High-resolution Cell Transplantation in Embryonic and Larval Zebrafish

Summary

Here we present a protocol to transplant cells with high spatial and temporal resolution in zebrafish embryos and larvae at any stage between at least 1 and 7 days post fertilization.

Abstract

Development and regeneration occur by a process of genetically encoded spatiotemporally dynamic cellular interactions. The use of cell transplantation between animals to track cell fate and to induce mismatches in the genetic, spatial, or temporal properties of donor and host cells is a powerful means of examining the nature of these interactions. Organisms such as chick and amphibians have made crucial contributions to our understanding of development and regeneration, respectively, in large part because of their amenability to transplantation. The power of these models, however, has been limited by low genetic tractability. Likewise, the major genetic model organisms have lower amenability to transplantation.

The zebrafish is a major genetic model for development and regeneration, and while cell transplantation is common in zebrafish, it is generally limited to the transfer of undifferentiated cells at the early blastula and gastrula stages of development. In this article, we present a simple and robust method that extends the zebrafish transplantation window to any embryonic or larval stage between at least 1 and 7 days post fertilization. The precision of this approach allows for the transplantation of as little as one cell with near-perfect spatial and temporal resolution in both donor and host animals. While we highlight here the transplantation of embryonic and larval neurons for the study of nerve development and regeneration, respectively, this approach is applicable to a wide range of progenitor and differentiated cell types and research questions.

Introduction

Cell transplantation has a long and storied history as a foundational technique in developmental biology. Around the turn of the 20^th century, approaches using physical manipulations to perturb the developmental process, including transplantation, transformed embryology from an observational science into an experimental one^1,2. In one landmark experiment, Hans Spemann and Hilde Mangold ectopically transplanted the dorsal blastopore lip of a salamander embryo onto the opposite side of a host embryo, inducing the nearby tissue to form a secondary body axis³. This experiment sho....

Protocol

All aspects of this procedure that pertain to work with live zebrafish have been approved by the University of Minnesota Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) and are performed in compliance with IACUC guidelines.

1. One-time initial setup of transplant apparatus (Figure 1)

1. Assemble the transplant microscope per manufacturer's instructions.
   NOTE: This protocol uses an upright fluorescence micro.......

Discussion

Developmental and regenerative biology has for over a century relied on transplantation experiments to examine principles of cell signaling and cell fate determination. The zebrafish model already represents a powerful fusion of genetic and transplantation approaches. Transplantation at blastula and gastrula stages to generate mosaic animals is common but limited in what types of questions it can address. Later-stage transplantation is rare, although methods to transplant embryonic spinal motor neurons and retinal gangli.......

Materials

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
10 mL "reservoir syringe"	Fisher Scientific	14-955-459
150 mL disposable vacuum filter, .2 µm, PES	Corning	431153
20 x 12 mm heating block	Corning	480122
3-way stopcock	Braun Medical Inc.	455991
3 x 1 Frosted glass slide	VWR	48312-004
40x water dipping objective	Nikon	MRD07420
Calcium chloride dihydrate	Sigma-Aldrich	C3306
Coarse Manipulator	Narishige	MN-4
Custom microsyringe pump	University of Oregon	N/A	Manufactured by University of Oregon machine shop (tsa.uoregon@gmail.com). A commercially available alternative is listed below.
Dumont #5 Forceps	Fine Science Tools	1129500
Eclipse FN1 "Transplant Microscope"	Nikon	N/A
electrode handle	World Precision Instruments	5444
Feather Sterile Surgical Blade, #11	VWR	21899-530
Fine micromanipulator, Three-axis Oil hydraulic	Narishige	MMO-203
HEPES pH 7.2	Sigma-Aldrich	H3375-100G
High Precision #3 Style Scalpel Handle	Fisher Scientific	12-000-163
Kimble Disposable Borosilicate Pasteur Pipette, Wide Tip, 5.75 in	DWK Life Sciences	63A53WT
KIMBLE Chromatography Adapter	DWK Life Sciences	420408-0000
Kimwipes	Kimberly-Clark Professional	34120
Light Mineral Oil	Sigma-Aldrich	M3516-1L
LSE digital dry bath heater, 1 block, 120 V	Corning	6875SB
Manual microsyringe pump	World Precision Instruments	MMP	Commercial alternative to custom microsyringe pump
Microelectrode Holder	World Precision Instruments	MPH310
MicroFil Pipette Filler	World Precision Instruments	MF28G67-5
Nail Polish	Electron MIcroscopy Sciences	72180
Nuclease-free water	VWR	82007-334
P-97 Flaming/Brown Type Micropipette Puller	Sutter Instruments	P-97
Penicillin-streptomycin	Sigma-Aldrich	p4458-100ML	5,000 units penicillin and 5 mg streptomycin/mL
pipette pump 10 mL	Bel-Art	37898-0000
Potassium chloride	Sigma-Aldrich	P3911
Professional Super Glue	Loctite	LOC1365882
Round-Bottom Polystyrene Test Tubes	Falcon	352054
Sodium chloride	Sigma-Aldrich	S9888
Stage micrometer	Meiji Techno America	MA285
Syringes without Needle, 50 mL	BD Medical	309635
Tricaine Methanosulfonate	Syndel USA	SYNCMGAUS03
Trilene XL smooth casting Fishing line	Berkley	XLFS6-15
Tubing, polyethylene No. 205	BD Medical	427445
UltraPure Low Melting Point Agarose	Invitrogen	16520050
Wiretrol II calibrated micropipettes	Drummond	50002010