Nos gustaría dar las gracias a Andrea Portbury para la lectura crítica del manuscrito y el NIH (subvención # R01HL061656) de apoyo financiero.

1. Escisión los corazones embrionarias <ol><li> La eutanasia a un ratón de disolución-embarazada en el día embrionario deseado usando una técnica de eutanasia aprobada. Todos los experimentos fueron aprobados por el Cuidado de Animales institucional y el empleo Comisión de la Universidad de Carolina del Norte en Chapel Hill. </li><li> Rocíe la hembra con etanol al 70% antes de la disección. Abra la cavidad abdominal de la hembra para recuperar y extirpar la trompa uterina. </li><li> Coloque el cuerno uterino en una placa de Petri que contiene frío 1x solución salina tamponada con fosfato (PBS) y enjuague según sea necesario. Cortar el cuello uterino a través de la línea media para exponer los sacos embrionarios adjuntos. </li><li> Cortar un saco embrionario y recuperar un embrión. Coloque el embrión en una segunda placa de Petri con PBS frío. Devuelva la placa de Petri con el cuerno uterino en hielo. </li><li> Decapita el embrión para mejorar el acceso a la pared torácica. Si genotipado es necesario, retire y guarde la cola en un tubo Eppendorf se coloca en hielo. </li><li> Con elembrión en su parte posterior, cortada abrir la pared torácica para visualizar el corazón y los pulmones. Dependiendo de la etapa, la pared torácica puede ser transparente. </li><li> Levante con cuidado el corazón con las pinzas y cortar los vasos a continuación. Luego, corte por encima de los grandes vasos para liberar el corazón. Si es necesario, eliminar los tejidos extraños. </li><li> Coloque el corazón en un pocillo de una placa de 24 pocillos llena con PBS frío y colocar el plato en hielo. </li><li> Repita los pasos anteriores hasta que los corazones han sido extirpados de los embriones. </li></ol> 2. Cultura Set-up <ol><li> En una campana laminar, combinar Matrigel frío y el medio de cultivo deseado (por ejemplo, 10% de suero bovino fetal (FBS) en Eagle Modificado de Dulbecco (DMEM)) en una proporción de 1:1. No te pre-calentar el medio de cultivo. </li><li> Mantener el Matrigel diluido en hielo, pipeta 500-1.000 l de la solución diluida en un pocillo de una placa de cultivo de 24 pocillos que también se mantiene en hielo. </li><li> En la capilla, elige con cuidado y coloque la extirpadocorazón en un pocillo de la placa de cultivo que contiene Matrigel mientras se mantiene la placa de cultivo en hielo. </li><li> Si la orientación del corazón incrustado es crucial: rociar generosamente un microscopio invertido y el espacio circundante con etanol al 70%. En la campana, colocar el corazón extirpado en un pocillo de la placa de cultivo que contiene Matrigel mientras que todavía en el hielo. Luego, coloque la placa en un microscopio y orientar rápidamente el corazón extirpado como Matrigel comienza a solidificarse. </li><li> Coloque la placa de cultivo en un 37 ° C humidificado incubadora (5% CO 2) y permitir que el Matrigel se solidifique durante aproximadamente 30 min. </li><li> Añadir 1 medio de cultivo pre-calentado ml a cada pocillo que contiene un corazón. </li><li> Los corazones pueden mantenerse en cultivo durante al menos cuatro días. Se recomienda cambiar el medio de cultivo cada dos días. </li></ol> 3. La fijación y visualización <ol><li> Si lo desea, agregue un colorante fluorescente de células vivas (por ejemplo Syto-16) para visualizar el corazón vivo. Fotografía estarálimitado a la parte del corazón que es visible sobre la base de la posición en la que se ha incrustado. </li><li> Si se realizaron análisis post-cultivo (por ejemplo, formación de imágenes de todo el montaje o seccionar), eliminar el medio de cultivo y reemplazar con formaldehído 4% frío. Coloque el plato en hielo durante 30 min. </li><li> Después de que el formaldehído frío y el hielo promover la disolución de la Matrigel, reemplazar el fijador (Matrigel) con formaldehído fresco y fijar corazones durante la noche a 4 ° C. </li><li> Lavar los corazones con tampón (por ejemplo, PBS o Tris) y se almacena a 4 ° C hasta su posterior análisis. </li></ol>

<ol>
	<li>Tu, S., Chi, N. C. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Zebrafish+models+in+cardiac+development+and+congenital+heart+birth+defects.">Zebrafish models in cardiac development and congenital heart birth defects.</a> Differentiation. 84, 4-16 (2012).</li><li>Lavine, K. J., 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=Fibroblast+growth+factor+signals+regulate+a+wave+of+Hedgehog+activation+that+is+essential+for+coronary+vascular+development.">Fibroblast growth factor signals regulate a wave of Hedgehog activation that is essential for coronary vascular development.</a> Genes Dev. 20, 1651-1666 (2006).</li><li>Red-Horse, K., Ueno, H., Weissman, I. L., Krasnow, 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=Coronary+arteries+form+by+developmental+reprogramming+of+venous+cells.">Coronary arteries form by developmental reprogramming of venous cells.</a> Nature. 464, 549-553 (2010).</li><li>Stuckmann, I., Evans, S., Lassar, A. B. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Erythropoietin+and+retinoic+acid,+secreted+from+the+epicardium,+are+required+for+cardiac+myocyte+proliferation.">Erythropoietin and retinoic acid, secreted from the epicardium, are required for cardiac myocyte proliferation.</a> Dev. Biol. 255, 334-349 (2003).</li><li>Zhang, J., 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=The+FGF-BMP+signaling+axis+regulates+outflow+tract+valve+primordium+formation+by+promoting+cushion+neural+crest+cell+differentiation.">The FGF-BMP signaling axis regulates outflow tract valve primordium formation by promoting cushion neural crest cell differentiation.</a> Circ. Res. 107, 1209-1219 (2010).</li><li>Pillekamp, F., 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=Establishment+and+characterization+of+a+mouse+embryonic+heart+slice+preparation.">Establishment and characterization of a mouse embryonic heart slice preparation.</a> Cellular Physiology and Biochemistry: international journal of experimental cellular physiology, biochemistry, and pharmacology. 16, 127-132 (2005).</li><li>Habeler, W., Peschanski, M., Monville, C. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Organotypic+heart+slices+for+cell+transplantation+and+physiological+studies.">Organotypic heart slices for cell transplantation and physiological studies.</a> Organogenesis. 5, 62-66 (2009).</li><li>Janssen, P. M., Lehnart, S. E., Prestle, J., Hasenfuss, G. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Preservation+of+contractile+characteristics+of+human+myocardium+in+multi-day+cell+culture.">Preservation of contractile characteristics of human myocardium in multi-day cell culture.</a> J. Mol. Cell Cardiol. 31, 1419-1427 (1999).</li><li>Brandenburger, 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=Organotypic+slice+culture+from+human+adult+ventricular+myocardium.">Organotypic slice culture from human adult ventricular myocardium.</a> Cardiovasc. Res. 93, 50-59 (2012).</li><li>Weaver, M., Dunn, N. R., Hogan, B. L. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Bmp4+and+Fgf10+play+opposing+roles+during+lung+bud+morphogenesis.">Bmp4 and Fgf10 play opposing roles during lung bud morphogenesis.</a> Development. , 127-2695 (2000).</li><li>Viragh, S., Challice, C. E. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=The+origin+of+the+epicardium+and+the+embryonic+myocardial+circulation+in+the+mouse.">The origin of the epicardium and the embryonic myocardial circulation in the mouse.</a> Anat. Rec. 201, 157-168 (1981).</li><li>Kirby, M. L. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=.">.</a> Cardiac Development. , (2007).</li><li>Arima, S., 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=Angiogenic+morphogenesis+driven+by+dynamic+and+heterogeneous+collective+endothelial+cell+movement.">Angiogenic morphogenesis driven by dynamic and heterogeneous collective endothelial cell movement.</a> Development. 138, 4763-4776 (2011).</li></ol>

Los autores declaran que no tienen intereses financieros en competencia.

El sistema de cultivo actual plantea importantes ventajas para estudios cardíacos embrionarios de ratón. Este sistema de cultivo conserva la contractilidad miocárdica y el plexo coronaria, con signos de necrosis limitadas, incluso después de cuatro días en cultivo. Además, la matriz semisólida proporciona el apoyo suficiente para mantener la morfología tridimensional del corazón en desarrollo al tiempo que permite flexibilidad para contrato y también para mantener perlas recubiertas en su lugar durante el cult...

En los últimos años, el ratón transgénico ha sido el sistema de modelo predominante para el estudio de defectos cardíacos de desarrollo. Sin embargo, otros organismos modelo, tales como el pez cebra, han demostrado tener ventajas significativas sobre el ratón. Tres principales ventajas de la pez cebra son la colocación externa de los huevos, para la facilidad de acceso a los embriones; la transparencia óptica de los embriones, lo que permite una fácil visualización del desarrollo cardíaco, y la facilidad de la aplicación de tratamientos moleculares pequeños para modular el desarrollo del embrión 1. Por lo tanto, el desarrollo de una técnica de cultivo que permitió el crecimiento ex útero de un órgano embrionario pasaría por alto, al menos en parte, las limitaciones actualmente experimentadas por los investigadores que estudian los procesos de desarrollo en ratones transgénicos. Sistemas de cultivo cardíacos ex vivo se han desarrollado en tanto que el polluelo y embrión de ratón que permiten el tratamiento con pequeñas moléculas y análisis de cómo las diferentesrentes regiones del corazón comunican 2-6. Para el conjunto de la cultura corazón de ratón, corazones tomadas de embriones hasta embrionario (E) 12,5 de edad se puede colocar en medio de cultivo con o sin balanceo 2,3,5. Usando esta técnica, corazones embrionarias se han incubado con éxito a la equivalencia de E13.5, y corazones cultivadas con balanceo se han mantenido tanto tiempo como tres días (a partir de E10.5) 3. Sin embargo, no hay estudios han informado de la cultura éxito de los corazones de los embriones más viejos. Del mismo modo, los experimentos de rescate se han limitado a la aplicación del agente terapéutico a nivel mundial para el medio de cultivo 2. Un sistema de cultivo de cortes, en el que se extirparon los corazones, incrustados, y se seccionaron utilizando un vibratomo, también se ha utilizado para ambos corazones más pequeños, tales como corazones de ratón E12.5 y Hamburger-Hamilton etapa 36 (aproximadamente E16 en el ratón) de pollo corazones 2,4,6, y más corazones, como postnatal y adulto del ratón hearts y corazones humanos adultos 7,8. Si bien los análisis embrionarias han utilizado típicamente secciones gruesas de 150 micras 2,4, espesor de corte puede ser un gran hasta 500 micras, sin evidencia de la falta de oxígeno 8. Estos cultivos de corte se han mantenido hasta dos meses en la cultura, con la mayoría de las rebanadas mantener la contractilidad durante todo este período 9. En comparación con estudios en cardiomiocitos aislados, estos cultivos de cortes permiten que el co-cultivo de cardiomiocitos con sus tipos de células vecinas y proporcionan un método útil para el análisis ex vivo. Sin embargo, estos cultivos requieren más elaborado configuración que simplemente colocar un corazón en el medio de cultivo (por ejemplo, incrustar el corazón vivo para seccionar en un vibratome), y cualquier análisis es, obviamente, limitado a la porción del corazón dentro de la sección. Dadas las limitaciones descritas anteriormente para el cultivo de embriones de ratón de los corazones y la riqueza de los ratones transgénicos available para estudio, hemos desarrollado un ratón sistema de cultivo ex vivo de corazón similar a un sistema de cultivo ex vivo de pulmón desarrollado por Weaver, et al. 10 Nuestro sistema de cultivo permite cultivo a largo plazo y la visualización de la circulación coronaria remodelación dentro de corazones enteros embrionarias de ratón. Además, el uso de perlas de Matrigel permite que se mantienen en su lugar cerca del corazón, proporcionando de este modo un tratamiento localizado con agentes terapéuticos. Estos experimentos se pueden realizar en diferentes puntos de tiempo de desarrollo para comparar el efecto de un tratamiento dado en un proceso tal como la formación de la arteria coronaria. Debido a que las pequeñas moléculas pueden difundir a través de Matrigel, este sistema de cultivo también se puede utilizar para cultivo de regiones disecadas del corazón cerca unos de otros para determinar si los contactos célula-célula específicos son necesarios para ciertos procesos de desarrollo o si la señalización paracrina de una región a la otra es necesario. Este sistema de cultivoes relativamente simple y, a diferencia del sistema de cultivo de cortes, hace uso de los reactivos de cultivo básicas y configuraciones que son fácilmente disponibles en la mayoría de los laboratorios. En breve, los corazones embrionarios extirpados se cultivan en Matrigel diluido, que proporciona un soporte semisólido. Este apoyo es suficiente para mantener la morfología tridimensional del corazón mientras que también permite la contracción del corazón. El uso de este sistema, corazones enteros de embriones de ratón E14.5 (mayores-E16.5) se pueden mantener en cultivo durante hasta cuatro días. El plexo coronaria entera se mantiene, a diferencia de los cultivos de cortes, por lo que cualquier señales de señalización que se producen a partir de diferentes regiones del corazón siguen presentes. Además, los tintes fluorescentes de células en vivo pueden permear el Matrigel para permitir la visualización del corazón vivo, y perlas de proteína-conjugados se pueden colocar cerca del corazón para proporcionar una fuente localizada de señalización. En conjunto, estas ventajas hacen de esta técnica un método ideal para el estudio de los procesos de desarrollo en el embriónic corazón de ratón.

<table border="1">
<tbody>
 <tr>
 <td></td>
 <td></td>
 <td></td>
 <td>REAGENTS</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>Timed-pregnant mice</td>
 <td></td>
 <td></td>
 <td>To be dissected at the embryonic stage of interest</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>PBS (1x)</td>
 <td></td>
 <td></td>
 <td></td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>DMEM</td>
 <td>Cellgro </td>
 <td></td>
 <td></td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>FBS</td>
 <td>Sigma-Aldrich </td>
 <td>F2442 </td>
 <td></td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>Growth factor-reduced Matrigel</td>
 <td>BD Bioscience </td>
 <td>356231 </td>
 <td></td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>Syto-16</td>
 <td>Invitrogen </td>
 <td>S7578 </td>
 <td>Used as directed in 13 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>24-well culture plate</td>
 <td>Fisher Scientific</td>
 <td>07-200-84</td>
 <td></td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td></td>
 <td></td>
 <td></td>
 <td>EQUIPMENT</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>Stereoscopic microscope</td>
 <td>Nikon </td>
 <td>SMZ645</td>
 <td></td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>Cell culture incubator</td>
 <td>Thermo </td>
 <td>3110 </td>
 <td></td>
 </tr>
</tbody>
 </table>

a novel ex vivo culture method for the embryonic mouse heart

Los estudios de desarrollo en el ratón se ven obstaculizados por la falta de acceso al embrión durante la gestación. Por lo tanto, los protocolos para aislar y cultivo de órganos individuales de interés son esenciales para proporcionar un método de visualización de los dos cambios en el desarrollo y permitiendo nuevas estrategias de tratamiento. Para promover la cultura a largo plazo del corazón embrionario en las últimas etapas de gestación, se desarrolló un protocolo en el que el corazón extirpado se cultiva en un semi-sólido, Matrigel diluido. Este sustrato proporciona apoyo suficiente para mantener la estructura tridimensional, pero es lo suficientemente flexible para permitir la contracción continua. En breve, los corazones se escinden a partir del embrión y se colocaron en una mezcla de Matrigel frío diluido 1:1 con medio de crecimiento. Después de la Matrigel diluido se solidifica, se añade medio de cultivo a la placa de cultivo. Corazones extirpados tan tarde como el día embrionario 16,5 eran viables durante cuatro días después de la disección. Análisis del plexo coronaria demuestra que este método no haceinterrumpir el desarrollo vascular coronaria. Por lo tanto, se presenta un nuevo método para el cultivo a largo plazo de los corazones embrionarias.

Usando esta técnica, el corazón mantiene su morfología tridimensional y sigue siendo viable, como se indica por las contracciones continuas (Película 1). Estas contracciones son consistentemente más prominente en las aurículas que en los ventrículos. Después del cultivo, los corazones pueden ser fijadas y procesadas para la histología o inmunohistoquímica ya sea para examinar la expresión o estructuras marcador específico. Figura 1A muestra la base de los ventrículos y las ...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about A Novel Ex vivo Culture Method for the Embryonic Mouse Heart at JoVE.com

A Novel Ex vivo Culture Method for the Embryonic Mouse Heart

Los estudios de desarrollo en el ratón se ven obstaculizados por la falta de acceso al embrión durante la gestación. Para promover la cultura a largo plazo del corazón embrionario en las últimas etapas de gestación, se desarrolló un protocolo en el que el corazón extirpado se cultiva en un semi-sólido, Matrigel diluido.

A Novel<em&gt; Ex vivo</em&gt; Método de la cultura para el corazón de embriones de ratón

Developmental studies in the mouse are hampered  by the inaccessibility of the embryo during gestation. Thus, protocols to  isolate and culture individual ...

a-novel-ex-vivo-culture-method-for-the-embryonic-mouse-heart

Research

JoVE Journal

Biology

A Novel Ex vivo Culture Method for the Embryonic Mouse Heart

13.2K vistas.  University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Los estudios de desarrollo en el ratón se ven obstaculizados por la falta de acceso al embrión durante la gestación. Para promover la cultura a largo plazo del corazón embrionario en las últimas etapas de gestación, se desarrolló un protocolo en el que el corazón extirpado se cultiva en un semi-sólido, Matrigel diluido.

Video: A Novel Ex vivo Culture Method for the Embryonic Mouse Heart

Method for Culture of Early Chick Embryos ex vivo (New Culture)

The chick embryo is a valuable tool in the study of early embryonic development. Its transparency, accessibility and ease of manipulation, make it an ideal tool for studying  the formation and patterning of brain, neural tube, somite and heart primordia. Applications of chick embryo culture include electroporation of DNA or RNA constructs in order to analyze gene function, grafts of growth factor coated beads such as FGFs and BMPs , as well as whole mount in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry. This video demonstrates the different steps in chick embryo culture; First, the embryo is explanted in saline. Then, the embryo is centered on a glass ring. The membranes surrounding the embryo are lifted along the walls of the ring. The ring is then placed in a culture dish containing a pool of albumine. The culture dish is sealed and placed in a humid chamber, where the embryo is cultured for up to 24 hrs. Finally, the embryo is removed from the ring, fixed and processed for further applications. A troubleshooting guide is also presented.

Method for Culture of Early Chick Embryos ex vivo New Culture

This video demonstrates New culture, a method by which chick embryos are cultured outside the egg for up to 24 hr. This method enables one to study early development (primitive streak to 14 som.), a period corresponding to E7-9 in mouse. Applications of this technique include electroporation, in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry.

Método para la Cultura de primeros embriones del polluelo ex vivo (Nueva Cultura)

The chick embryo is a valuable tool in the study of early embryonic development. Its transparency, accessibility and ease of manipulation, make it an ...

Investigación

Biología

In utero and ex vivo Electroporation for Gene Expression in Mouse Retinal Ganglion Cells

The retina and its sole output neuron, the retinal ganglion cell (RGC), comprise an excellent model in which to examine biological questions such as cell differentiation, axon guidance, retinotopic organization and synapse formation[1]. One drawback is the inability to efficiently and reliably manipulate gene expression in RGCs in vivo, especially in the otherwise accessible murine visual pathways. Transgenic mice can be used to manipulate gene expression, but this approach is often expensive, time consuming, and can produce unwanted side effects. In chick, in ovo electroporation is used to manipulate gene expression in RGCs for examining retina and RGC development. Although similar electroporation techniques have been developed in neonatal mouse pups[2], adult rats[3], and embryonic murine retinae in vitro[4], none of these strategies allow full characterization of RGC development and axon projections in vivo. To this end, we have developed two applications of electroporation, one in utero and the other ex vivo, to specifically target embryonic murine RGCs[5, 6]. 
With in utero retinal electroporation, we can misexpress or downregulate specific genes in RGCs and follow their axon projections through the visual pathways in vivo, allowing examination of guidance decisions at intermediate targets, such as the optic chiasm, or at target regions, such as the lateral geniculate nucleus. Perturbing gene expression in a subset of RGCs in an otherwise wild-type background facilitates an understanding of gene function throughout the retinal pathway. Additionally, we have developed a companion technique for analyzing RGC axon growth in vitro. We electroporate embryonic heads ex vivo, collect and incubate the whole retina, then prepare explants from these retinae several days later. Retinal explants can be used in a variety of in vitro assays in order to examine the response of electroporated RGC axons to guidance cues or other factors. In sum, this set of techniques enhances our ability to misexpress or downregulate genes in RGCs and should greatly aid studies examining RGC development and axon projections.

In utero and ex vivo Electroporation for Gene Expression in Mouse Retinal Ganglion Cells

Here we present two techniques for manipulating gene expression in murine retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) by in utero and ex vivo electroporation. These techniques enable one to examine how alterations in gene expression affect RGC development, axon guidance, and functional properties.

La electroporación in vivo en el útero y el ex de la expresión génica en células de ratón ganglionares retinianas

The retina and its sole output neuron, the retinal ganglion cell (RGC), comprise an excellent model in which to examine biological questions such as cell ...

Mouse Embryonic Lung Culture, A System to Evaluate the Molecular Mechanisms of Branching

Lung primordial specification as well as branching morphogenesis, and the formation of various pulmonary cell lineages requires a specific interaction of the lung endoderm with its surrounding mesenchyme and mesothelium. Lung mesenchyme has been shown to be the source of inductive signals for lung branching morphogenesis. Epithelial-mesenchymal-mesothelial interactions are also critical to embryonic lung morphogenesis. Early embryonic lung organ culture is a very useful system to study epithelial-mesenchymal interactions. Both epithelial and mesenchymal morphogenesis proceeds under specific conditions that can be readily manipulated in this system (in the absence of maternal influence and blood flow). More importantly this technique can be readily done in a serumless, chemically defined culture media. Gain and loss of function can be achieved using expressed proteins, recombinant viral vectors and/or analysis of transgenic mouse strains, antisense RNA, as well as RNA interference gene knockdown.

Early embryonic lung organ culture is a very useful system to study epithelial-mesenchymal interactions. Both epithelial and mesenchymal morphogenesis proceeds under specific conditions that can be readily manipulated in this system.

Cultura de embriones de ratón de pulmón, un sistema para evaluar los mecanismos moleculares de la ramificación

Lung primordial specification as well as branching morphogenesis, and the formation of various pulmonary cell lineages requires a specific interaction of ...

A System for ex vivo Culturing of Embryonic Pancreas

The pancreas controls vital functions of our body, including the production of digestive enzymes and regulation of blood sugar levels1. Although in the past decade many studies have contributed to a solid foundation for understanding pancreatic organogenesis, important gaps persist in our knowledge of early pancreas formation2. A complete understanding of these early events will provide insight into the development of this organ, but also into incurable diseases that target the pancreas, such as diabetes or pancreatic cancer. Finally, this information will generate a blueprint for developing cell-replacement therapies in the context of diabetes.
 During embryogenesis, the pancreas originates from distinct embryonic outgrowths of the dorsal and ventral foregut endoderm at embryonic day (E) 9.5 in the mouse embryo3,4. Both outgrowths evaginate into the surrounding mesenchyme as solid epithelial buds, which undergo proliferation, branching and differentiation to generate a fully mature organ2,5,6. Recent evidences have suggested that growth and differentiation of pancreatic cell lineages, including the insulin-producing &beta;-cells, depends on proper tissue-architecture, epithelial remodeling and cell positioning within the branching pancreatic epithelium7,8. However, how branching morphogenesis occurs and is coordinated with proliferation and differentiation in the pancreas is largely unknown. This is in part due to the fact that current knowledge about these developmental processes has relied almost exclusively on analysis of fixed specimens, while morphogenetic events are highly dynamic.
 Here, we report a method for dissecting and culturing mouse embryonic pancreatic buds ex vivo on glass bottom dishes, which allow direct visualization of the developing pancreas (Figure 1). This culture system is ideally devised for confocal laser scanning microscopy and, in particular, live-cell imaging. Pancreatic explants can be prepared not only from wild-type mouse embryos, but also from genetically engineered mouse strains (e.g. transgenic or knockout), allowing real-time studies of mutant phenotypes. Moreover, this ex vivo culture system is valuable to study the effects of chemical compounds on pancreatic development, enabling to obtain quantitative data about proliferation and growth, elongation, branching, tubulogenesis and differentiation. In conclusion, the development of an ex vivo pancreatic explant culture method combined with high-resolution imaging provides a strong platform for observing morphogenetic and differentiation events as they occur within the developing mouse embryo.

A System for ex vivo Culturing of Embryonic Pancreas

Here, we describe a method for isolation, culture and manipulation of mouse embryonic pancreas. This represents an excellent ex vivo system for studying various aspects of pancreatic development, including morphogenesis, differentiation and growth. Pancreatic bud explants can be cultured for several days and used in a range of different applications, including whole-mount immunofluorescence and live imaging.

Un sistema para la<em&gt; Ex vivo</em&gt; Cultivo de páncreas embrionario

The pancreas controls vital functions of our body,  including the production of digestive enzymes and regulation of blood sugar  levels1. Although in the ...

A Novel Method for the Culture and Polarized Stimulation of Human Intestinal Mucosa Explants

Few models currently exist to realistically simulate the complex human intestine's micro-environment, where a variety of interactions take place. Proper homeostasis directly depends on these interactions, as they shape an entire immunological response inducing tolerance against food antigens while at the same time mounting effective immune responses against pathogenic microbes accidentally ingested with food.
Intestinal homeostasis is preserved also through various complex interactions between the microbiota (including food-associated beneficial bacterial strains) and the host, that regulate the attachment/degradation of mucus, the production of antimicrobial peptides by the epithelial barrier, and the "education" of epithelial cells' that controls the tolerogenic or immunogenic phenotype of unique, gut-resident lymphoid cells' populations. These interactions have been so far very difficult to reproduce with in vitro assays using either cultured cell lines or peripheral blood mononuclear cells. In addition, mouse models differ substantially in components of the intestinal mucosa (mucus layer organization, commensal bacteria community) with respect to the human gut. Thus, studies of a variety of treatments to be brought in the clinics for important stress-related or pathological conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome, inflammatory bowel disease or colorectal cancer have been difficult to carry out.
To address these issues, we developed a novel system that enables us to stimulate explants of human intestinal mucosa that retain their in situ conditioning by the host microbiota and immune response, in a polarized fashion. Polarized apical stimulation is of great importance for the outcome of the elicited immune response. It has been repeatedly shown that the same stimuli can produce completely different responses when they bypass the apical face of the intestinal epithelium, stimulating epithelial cells basolaterally or coming into direct contact with lamina propria components, switching the phenotype from tolerogenic to immunogenic and causing unnecessary and excessive inflammation in the area.
We achieved polarized stimulation by gluing a cave cylinder which delimited the area of stimulation on the apical face of the mucosa as will be described in the protocol. We used this model to examine, among others, differential effects of three different Lactobacilli strains. We show that this model system is very powerful to assess the immunomodulatory properties of probiotics in healthy and disease conditions.

We introduce a novel method for the maintenance of human intestinal mucosa in culture and monitoring of the response to various types of stimuli over at least 24 hrs. With our method, the polarity of the tissue is maintained, allowing for a physiological stimulation via the apical route.

Un nuevo método para la Cultura y polarizado estimulación de explantes mucosa intestinal humana

Few models currently exist to realistically simulate the complex human intestine's micro-environment, where a variety of interactions take place. Proper ...

Isolation of Embryonic Ventricular Endothelial Cells

Cell culture has greatly enhanced our ability to assess individual populations of cells under myriad culture conditions. While immortalized cell lines offer significant advantages for their ease of use, these cell lines are unavailable for all potential cell types. By isolating primary cells from a specific region of interest, particularly from a transgenic mouse, more nuanced studies can be performed. The basic technique involves dissecting the organ or partial organ of interest (e.g. the heart or a specific region of the heart) and dissociating the organ to single cells. These cells are then incubated with magnetic beads conjugated to an antibody that recognizes the cell type of interest. The cells of interest can then be isolated with the use of a magnet, with a short trypsin incubation dissociating the cells from the beads. These isolated cells can then be cultured and analyzed as desired. This technique was originally designed for adult mouse organs but can be easily scaled down for use with embryonic organs, as demonstrated herein. Because our interest is in the developing coronary vasculature, we wanted to study this population of cells during specific embryonic stages. Thus, the original protocol had to be modified to be compatible with the small size of the embryonic ventricles and the low potential yield of endothelial cells at these developmental stages. Utilizing this scaled-down approach, we have assessed coronary plexus remodeling in transgenic embryonic ventricular endothelial cells.

Primary cell culture is a useful technique for analyzing specific populations of cells, particularly from transgenic mouse embryos at specific developmental stages. Herein, embryonic ventricles are dissected and dissociated, and antibody-conjugated beads recognize and separate out the endothelial cells for further analysis.

Aislamiento de células endoteliales embrionarias ventriculares

Cell culture has greatly enhanced our ability to assess individual populations of cells under myriad culture conditions. While immortalized cell lines ...

Mouse Embryonic Development in a Serum-free Whole Embryo Culture System

Mid-gestation stage mouse embryos were cultured utilizing a serum-free culture medium prepared from commercially available stem cell media supplements in an oxygenated rolling bottle culture system. Mouse embryos at E10.5 were carefully isolated from the uterus with intact yolk sac and in a process involving precise surgical maneuver the embryos were gently exteriorized from the yolk sac while maintaining the vascular continuity of the embryo with the yolk sac. Compared to embryos prepared with intact yolk sac or with the yolk sac removed, these embryos exhibited superior survival rate and developmental progression when cultured under similar conditions. We show that these mouse embryos, when cultured in a defined medium in an atmosphere of 95% O2 / 5% CO2 in a rolling bottle culture apparatus at 37 &#176;&#8203;C for 16-40 hr, exhibit morphological growth and development comparable to the embryos developing in utero. We believe this method will be useful for investigators needing to utilize whole embryo culture to study signaling interactions important in embryonic organogenesis.

Serum utilized in embryo cultures contains unknown components that can affect the outcome of experiments especially in studies involving signaling interactions. Here we utilized a serum-free oxygenated culture system and show that mid-gestation mouse embryos cultured for 16-40 hr&#160;exhibit morphological development comparable to embryos developing in utero.

Embriones de ratón con el desarrollo en todo un sistema de cultivo de embriones sin suero

Mid-gestation stage mouse embryos were cultured utilizing a serum-free culture medium prepared from commercially available stem cell media supplements in ...

Ex vivo Culture of Mouse Embryonic Skin and Live-imaging of Melanoblast Migration

Melanoblasts are the neural crest derived precursors of melanocytes; the cells responsible for producing the pigment in skin and hair. Melanoblasts migrate through the epidermis of the embryo where they subsequently colonize the developing hair follicles1,2. Neural crest cell migration is extensively studied in vitro but in vivo methods are still not well developed, especially in mammalian systems. One alternative is to use ex vivo organotypic culture3-6. Culture of mouse embryonic skin requires the maintenance of an air-liquid interface (ALI) across the surface of the tissue3,6. High resolution live-imaging of mouse embryonic skin has been hampered by the lack of a good method that not only maintains this ALI but also allows the culture to be inverted and therefore compatible with short working distance objective lenses and most confocal microscopes. This article describes recent improvements to a method that uses a gas permeable membrane to overcome these problems and allow high-resolution confocal imaging of embryonic skin in ex vivo culture6. By using a melanoblast specific Cre-recombinase expressing mouse line combined with the R26YFPR reporter line we are able to fluorescently label the melanoblast population within these skin cultures. The technique allows live-imaging of melanoblasts and observation of their behavior and interactions with the tissue in which they develop. Representative results are included to demonstrate the capability to live-image 6&#160;cultures in parallel.

Ex vivo Culture of Mouse Embryonic Skin and Live-imaging of Melanoblast Migration

We describe the dissection and ex vivo culture of mouse embryonic skin. The culture system maintains an air-liquid interface across the tissue surface and allows imaging on an inverted microscope. Melanoblasts, a component of the developing skin, are fluorescently labeled allowing their behavior to be observed using confocal microscopy.

Ex vivo Cultura de embriones de ratón con la piel y en vivo de imágenes de melanoblasto Migración

Melanoblasts are the neural crest derived precursors of melanocytes; the cells responsible for producing the pigment in skin and hair. Melanoblasts ...

Protein Isolation from the Developing Embryonic Mouse Heart Valve Region

Western blot analysis is a commonly employed technique for detecting and quantifying protein levels. However, for small tissue samples, this analysis method may not be sufficiently sensitive to detect a protein of interest. To overcome these difficulties, we examined protocols for obtaining protein from adult human cardiac valves and modified these protocols for the developing early embryonic mouse counterparts. In brief, the mouse embryonic aortic valve regions, including the aortic valve and surrounding aortic wall, are collected in the minimal possible volume of a Tris-based lysis buffer with protease inhibitors. If required based on the breeding strategy, embryos are genotyped prior to pooling four embryonic aortic valve regions for homogenization. After homogenization, an SDS-based sample buffer is used to denature the sample for running on an SDS-PAGE gel and subsequent western blot analysis. Although the protein concentration remains too low to quantify using spectrophotometric protein quantification assays and have sample remaining for subsequent analyses, this technique can be used to successfully detect and semi-quantify phosphorylated proteins via western blot from pooled samples of four embryonic day 13.5 mouse aortic valve regions, each of which yields approximately 1 &#956;g of protein. This technique will be of benefit for studying cell signaling pathway activation and protein expression levels during early embryonic mouse valve development.

The analysis of protein expression in young embryonic mouse valves has been hampered by the limited tissue available. This manuscript provides a protocol for preparing protein from developing embryonic mouse valve regions for western blot analysis.

Proteína Aislamiento del desarrollo embrionario del corazón del ratón Válvula Región

Western blot analysis is a commonly employed technique for detecting and quantifying protein levels. However, for small tissue samples, this analysis ...

The c-FOS Protein Immunohistological Detection: A Useful Tool As a Marker of Central Pathways Involved in Specific Physiological Responses In Vivo and Ex Vivo

Many studies seek to identify and map the brain regions involved in specific physiological regulations. The proto-oncogene c-fos, an immediate early gene, is expressed in neurons in response to various stimuli. The protein product can be readily detected with immunohistochemical techniques leading to the use of c-FOS detection to map groups of neurons that display changes in their activity. In this article, we focused on the identification of brainstem neuronal populations involved in the ventilatory adaptation to hypoxia or hypercapnia. Two approaches were described to identify involved neuronal populations in vivo in animals and ex vivo in deafferented brainstem preparations. In vivo, animals were exposed to hypercapnic or hypoxic gas mixtures. Ex vivo, deafferented preparations were superfused with hypoxic or hypercapnic artificial cerebrospinal fluid. In both cases, either control in vivo animals or ex vivo preparations were maintained under normoxic and normocapnic conditions. The comparison of these two approaches allows the determination of the origin of the neuronal activation i.e., peripheral and/or central. In vivo and ex vivo, brainstems were collected, fixed, and sliced into sections. Once sections were prepared, immunohistochemical detection of the c-FOS protein was made in order to identify the brainstem groups of cells activated by hypoxic or hypercapnic stimulations. Labeled cells were counted in brainstem respiratory structures. In comparison to the control condition, hypoxia or hypercapnia increased the number of c-FOS labeled cells in several specific brainstem sites that are thus constitutive of the neuronal pathways involved in the adaptation of the central respiratory drive.

The c-FOS Protein Immunohistological Detection: A Useful Tool As a Marker of Central Pathways Involved in Specific Physiological Responses In Vivo and Ex Vivo

Here, we present a protocol based on c-FOS protein immunohistological detection, a classical technique used for the identification of neuronal populations involved in specific physiological responses in vivo and ex vivo.

La proteína c-Fos detección inmunohistoquímico: una herramienta útil como marcador de vías centrales implicados en las respuestas fisiológicas específicas<em&gt; En Vivo</em&gt; y<em&gt; Ex Vivo</em

Many studies seek to identify and map the brain regions involved in specific physiological regulations. The proto-oncogene c-fos, an immediate early gene, ...

Methods Article

A Novel