This work was performed using the Division of Brain Sciences, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London startup funds to K.N.A.

NOTE: The animals were maintained and handled in compliance with the institutional guidelines and all animal procedures were approved by the Imperial College&#39;s Animal Welfare and Ethical Review Body (AWERB) and the Home Office and Harvard University Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC), in compliance with federal and state regulations.
1. Reagent and Equipment Setup
<ol>
	<li>Thaw, aliquot and store 1 mg/ml&#160;Laminin solution at &#8211;80 &#186;C. Dissolve 2 &#181;l in ...

<ol>
	<li>Prasad, K. N., 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+immortalized+clonal+cell+lines+from+fetal+rat+mesencephalic+tissue.">Establishment and characterization of immortalized clonal cell lines from fetal rat mesencephalic tissue.</a> In Vitro Cell Dev Biol Anim. 30A, 596-603 (1994).</li><li>Fall, C. P., Bennett, J. P. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Characterization+and+time+course+of+MPP++-induced+apoptosis+in+human+SH-SY5Y+neuroblastoma+cells.">Characterization and time course of MPP+ -induced apoptosis in human SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells.</a> J Neurosci Res. 55, 620-628 (1999).</li><li>Choi, H. K., Won, L., Roback, J. D., Wainer, B. H., Heller, A. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Specific+modulation+of+dopamine+expression+in+neuronal+hybrid+cells+by+primary+cells+from+different+brain+regions.">Specific modulation of dopamine expression in neuronal hybrid cells by primary cells from different brain regions.</a> Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 89, 8943-8947 (1992).</li><li>Alavian, K. N., Sgado, P., Alberi, L., Subramaniam, S., Simon, H. H. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Elevated+P75NTR+expression+causes+death+of+engrailed-deficient+midbrain+dopaminergic+neurons+by+Erk1/2+suppression.">Elevated P75NTR expression causes death of engrailed-deficient midbrain dopaminergic neurons by Erk1/2 suppression.</a> Neural Dev. 4, 11 (2009).</li><li>Chung, C. Y., 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+transcription+factor+orthodenticle+homeobox+2+influences+axonal+projections+and+vulnerability+of+midbrain+dopaminergic+neurons.">The transcription factor orthodenticle homeobox 2 influences axonal projections and vulnerability of midbrain dopaminergic neurons.</a> Brain. 133, 2022-2031 (2010).</li><li>Betarbet, R., Sherer, T. B., Greenamyre, J. T. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Animal+models+of+Parkinson's+disease.">Animal models of Parkinson's disease.</a> Bioessays. 24, 308-318 (2002).</li><li>Schober, A. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Classic+toxin-induced+animal+models+of+Parkinson's+disease:+6-OHDA+and+MPTP.">Classic toxin-induced animal models of Parkinson's disease: 6-OHDA and MPTP.</a> Cell Tissue Res. 318, 215-224 (2004).</li><li>Chesselet, M. F., Richter, F. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Modelling+of+Parkinson's+disease+in+mice.">Modelling of Parkinson's disease in mice.</a> Lancet neurology. 10, 1108-1118 (2011).</li><li>Takeshima, T., Johnston, J. M., Commissiong, J. W. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Mesencephalic+type+1+astrocytes+rescue+dopaminergic+neurons+from+death+induced+by+serum+deprivation.">Mesencephalic type 1 astrocytes rescue dopaminergic neurons from death induced by serum deprivation.</a> J Neurosci. 14, 4769-4779 (1994).</li><li>Sgado, P., 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=Slow+progressive+degeneration+of+nigral+dopaminergic+neurons+in+postnatal+Engrailed+mutant+mice.">Slow progressive degeneration of nigral dopaminergic neurons in postnatal Engrailed mutant mice.</a> PNAS. 103, 15242-15247 (2006).</li><li>Alavian, K. N., 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+lifelong+maintenance+of+mesencephalic+dopaminergic+neurons+by+Nurr1+and+engrailed.">The lifelong maintenance of mesencephalic dopaminergic neurons by Nurr1 and engrailed.</a> J Biomed Sci. 21, 27 (2014).</li><li>Simon, H. H., Bhatt, L., Gherbassi, D., Sgado, P., Alberi, L. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Midbrain+dopaminergic+neurons:+determination+of+their+developmental+fate+by+transcription+factors.">Midbrain dopaminergic neurons: determination of their developmental fate by transcription factors.</a> Ann N Y Acad Sci. 991, 36-47 (2003).</li><li>Bjorklund, A., Dunnett, S. 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No conflict of interest declared.

Dopaminergic neurons in midbrain are the main source of dopamine in the central nervous system. They are divided into three groups, substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc), ventral tegmental area (VTA) and retrorubral field (RRF) 10,11. The neurons in SNpc and VTA give rise to major dopaminergic pathways, mesocortical, mesolimbic and nigro-striatal, involved in functions such as control of emotion, motivation and motor behavior. Demise of the neurons in SNpc and functional disruption of the nigrostria...

Loss of dopaminergic neurons from the substantia nigra pars compacta leads to the cardinal motor symptoms of Parkinson&#8217;s Disease (PD), the second most prevalent neurodegenerative disorder. The underlying cause of the demise of this mesencephalic neuronal population is not known. To study the biochemical pathways responsible for the development and modulating neurophysiological properties and survival of mesDA neurons, several cell culture and animal model systems have been used. Immortalized cell lines, including the rat dopaminergic cell line 1RB3AN27(N27), the human dopaminergic neuroblastoma cell line SH-SY5Y, the mouse dopaminergic hybrid cell line MN9D and human mesencephalic LUHMES cells have been used for biochemical and limited mechanistic studies 1-5. For the study of the specific loss of mesDA neurons, several neurotoxin-based and genetic models have been developed 6-8. Primary ventral midbrain cultures, provide an indispensable tool for studying the neuronal and synaptic properties of the dopaminergic neurons and the pathways involved in pathogenesis of this common disorder.
Here we present a detailed protocol for the isolation of mesencephalic dopaminergic neurons, which contains modifications resulting in higher survivability and increased yield of coverslips per embryo. Use of pre-mature E12.5 mouse mesencephalon (E14.5 in rat) enhances survivability. At this age neurons have not developed axons yet, which leaves cells intact during dissection and minimizes the stress thereby significantly increasing viability. In addition, careful dissection of the ventral midbrain, as described in section 2 of this protocol, further enhances survivability. To increase the numbers of coverslips per embryo, an alternative plating method is presented in section 4 of this protocol. This leads to a yield of up to 10 coverslips per embryo as compared to 4 coverslips under standard plating conditions thus reducing the amount of animals per experiment.
Neurons in culture exhibit outgrowth of axons and dentrites, form synaptic connections and reveal the presence of neuronal and synaptic markers making these cultures suitable for live cell imaging, immunocytochemical and electrophysiological studies. Furthermore, the use of neuronal cultures facilitates genetic and pharmacologic manipulation. Outgrowth of neurites from day 2 in vitro allows for developmental studies. Furthermore, the long-term survival of cultures (up to six weeks) makes them suitable for study of the slow, progressive degeneration of these neurons.

<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="721">
	<tbody>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:364px;">Name of Material/ Equipment</td>
			<td style="width:71px;">Company</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">Catalog Number</td>
			<td style="width:167px;">Comments/Description</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Dulbecco&#39;s modified Eagle medium nutrient mixture F-12</td>
			<td>Invitrogen</td>
			<td>11330</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Hanks&#39; Balanced Salt Solution (HBSS) (1X), liquid</td>
			<td>Invitrogen</td>
			<td>24020-117)</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Fetal bovine serum, heat-inactivated (FBS)</td>
			<td>Invitrogen</td>
			<td>16140</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">N2 Supplement (100X), liquid</td>
			<td>Invitrogen</td>
			<td>17502-048)</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">D-(+)-Glucose solution (45% (wt/vol) in water</td>
			<td>Sigma</td>
			<td>G8769</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Bovine serum albumin BSA</td>
			<td>Sigma</td>
			<td>A9430</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Laminin from Engelbreth-Holm-Swarm murine sarcoma basement membrane</td>
			<td>Sigma</td>
			<td>L2020</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Penicillin/streptomycin</td>
			<td>Invitrogen</td>
			<td>15070</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Trypsin (0.05% (wt/vol)</td>
			<td>Invitrogen</td>
			<td>25300</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Bovine serum albumin (BSA) cell culture tested</td>
			<td>Sigma&#160;</td>
			<td>A9418</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Phosphate-buffered saline (PBS)</td>
			<td>Sigma</td>
			<td>P3813</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Anti-Tyrosine hydroxylase (Th) antibody</td>
			<td>Pel-Freez Biologicals</td>
			<td>P60101-0&#160;</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Poly-L-ornithine, 0.01% solution</td>
			<td>Sigma</td>
			<td>P4957</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Anti-Map2 (Microtubule associated protein-2A and -2B) antibody</td>
			<td>Millipore</td>
			<td>MAB3418</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Anti-Synapsin-1 antibody</td>
			<td>Millipore</td>
			<td>AB1543P</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Alexa Fluor 488 donkey anti-rabbit IgG&#160;&#160; antibody</td>
			<td>Molecular Probes</td>
			<td>A-21206</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Alexa Fluor 594 donkey anti-rabbit IgG&#160;&#160; antibody</td>
			<td>Molecular Probes</td>
			<td>A-21207</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Alexa Fluor 488 donkey anti-sheep IgG&#160;&#160; antibody</td>
			<td>Molecular Probes</td>
			<td>A-11015</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Alexa Fluor 594 donkey anti-sheep IgG&#160;&#160; antibody</td>
			<td>Molecular Probes</td>
			<td>A-11016</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Alexa Fluor 594 donkey anti-mouse IgG&#160;&#160; antibody</td>
			<td>Molecular Probes</td>
			<td>A-21203</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Trypan blue solution (0.4% (wt/vol)</td>
			<td>Biowhittaker</td>
			<td>17-942E</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Stereo Microscope</td>
			<td>Carl Zeiss</td>
			<td>Stemi 2000-C</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Inverted phase contrast microscope</td>
			<td>Carl Zeiss</td>
			<td>Axiovert 40 C</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Dumont Forceps</td>
			<td>Fine Scientific Tools</td>
			<td>May-45</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Cover Slip Forceps &#8211; Dumoxel</td>
			<td>Fine Scientific Tools</td>
			<td>11251-33</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Two Dumont #45 Forceps &#8211; Dumoxel</td>
			<td>Fine Scientific Tools</td>
			<td>11245-30</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Blade Holder/Breaker Flat Grip - 11cm</td>
			<td>Fine Scientific Tools</td>
			<td>10052-11</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Student Iris Scissors - Straight 11.5cm</td>
			<td>Fine Scientific Tools</td>
			<td>91460-11</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Fiber optic halogen illuminator</td>
			<td>Nikon</td>
			<td>MKII</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Disposable Borosilicate Glass Pasteur Pipettes</td>
			<td>Fisherbrand</td>
			<td>13-678-20C</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Hemocytometer</td>
			<td>Proscitech</td>
			<td>SVZ2NIOU</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">0.2 &#181;m sterile filter units</td>
			<td>Nalgene</td>
			<td>NL-CE-156-4020</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">100x20mm Petri dishes</td>
			<td>BD Biosciences</td>
			<td>351005</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Round Cover Slip #1 Thickness German Glass 12mm</td>
			<td>Bellco Glass</td>
			<td>1943-10012&#160;</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

isolation, culture and long-term maintenance of primary mesencephalic dopaminergic neurons from embryonic rodent brains

Degeneration of mesencephalic dopaminergic (mesDA) neurons is the pathological hallmark of Parkinson&#8217;s diseae. Study of the biological processes involved in physiological functions and vulnerability and death of these neurons is imparative to understanding the underlying causes and unraveling the cure for this common neurodegenerative disorder. Primary cultures of mesDA neurons provide a tool for investigation of the molecular, biochemical and electrophysiological properties, in order to understand the development, long-term survival and degeneration of these neurons during the course of disease. Here we present a detailed method for the isolation, culturing and maintenance of midbrain dopaminergic neurons from E12.5 mouse (or E14.5 rat) embryos. Optimized cell culture conditions in this protocol result in presence of axonal and dendritic projections, synaptic connections and other neuronal morphological properties, which make the cultures suitable for study of the physiological, cell biological and molecular characteristics of this neuronal population.

Immunohistochemistry against Tyrosine hydroxylase (Th) shows that between 0.5-1% of the cells in culture are dopaminergic. Neuronal projections appear within 2 hr after plating and by the first day, axons and dendrites are distinguishable (Figure 2), using Tyrosine Hydroxylase (TH) and Microtubule-Associated Protein 2 (Map2) antibodies (Figure 3). The neurons survive for more than six weeks and show extensive outgrowth. The neuron-glia ratio in the cultures is directly related to the con...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Isolation, Culture and Long-Term Maintenance of Primary Mesencephalic Dopaminergic Neurons From Embryonic Rodent Brains at JoVE.com

Isolation, Culture and Long-Term Maintenance of Primary Mesencephalic Dopaminergic Neurons From Embryonic Rodent Brains

The causes of degeneration of midbrain dopaminergic neurons during Parkinson&#8217;s disease are not fully understood. Cellular culture systems provide an essential tool for study of the neurophysiological properties of these neurons. Here we present an optimized protocol, which can be utilized for in vitro modeling of neurodegeneration.

Degeneration of mesencephalic dopaminergic (mesDA) neurons is the pathological hallmark of Parkinson&#8217;s diseae. Study of the biological processes ...

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13.8K vistas.  Imperial College London. The causes of degeneration of midbrain dopaminergic neurons during Parkinson’s disease are not fully understood. Cellular culture systems provide an essential tool for study of the neurophysiological properties of these neurons. Here we present an optimized protocol, which can be utilized for in vitro modeling of neurodegeneration.