, thereby providing a better understanding of the organ&#39;s shape, structure, and function 8.
Here, we have described the methods for isolation of mouse embryonic gonadal ridges, in vitro culture&#160;and whole mount immunofluorescence imaging of WDs, that can be applied to answer a variety of questions concerning the morphogenesis of tubular organs such as WDs. In this protocol, we isolated mouse embryonic urogenital ridges from 15.5 days post coitum (dpc) pregnant dams and cultured them for 3 d&#160;followed by immunostaining for an epithelial cell marker (cytokeratin 8, CK8), a cell proliferation marker (phospho-Histone 3, PH3) and active &#946;catenin.

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			<td height="42" style="height:42px;width:247px;">24 well plates</td>
			<td style="width:195px;">Corning, USA</td>
			<td style="width:136px;">3524</td>
			<td style="width:191px;">can be purchased from other vendors</td>
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			<td height="42" style="height:42px;width:247px;">Hank&#8217;s Balanced Salt Solution (HBSS)</td>
			<td style="width:195px;">GE Healthcare Life Sciences, USA</td>
			<td style="width:136px;">SH30031.02</td>
			<td style="width:191px;">can be purchased from other vendors</td>
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			<td height="42" style="height:42px;width:247px;">Dulbecco&#39;s Modified Eagle Medium: Nutrient Mixture F-12 (DMEM/F12)</td>
			<td style="width:195px;">Sigma, USA</td>
			<td style="width:136px;">D8437</td>
			<td style="width:191px;">Warm in 37 &#176;C water bath before use</td>
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			<td height="42" style="height:42px;width:247px;">Fetal Bovine Serum (FBS)</td>
			<td style="width:195px;">Interpath,&#160; Australia</td>
			<td style="width:136px;">SH30034.02</td>
			<td style="width:191px;">10% FBS used in culture medium</td>
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			<td height="42" style="height:42px;width:247px;">L-Glutamine</td>
			<td style="width:195px;">GE Healthcare Life Sciences, USA</td>
			<td style="width:136px;">SH30034.01</td>
			<td style="width:191px;">1% concentration used</td>
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			<td height="62" style="height:62px;width:247px;">Penicillin-Streptomycin</td>
			<td style="width:195px;">Gibco, USA</td>
			<td style="width:136px;">15070-063</td>
			<td style="width:191px;">1% concentration used</td>
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			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:247px;">Whatman Nuclepore Polycarbonate Track-Etch&#160;</td>
			<td style="width:195px;">Whatman, USA</td>
			<td style="width:136px;">110409</td>
			<td style="width:191px;">Membrane (0.8 mm)</td>
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			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:247px;">IWR1</td>
			<td style="width:195px;">Sigma, USA</td>
			<td style="width:136px;">10161-5mg</td>
			<td style="width:191px;">100 &#181;M concentration used</td>
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			<td height="84" style="height:84px;width:247px;">Paraformaldehyde (PFA)</td>
			<td style="width:195px;">Electron Microscopy Sciences, USA</td>
			<td style="width:136px;">15710</td>
			<td style="width:191px;">16% stock, 4% in PBS for use. TOXIC - wear gloves and cannot 
			be disposed of in the sink</td>
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			<td height="42" style="height:42px;width:247px;">Ethanol</td>
			<td style="width:195px;">Thermo Scientific Fisher, USA</td>
			<td style="width:136px;">214-20L PL</td>
			<td style="width:191px;">Absolute, make 25, 50 and 75% with milliQ water.</td>
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			<td height="42" style="height:42px;width:247px;">Tween-20</td>
			<td style="width:195px;">Thermo Scientific Fisher, USA</td>
			<td style="width:136px;">2509-500ml</td>
			<td style="width:191px;">Very viscous, careful while dispensing</td>
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			<td height="42" style="height:42px;width:247px;">Triton X-100</td>
			<td style="width:195px;">Sigma, USA</td>
			<td style="width:136px;">T8787-50ml</td>
			<td style="width:191px;">Very viscous, careful while dispensing</td>
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		<tr height="42">
			<td height="42" style="height:42px;width:247px;">Di-Sodium Hydrogen Phosphate</td>
			<td style="width:195px;">Thermo Scientific Fisher, USA</td>
			<td style="width:136px;">621-500mg</td>
			<td style="width:191px;">can be purchased from other vendors</td>
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			<td height="42" style="height:42px;width:247px;">Sodium Di-hydrogen Phosphate</td>
			<td style="width:195px;">Ajax Finechem, USA</td>
			<td style="width:136px;">4745-500g</td>
			<td style="width:191px;">can be purchased from other vendors</td>
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			<td height="42" style="height:42px;width:247px;">Sodium Chloride</td>
			<td style="width:195px;">Thermo Scientific Fisher, USA</td>
			<td style="width:136px;">465-500g</td>
			<td style="width:191px;">can be purchased from other vendors</td>
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			<td height="83" style="height:83px;width:247px;">Cytokeratin8/Troma I</td>
			<td style="width:195px;">Developmental Studies Hybridoma Bank, USA (DHSB)</td>
			<td style="width:136px;">TROMA-I</td>
			<td style="width:191px;">1:250 in blocking buffer</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:247px;">active &#946;catenin&#160;</td>
			<td style="width:195px;">Cell Signalling Technology,&#160; USA</td>
			<td style="width:136px;">D13A1</td>
			<td style="width:191px;">1:200 in blocking buffer</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:247px;"></td>
			<td style="width:195px;"></td>
			<td style="width:136px;"></td>
			<td style="width:191px;"></td>
		</tr>
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			<td height="63" style="height:63px;width:247px;">Phospho-Histone3</td>
			<td style="width:195px;">Millipore, MA, USA</td>
			<td style="width:136px;">06-570</td>
			<td style="width:191px;">1:200 in blocking buffer</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:247px;">Alexa488 Goat anti-rabbit IgG</td>
			<td style="width:195px;">Jackson ImmunoResearchLabs,&#160; USA</td>
			<td style="width:136px;">111-545-047</td>
			<td style="width:191px;">1:250 in blocking buffer</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="45">
			<td height="45" style="height:45px;width:247px;">Alexa594 Goat anti-Rat IgG</td>
			<td style="width:195px;">Jackson ImmunoResearchLabs,&#160; USA</td>
			<td style="width:136px;">112-585-072</td>
			<td style="width:191px;">1:250 in blocking buffer</td>
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			<td height="42" style="height:42px;width:247px;">Glycerol</td>
			<td style="width:195px;">Thermo Fisher Scientific, USA</td>
			<td style="width:136px;">242-500ml</td>
			<td style="width:191px;">can be purchased from other vendors</td>
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			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:247px;">n-Propyl galate</td>
			<td style="width:195px;">Sigma, USA</td>
			<td style="width:136px;">2370</td>
			<td>-</td>
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			<td height="42" style="height:42px;width:247px;">2-(4-amidinophenyl)-1H -indole-6-carboxamidine (DAPI)</td>
			<td style="width:195px;">Sigma, USA</td>
			<td style="width:136px;">D9564-10mg</td>
			<td style="width:191px;">Use to stain nucleic acids (DNA)</td>
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			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:247px;">Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO)</td>
			<td style="width:195px;">Thermo Fisher Scientific, USA</td>
			<td style="width:136px;">2225-500ml</td>
			<td style="width:191px;">Solvent</td>
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			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:247px;">Cover Slips (24x50 mm)</td>
			<td style="width:195px;">Lomb Scientific</td>
			<td style="width:136px;">CS24501GP</td>
			<td>-</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

organ culture and whole mount immunofluorescence staining of mouse wolffian ducts

Tubal morphogenesis is a fundamental requirement for the development of most mammalian organs, including the male reproductive system. The epididymis, an integral part of the male reproductive tract, is responsible for sperm storage, maturation, and transport. The adult epididymis is a highly coiled tube that develops from a simple and straight embryonic precursor known as Wolffian duct (WD). Proper coiling of the epididymis is essential for male fertility, as sperm in the testis are unable to fertilize an oocyte. However, the mechanism responsible for epididymal development and coiling remains unclear, partially due to the lack of whole organ culture and imaging methods. In this study, we describe an in vitro culture system and whole mount immunofluorescence protocol to better visualize the process of WD coiling and development, which may also be applied to study other tubular organs.

During development, the WD undergoes significant changes wherein a simple and straight tube is transformed into a highly complex and coiled duct. Using methods described above, WDs undergo a similar transformation in culture conditions. Here we have shown the results from WDs cultured for 3 d&#160;(Figure 3). To dissect molecular mechanisms involved in WD morphogenesis, the culture medium can be supplemented with inhibitors and activators targeting different signaling pathways. Figure 3C...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Organ Culture and Whole Mount Immunofluorescence Staining of Mouse Wolffian Ducts at JoVE.com

Organ Culture and Whole Mount Immunofluorescence Staining of Mouse Wolffian Ducts

We present a method for isolation and culture of the mouse Wolffian duct (WD). We also demonstrate a detailed procedure for whole mount immunostaining of cultured/freshly isolated WDs with fluorescently tagged antibodies. Together, these techniques enable the study of WD development, coiling, and differentiation.

Tubal morphogenesis is a fundamental requirement for the development of most mammalian organs, including the male reproductive system. The epididymis, an ...

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