We thank Bob Nowak (Andor Technology) for technical help and advice. S.A.-S. is supported by a Heisenberg fellowship of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG). This work was supported by DFG grant SE2016/7-1.

1. Labeling Single Cells
Inject one-cell stage embryos with a plasmid encoding GFP or any GFP-fusion protein under the control of a &beta;-Actin promoter. During development, GFP is then expressed in a mosaic fashion. Here, we used the transgenic construct Tg[&beta;-actin:&alpha;-actinin-GFP], which places the &alpha;-Actinin-GFP fusion protein under the control of the &beta;-actin promoter.
2. Embryo Embedding
<ol class="lalpha">
	<li>Collect zebr...

<ol>
	<li>Charge, S. B., Rudnicki, M. A. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Cellular+and+molecular+regulation+of+muscle+regeneration.">Cellular and molecular regulation of muscle regeneration.</a> Physiol. Rev. 84, 209-238 (2004).</li><li>Steffen, L. S. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=The+zebrafish+runzel+muscular+dystrophy+is+linked+to+the+titin+gene.">The zebrafish runzel muscular dystrophy is linked to the titin gene.</a> Dev. Biol. 309, 180-192 (2007).</li><li>Bassett, D., Currie, P. D. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Identification+of+a+zebrafish+model+of+muscular+dystrophy.">Identification of a zebrafish model of muscular dystrophy.</a> Clin. Exp. Pharmacol. Physiol. 31, 537-540 (2004).</li><li>Kawahara, G., Serafini, P. R., Myers, J. A., Alexander, M. S., Kunkel, L. M. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Characterization+of+zebrafish+dysferlin+by+morpholino+knockdown.">Characterization of zebrafish dysferlin by morpholino knockdown.</a> Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 413, 358-363 (2011).</li><li>Behra, M., Etard, C., Cousin, X., Str&#228;hle, U. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=The+use+of+zebrafish+mutants+to+identify+secondary+target+effects+of+acetylcholine+esterase+inhibitors.">The use of zebrafish mutants to identify secondary target effects of acetylcholine esterase inhibitors.</a> Toxicol. Sci. 77, 325-333 (2004).</li><li>Otten, C., 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=Xirp+proteins+mark+injured+skeletal+muscle+in+zebrafish.">Xirp proteins mark injured skeletal muscle in zebrafish.</a> PLoS One. 7, e31041 (2012).</li><li>Roostalu, U., Str&#228;hle, U. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=In+vivo+imaging+of+molecular+interactions+at+damaged+sarcolemma.">In vivo imaging of molecular interactions at damaged sarcolemma.</a> Dev. Cell. 22, 515-529 (2012).</li><li>Stickney, H. L., Barresi, M. J., Devoto, S. H. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Somite+development+in+zebrafish.">Somite development in zebrafish.</a> Dev. Dyn. 219, 287-303 (2000).</li><li>Stellabotte, F., Dobbs-McAuliffe, B., Fernandez, D. A., Feng, X., Devoto, S. H. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Dynamic+somite+cell+rearrangements+lead+to+distinct+waves+of+myotome+growth.">Dynamic somite cell rearrangements lead to distinct waves of myotome growth.</a> Development. 134, 1253-1257 (2007).</li><li>Choi, W. Y., Poss, K. D. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Cardiac+regeneration.">Cardiac regeneration.</a> Curr. Top. Dev. Biol. 100, 319-344 (2012).</li><li>Stewart, S., Stankunas, K. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Limited+dedifferentiation+provides+replacement+tissue+during+zebrafish+fin+regeneration.">Limited dedifferentiation provides replacement tissue during zebrafish fin regeneration.</a> Dev. Biol. 365, 339-349 (2012).</li><li>Kimmel, C. B., Ballard, W. W., Kimmel, S. R., Ullmann, B., Schilling, T. F. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Stages+of+embryonic+development+of+the+zebrafish.">Stages of embryonic development of the zebrafish.</a> Dev. Dyn. , 203-253 (1995).</li></ol>

Laser-mediated injury is a powerful method for inflicting wounds of a desired size by ablating cells in order to study regeneration under controlled conditions in the zebrafish embryo. Notably, cells can be targeted precisely (Figure 2) and both the injury area as well as timing can be controlled. Subsequently, the injury site and regeneration processes are easily monitored, recorded (Figure 3) and analyzed (Figure 1). However, although the laser is well focused in ...

<table border="1">
 <tbody>
 <tr>
 <td>Heating block</td>
 <td></td>
 <td></td>
 <td></td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>Pair #5 forceps</td>
 <td>Dumont</td>
 <td></td>
 <td></td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>Glass slides</td>
 <td>Menzel</td>
 <td></td>
 <td>76 x 26 mm</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>Coverslips</td>
 <td>Roth</td>
 <td></td>
 <td>50 x 24 mm #1</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>Petroleum jelly</td>
 <td></td>
 <td></td>
 <td></td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>Stereomicroscope</td>
 <td>Leica</td>
 <td></td>
 <td>MZFLIII</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>Micropoint laser</td>
 <td>Andor Technology</td>
 <td></td>
 <td></td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>Fluorescence microscope</td>
 <td>Zeiss</td>
 <td></td>
 <td>Axioplan II</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>Metamorph software</td>
 <td>Molecular devices</td>
 <td></td>
 <td></td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td></td>
 <td></td>
 <td></td>
 <td>Reagents
 <ul>
 <li>Low-melting point agarose ( #50081, Lonza)</li>
 <li>Tricaine stock solution: 400 mg Tricaine (#A-5040, Sigma-Aldrich ) / 100 ml dH2O pH 9.0</li>
 <li>E3 medium (5 mM NaCl, 0.17 mM KCl, 0.33 mM CaCl2, 0.33 mM MgSO4)</li>
 </ul>
 </td>
 </tr>
 </tbody>
</table>

laser-inflicted injury of zebrafish embryonic skeletal muscle

Various experimental approaches have been used in mouse to induce muscle injury with the aim to study muscle regeneration, including myotoxin injections (bupivacaine, cardiotoxin or notexin), muscle transplantations (denervation-devascularization induced regeneration), intensive exercise, but also murine muscular dystrophy models such as the mdx mouse (for a review of these approaches see 1). In zebrafish, genetic approaches include mutants that exhibit muscular dystrophy phenotypes (such as runzel2 or sapje3) and antisense oligonucleotide morpholinos that block the expression of dystrophy-associated genes4. Besides, chemical approaches are also possible, e.g. with Galanthamine, a chemical compound inhibiting acetylcholinesterase, thereby resulting in hypercontraction, which eventually leads to muscular dystrophy5. However, genetic and pharmacological approaches generally affect all muscles within an individual, whereas the extent of physically inflicted injuries are more easily controlled spatially and temporally1. Localized physical injury allows the assessment of contralateral muscle as an internal control. Indeed, we recently used laser-mediated cell ablation to study skeletal muscle regeneration in the zebrafish embryo6, while another group recently reported the use of a two-photon laser (822 nm) to damage very locally the plasma membrane of individual embryonic zebrafish muscle cells7.
Here, we report a method for using the micropoint laser (Andor Technology) for skeletal muscle cell injury in the zebrafish embryo. The micropoint laser is a high energy laser which is suitable for targeted cell ablation at a wavelength of 435 nm. The laser is connected to a microscope (in our setup, an optical microscope from Zeiss) in such a way that the microscope can be used at the same time for focusing the laser light onto the sample and for visualizing the effects of the wounding (brightfield or fluorescence). The parameters for controlling laser pulses include wavelength, intensity, and number of pulses.
Due to its transparency and external embryonic development, the zebrafish embryo is highly amenable for both laser-induced injury and for studying the subsequent recovery. Between 1 and 2 days post-fertilization, somitic skeletal muscle cells progressively undergo maturation from anterior to posterior due to the progression of somitogenesis from the trunk to the tail8, 9. At these stages, embryos spontaneously twitch and initiate swimming. The zebrafish has recently been recognized as an important vertebrate model organism for the study of tissue regeneration, as many types of tissues (cardiac, neuronal, vascular etc.) can be regenerated after injury in the adult zebrafish10, 11.

Laser-mediated injury was performed on immobilized 1 day-old embryos. As shown in Figure 1, a few laser pulses can generate a small wound, easily recognizable by the damaged, coiled, Actin-rich myofibrils that are normally stretched between the somite boundaries. A higher number of laser pulses will however result in a massively damaged somite block, where most myofibrils are destroyed. Nevertheless, we can literally observe that "time heals all wounds", with small injuries healing faster than larger one...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Laser-inflicted Injury of Zebrafish Embryonic Skeletal Muscle at JoVE.com

Laser-inflicted Injury of Zebrafish Embryonic Skeletal Muscle

The method presented here comprises the precise injury of live zebrafish embryos with high-energy laser pulses and the subsequent analysis of these injuries and their recovery with time. We also show how genetically labeled single or groups of skeletal muscle cells can be tracked during and after laser light induced damage.

Various experimental approaches have been used in mouse to induce muscle injury with the aim to study muscle regeneration, including myotoxin injections ...

laser-inflicted-injury-of-zebrafish-embryonic-skeletal-muscle

Research

JoVE Journal

Biology

10.3K vistas.  Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine. El método que aquí se presenta incluye el daño exacto de embriones de pez cebra en vivo con pulsos láser de alta energía y el posterior análisis de estas lesiones y su recuperación con el tiempo. También mostramos cómo genéticamente etiquetado individual o grupos de células del músculo esquelético se puede seguir durante y después de la luz láser daño inducido.