This work was supported by grants from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) of Canada and The Canada Foundation for Innovation. Thanks to Dr Paul Mains (University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada) for let-502(sb118ts) strain. Some of the strains were provided by the Caenorhabditis Genetics Center, which is funded by NIH Office of Research Infrastructure Programs (P40 OD010440).

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E. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Embryonic+morphogenesis+in+Caenorhabditis+elegans+integrates+the+activity+of+LET-502+Rho-binding+kinase,+MEL-11+myosin+phosphatase,+DAF-2+insulin+receptor+and+FEM-2+PP2c+phosphatase.">Embryonic morphogenesis in Caenorhabditis elegans integrates the activity of LET-502 Rho-binding kinase, MEL-11 myosin phosphatase, DAF-2 insulin receptor and FEM-2 PP2c phosphatase.</a> Genetics. 156, 1671-1689 (2000).</li><li>Martin, E., 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=pix-1+controls+early+elongation+in+parallel+with+mel-11+and+let-502+in+Caenorhabditis+elegans.">pix-1 controls early elongation in parallel with mel-11 and let-502 in Caenorhabditis elegans.</a> PloS one. 9, e94684 (2014).</li><li>Sulston, J., Hodgkin, J., Wood, W. 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The authors declare that they have no competing financial interests.

Ce protocole décrit les nouveaux paramètres pour caractériser début et fin des phases d&#39;allongement embryonnaire. Dans la section 1, l&#39;étape critique est la présence potentielle de bactéries sur le pad. Les embryons sont hermétiquement enfermés entre le patin et la lamelle lors de l&#39;acquisition d&#39;image. La lame d&#39;étanchéité est nécessaire pour éviter la dessication des animaux lors de l&#39;acquisition d&#39;une durée de plus de deux heures. À notre connai...

Depuis près de 50 ans , les nématodes Caenorhabditis elegans est établi comme un modèle puissant pour étudier des questions importantes dans le développement, la neurobiologie, l&#39; évolution, les interactions hôte-pathogène, etc. 1 La force de ce modèle dans l&#39;étude du développement réside dans: son cycle de vie court de 3 jours; la facilité avec laquelle ces animaux peuvent être génétiquement modifiées; sa transparence qui permet l&#39;observation du déplacement de la cellule et de la morphologie des animaux vivants et de son développement qui est la plupart du temps extra-utérine. Les stades de développement du nématode impliquent l&#39;embryogenèse et quatre stades larvaires (L1 à L4), suivie par l&#39;âge adulte. Au cours du développement embryonnaire, épidermique morphogenèse a attiré une attention considérable pour sa capacité à permettre une meilleure compréhension de la façon dont épithéliales cellules migrent en tant que groupe, comment ils réorganisent leurs jonctions et modifier leur morphologie individuelle, ainsi que leur positionnement relatif dans un épithélium fonctionnel.Epidermal morphogenèse est divisé en quatre étapes: intercalation dorsale consistant en la réorganisation des cellules épidermiques dorsale, appelée l&#39;hypoderme; enceinte ventrale, consistant à la migration des cellules hypodermiques ventrale vers la ligne médiane ventrale enrobant ainsi l&#39;embryon dans une monocouche de cellules épithéliales; début et fin de l&#39;allongement transformer l&#39;embryon en forme de haricot en larves vermiform. Après morphogenèse, embryon éclosent et les larves L1 commencent à se nourrir en utilisant des bactéries disponibles dans leur environnement immédiat. allongement embryonnaire est donc une phase tardive du développement embryonnaire. Il est constitué de l&#39;extension de l&#39;embryon, le long de son axe longitudinal, et une réduction de son diamètre transversal. Cela implique une modification spectaculaire de la forme des cellules hypodermiques. Allongement est divisé en un début et une phase tardive. La première phase commence au stade de la virgule et se termine lorsque les muscles corps à parois commencent à contracter à l&#39; étape 1.75 fois dans wild type ( en poids) des embryons - correspondant à des embryons qui sont 1,75 fois la longueur par rapport à des embryons non-allongée. Morphogenèse se produisant à ce stade sont principalement motivés par la contraction des faisceaux filamenteux d&#39;actine (FB) situés au pôle apical des cellules hypodermiques qui conduisent leur allongement le long de l&#39;axe antéro-postérieur de l&#39;embryon 2. Contraction de FBs est le contrôle par phosphorylation des chaînes de myosine-lumière par trois kinases LET-502 / ROCK, MRCK-1 et PAK-1 5. La phase tardive de l&#39;allongement, commence lorsque les muscles corps à parois deviennent fonctionnels et commencent à contracter. Elle implique la signalisation de transduction mécanique des muscles corps de paroi aux cellules dorsale et ventrale hypodermiques et se termine lorsque les animaux éclosent 3. les défauts de Allongement sont généralement caractérisés par le pourcentage d&#39;animaux qui meurent comme des embryons (létalité embryonnaire; Emb) et ceux d&#39;arrêter leur développement en tant L1 larves (larvaire arrestation phénotype; Lva) et étant sensiblement plus courte que poids. Identification de la scène de l&#39; arrestation de développement nécessite une observation microscopique des embryons morts et arrêté Larves 3-6. Il a été récemment montré que plusieurs gènes, comme le régulateur / Cdc42 Rac et effecteur pix-1 et pak-1, contrôlent la morphogenèse au cours précoce et tardive allongement 3,7. Nous avons récemment montré que morphogenèse diffèrent selon l&#39;axe antéro-postérieur de l&#39;embryon lors de l&#39; allongement précoce 3 7. Ces résultats ont motivé l&#39;élaboration de nouvelles mesures ciblant spécifiquement les étapes d&#39;allongement précoce ou tardive et d&#39;autres mesures permettant la caractérisation de la morphologie des embryons le long de leur axe antéro-postérieur lors de l&#39;allongement précoce. Ces nouveaux procédés consistent à mesurer la longueur des embryons au début et à la fin de l&#39;allongement précoce, ainsi que la largeur de leur ilannonces et les queues. 7 Deux protocoles ont également été développés pour mesurer la longueur des larves nouvellement écloses, synchronisé à l&#39; étape L1 7. Les coquilles des embryons de les protéger contre le traitement d&#39;hypochlorite alcalin alors que les larves, les adultes et les bactéries présentes dans les milieux de culture sont dissous par le traitement. Ce traitement est ensuite utilisé pour purifier les embryons provenant d&#39; une population non synchronisée contenant une majorité des adultes bien nourris 8. La restriction alimentaire est utilisé pour synchroniser les larves nouvellement écloses. Mesurer la longueur de ces larves est ensuite utilisé pour détecter des défauts d&#39;allongement. Cette mesure est préférable à la mesure des larves arrêtés sur des plaques de culture parce que les larves qui éclosent de non-entièrement embryons allongés peut récupérer à &quot;longueur normale&quot; lors de l&#39;alimentation, mais maintiendra leur taille réduite lors de son arrestation en l&#39;absence de nourriture. Ici, nous présentons des protocoles détaillés permettant la mesure du chierngth d&#39;allonger les embryons ainsi que la largeur de la tête et la queue à l&#39;aide de time-lapse DIC microscopie et l&#39;analyse de l&#39;image (Protocole 1). Nous fournissons également des protocoles détaillés pour mesurer la longueur des larves synchronisée par analyse d&#39;image (protocole n ° 2) et Flow-cytométrie (protocole n ° 3).

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novel metrics to characterize embryonic elongation of the nematode caenorhabditis elegans

Dissecting the signaling pathways that control the alteration of morphogenic processes during embryonic development requires robust and sensitive metrics. Embryonic elongation of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans is a late developmental stage consisting of the elongation of the embryo along its longitudinal axis. This developmental stage is controlled by intercellular communication between hypodermal cells and underlying body-wall muscles. These signaling mechanisms control the morphology of hypodermal cells by remodeling the cytoskeleton and the cell-cell junctions. Measurement of embryonic lethality and developmental arrest at larval stages as well as alteration of cytoskeleton and cell-cell adhesion structures in hypodermal and muscle cells are classical phenotypes that have been used for more than 25 years to dissect these signaling pathways. Recent studies required the development of novel metrics specifically targeting either early or late elongation and characterizing morphogenic defects along the antero-posterior axis of the embryo. Here, we provide detailed protocols enabling the accurate measurement of the length and the width of the elongating embryos as well as the length of synchronized larvae. These methods constitute useful tools to identify genes controlling elongation, to assess whether these genes control both early and late phases of this stage and are required evenly along the antero-posterior axis of the embryo.

Head-, caudales et Chef / Ratio de queue-largeur sont Metrics robustes. Les protocoles décrits ici ont été utilisés avec succès pour caractériser la fonction des régulateurs et des effecteurs de Rho GTPases pix-1, pak-1 et laissez-502 lors de l&#39; allongement pré...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Novel Metrics to Characterize Embryonic Elongation of the Nematode Caenorhabditis elegans at JoVE.com

Novel Metrics to Characterize Embryonic Elongation of the Nematode Caenorhabditis elegans

Novel Metrics à Caractériser Embryonic Allongement du nématode<em&gt; Caenorhabditis elegans</em

Here we detail protocols specifically designed to monitor morphogenic defects that occur during early and late phases of embryonic elongation of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. Ultimately, these protocols are designed to identify genes that regulate these phases and to characterize their differential requirements along the antero-posterior axis of the embryo.

Dissecting the signaling pathways that control the alteration of morphogenic processes during embryonic development requires robust and sensitive metrics. ...

novel-metrics-to-characterize-embryonic-elongation-nematode

Research

JoVE Journal

Neuroscience

Novel Metrics to Characterize Embryonic Elongation of the Nematode Caenorhabditis elegans

6.0K vues.  Université du Québec à Montréal. Here we detail protocols specifically designed to monitor morphogenic defects that occur during early and late phases of embryonic elongation of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. Ultimately, these protocols are designed to identify genes that regulate these phases and to characterize their differential requirements along the antero-posterior axis of the embryo. 

Vidéo: Novel Metrics to Characterize Embryonic Elongation of the Nematode Caenorhabditis elegans

Multi-unit Recording Methods to Characterize Neural Activity in the Locust (Schistocerca Americana) Olfactory Circuits

Detection and interpretation of olfactory cues are critical for the survival of many organisms. Remarkably, species across phyla have strikingly similar olfactory systems suggesting that the biological approach to chemical sensing has been optimized over evolutionary time1. In the insect olfactory system, odorants are transduced by olfactory receptor neurons (ORN) in the antenna, which convert chemical stimuli into trains of action potentials. Sensory input from the ORNs is then relayed to the antennal lobe (AL; a structure analogous to the vertebrate olfactory bulb). In the AL, neural representations for odors take the form of spatiotemporal firing patterns distributed across ensembles of principal neurons (PNs; also referred to as projection neurons)2,3. The AL output is subsequently processed by Kenyon cells (KCs) in the downstream mushroom body (MB), a structure associated with olfactory memory and learning4,5. Here, we present electrophysiological recording techniques to monitor odor-evoked neural responses in these olfactory circuits.
First, we present a single sensillum recording method to study odor-evoked responses at the level of populations of ORNs6,7. We discuss the use of saline filled sharpened glass pipettes as electrodes to extracellularly monitor ORN responses. Next, we present a method to extracellularly monitor PN responses using a commercial 16-channel electrode3. A similar approach using a custom-made 8-channel twisted wire tetrode is demonstrated for Kenyon cell recordings8. We provide details of our experimental setup and present representative recording traces for each of these techniques.

Multi-unit Recording Methods to Characterize Neural Activity in the Locust Schistocerca Americana Olfactory Circuits

We demonstrate variations of the extracellular multi-unit recording technique to characterize odor-evoked responses in the first three stages of the invertebrate olfactory pathway. These techniques can easily be adapted to examine ensemble activity in other neural systems as well.

Méthodes d&#39;enregistrement multi-unités pour caractériser l&#39;activité neuronale dans le Criquet (<em&gt; Schistocerca americana</em&gt; Circuits olfactifs)

Detection and interpretation of olfactory cues are critical for the survival  of many organisms. Remarkably, species across phyla have strikingly similar ...

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Neurosciences

A Caenorhabditis elegans Model System for Amylopathy Study

Amylopathy is a term that describes abnormal synthesis and accumulation of amyloid beta (A&beta;) in tissues with time. A&beta; is a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and is found in Lewy body dementia, inclusion body myositis and cerebral amyloid angiopathy 1-4. Amylopathies progressively develop with time. For this reason simple organisms with short lifespans may help to elucidate molecular aspects of these conditions. Here, we describe experimental protocols to study A&beta;-mediated neurodegeneration using the worm Caenorhabditis elegans. Thus, we construct transgenic worms by injecting DNA encoding human A&beta;42 into the syncytial gonads of adult hermaphrodites. Transformant lines are stabilized by a mutagenesis-induced integration. Nematodes are age synchronized by collecting and seeding their eggs. The function of neurons expressing A&beta;42 is tested in opportune behavioral assays (chemotaxis assays). Primary neuronal cultures obtained from embryos are used to complement behavioral data and to test the neuroprotective effects of anti-apoptotic compounds.

A Caenorhabditis elegans Model System for Amylopathy Study

We describe methods to study aspects of amylopathies in the worm C. elegans. We show how to construct worms expressing human A&beta;42 in neurons and how to test their function in behavioral assays. We further show how to obtain primary neuronal cultures that can be used for pharmacological testing.

A<em&gt; Caenorhabditis elegans</em&gt; Système modèle pour l&#39;étude de Amylopathy

Amylopathy is a term that describes abnormal synthesis and accumulation of amyloid beta (A&beta;) in tissues with time. A&beta; is a hallmark of ...

Methods for Studying the Mechanisms of Action of Antipsychotic Drugs in Caenorhabditis elegans

Caenorhabditis elegans is a simple genetic organism amenable to large-scale forward and reverse genetic screens and chemical genetic screens. The C. elegans genome includes potential antipsychotic drug (APD) targets conserved in humans, including genes encoding proteins required for neurotransmitter synthesis and for synaptic structure and function. APD exposure produces developmental delay and/or lethality in nematodes in a concentration-dependent manner. These phenotypes are caused, in part, by APD-induced inhibition of pharyngeal pumping1,2. Thus, the developmental phenotype has a neuromuscular basis, making it useful for pharmacogenetic studies of neuroleptics. Here we demonstrate detailed procedures for testing APD effects on nematode development and pharyngeal pumping. For the developmental assay, synchronized embryos are placed on nematode growth medium (NGM) plates containing APDs, and the stages of developing animals are then scored daily. For the pharyngeal pumping rate assay, staged young adult animals are tested on NGM plates containing APDs. The number of pharyngeal pumps per unit time is recorded, and the pumping rate is calculated. These assays can be used for studying many other types of small molecules or even large molecules.

Methods for Studying the Mechanisms of Action of Antipsychotic Drugs in Caenorhabditis elegans

Approaches for testing the effects of antipsychotic drugs (APDs) in Caenorhabditis elegans are demonstrated. Assays are described for testing drug effects on development and viability and on pharyngeal pumping rate. These methods are also applicable for pharmacogenetic experiments with drug classes other than APDs.

Méthodes pour étudier les mécanismes d&#39;action des antipsychotiques dans<em&gt; Caenorhabditis elegans</em

Caenorhabditis elegans is a simple genetic organism amenable to  large-scale forward and reverse genetic screens and chemical genetic screens. The C.  ...

An Assay for Measuring the Effects of Ethanol on the Locomotion Speed of Caenorhabditis elegans

Alcohol use disorders are a significant public health concern, for which there are few effective treatment strategies. One difficulty that has delayed the development of more effective treatments is the relative lack of understanding of the molecular underpinnings of the effects of ethanol on behavior. The nematode, Caenorhabditis elegans (C.&#160;elegans), provides a useful model in which to generate and test hypotheses about the molecular effects of ethanol. Here, we describe an assay that has been developed and used to examine the roles of particular genes and environmental factors in behavioral responses to ethanol, in which locomotion is the behavioral output. Ethanol dose-dependently causes an acute depression of crawling on an agar surface. The effects are dynamic; animals exposed to a high concentration demonstrate an initial strong depression of crawling, referred to here as initial sensitivity, and then partially recover locomotion speed despite the continued presence of the drug. This ethanol-induced behavioral plasticity is referred to here as the development of acute functional tolerance. This assay has been used to demonstrate that these two phenotypes are distinct and genetically separable. The straightforward locomotion assay described here is suitable for examining the effects of both genetic and environmental manipulations on these acute behavioral responses to ethanol in C.&#160;elegans.

An Assay for Measuring the Effects of Ethanol on the Locomotion Speed of Caenorhabditis elegans

C. elegans is a useful model for studying the effects of ethanol on behavior. We present a behavioral assay that quantifies the effects of ethanol on the locomotion speed of crawling worms; both initial sensitivity and the development of acute functional tolerance to ethanol can be measured with this assay.

Un test pour mesurer les effets de l&#39;éthanol sur la vitesse de Locomotion<em&gt; Caenorhabditis elegans</em

Alcohol use disorders are a significant public health concern, for which there are few effective treatment strategies. One difficulty that has delayed the ...

Agarose Microchambers for Long-term Calcium Imaging of Caenorhabditis elegans

Behavior is controlled by the nervous system. Calcium imaging is a straightforward method in the transparent nematode Caenorhabditis elegans to measure the activity of neurons during various behaviors. To correlate neural activity with behavior, the animal should not be immobilized but should be able to move. Many behavioral changes occur during long time scales and require recording over many hours of behavior. This also makes it necessary to culture the worms in the presence of food. How can worms be cultured and their neural activity imaged over long time scales? Agarose Microchamber Imaging (AMI) was previously developed to culture and observe small larvae and has now been adapted to study all life stages from early L1 until the adult stage of C. elegans. AMI can be performed on various life stages of C. elegans. Long-term calcium imaging is achieved without immobilizing the animals by using short externally triggered exposures combined with an electron multiplying charge-coupled device (EMCCD) camera recording. Zooming out or scanning can scale up this method to image up to 40 worms in parallel. Thus, a method is described to image behavior and neural activity over long time scales in all life stages of C. elegans.

Agarose Microchambers for Long-term Calcium Imaging of Caenorhabditis elegans

Imaging behavior and neural activity over long time scales without immobilization of the animal is a prerequisite to understand behavior. Agarose microfluidic chambers imaging (AMI) can be used to image neural activity and behavior for all life stages of Caenorhabditis elegans.

Microchambres agarose à long terme de l&#39;imagerie calcique<em&gt; Caenorhabditis elegans</em

Behavior is controlled by the nervous system. Calcium imaging is a straightforward method in the transparent nematode Caenorhabditis elegans to measure ...

Dynamic Quantitative Sensory Testing to Characterize Central Pain Processing

Central facilitation and modulation of incoming nociceptive signals play an important role in the perception of pain. Disruption in central pain processing is present in many chronic pain conditions and can influence responses to specific therapies. Thus, the ability to precisely describe the state of central pain processing has profound clinical significance in both prognosis and prediction. Because it is not practical to record neuronal firings directly in the human spinal cord, surrogate behavior tests become an important tool to assess the state of central pain processing. Dynamic QST is one such test, and can probe both the ascending facilitation and descending modulation of incoming nociceptive signals via TS and CPM, respectively. Due to the large between-individual variability in the sensitivity to noxious signals, standardized TS and CPM tests may not yield any meaningful data in up to 50% of the population due to floor or ceiling effects. We present methodologies to individualize TS and CPM so we can capture these measures in a broader range of individuals than previously possible. We have used these methods successfully in several studies at the lab, and data from one ongoing study will be presented to demonstrate feasibility and potential applications of the methods.

By assessing pain in response to repetitive or different types of standardized stimuli, dynamic quantitative sensory testing (QST) can reveal changes in the central processing of pain. We present methods to optimize and individualize two dynamic QST measures: temporal summation (TS) and conditioned pain modulation (CPM).

Dynamic Quantitative Test sensoriel à Caractériser Central Processing douleur

Central facilitation and modulation of incoming nociceptive signals play an important role in the perception of pain. Disruption in central pain ...

A Caenorhabditis elegans Nutritional-status Based Copper Aversion Assay

To ensure survival, organisms must be capable of avoiding unfavorable habitats while ensuring a consistent food source. Caenorhabditis elegans alter their locomotory patterns upon detection of diverse environmental stimuli and can modulate their suite of behavioral responses in response to starvation conditions. Nematodes typically exhibit a decreased aversive response when removed from a food source for over 30 min. Observation of behavioral changes in response to a changing nutritional status can provide insight into the mechanisms that regulate the transition from a well-fed to starved state.
We have developed an assay that measures a nematode&#39;s ability to cross an aversive barrier (i.e. copper) then reach a food source over a prolonged period of time. This protocol builds upon previous work by integrating multiple variables in a manner that allows for continued data collection as the organisms shift towards an increasingly starved condition. Moreover, this assay permits an increased sample size so that larger populations of nematodes can be simultaneously evaluated.
Organisms defective for the ability to detect or respond to copper immediately cross the chemical barrier, while wild type nematodes are initially repelled. As wild type worms are increasingly starved, they begin to cross the barrier and reach the food source. We designed this assay to evaluate a mutant that is incapable of responding to diverse environmental cues, including food sensation or detection of aversive chemicals. When evaluated via this protocol, the defective organisms immediately crossed the barrier, but were also incapable of detecting a food source. Hence, these mutants repeatedly cross the chemical barrier despite temporarily reaching a food source. This assay can straightforwardly test populations of worms to evaluate potential pathway defects related to aversion and starvation.

A Caenorhabditis elegans Nutritional-status Based Copper Aversion Assay

Here, we present a Caenorhabditis elegans-specific assay designed to evaluate changes in copper aversion behavior and the ability to locate a common food source, as the organism progresses from a well-fed to starved nutritional state.

UNE<em&gt; Caenorhabditis elegans</em&gt; Ensemble d&#39;aversion en cuivre à base d&#39;état nutritionnel

To ensure survival, organisms must be capable of avoiding unfavorable habitats while ensuring a consistent food source. Caenorhabditis elegans alter their ...

Ratiometric Calcium Imaging of Individual Neurons in Behaving Caenorhabditis Elegans

It has become increasingly clear that neural circuit activity in behaving animals differs substantially from that seen in anesthetized or immobilized animals. Highly sensitive, genetically encoded fluorescent reporters of Ca2+ have revolutionized the recording of cell and synaptic activity using non-invasive optical approaches in behaving animals. When combined with genetic and optogenetic techniques, the molecular mechanisms that modulate cell and circuit activity during different behavior states can be identified.
Here we describe methods for ratiometric Ca2+ imaging of single neurons in freely behaving Caenorhabditis elegans worms. We demonstrate a simple mounting technique that gently overlays worms growing on a standard Nematode Growth Media (NGM) agar block with a glass coverslip, permitting animals to be recorded at high-resolution during unrestricted movement and behavior. With this technique, we use the sensitive Ca2+ reporter GCaMP5 to record changes in intracellular Ca2+ in the serotonergic Hermaphrodite Specific Neurons (HSNs) as they drive egg-laying behavior. By co-expressing mCherry, a Ca2+-insensitive fluorescent protein, we can track the position of the HSN within ~ 1 &#181;m and correct for fluctuations in fluorescence caused by changes in focus or movement. Simultaneous, infrared brightfield imaging allows for behavior recording and animal tracking using a motorized stage. By integrating these microscopic techniques and data streams, we can record Ca2+ activity in the C. elegans egg-laying circuit as it progresses between inactive and active behavior states over tens of minutes.

Ratiometric Calcium Imaging of Individual Neurons in Behaving Caenorhabditis Elegans

This protocol describes the use of genetically encoded Ca2+ reporters to record changes in neural activity in behaving Caenorhabditis elegans worms. &#8195;

Imagerie ratiométrique Calcium des neurones individuels en comportement Caenorhabditis Elegans

It has become increasingly clear that neural circuit activity in behaving animals differs substantially from that seen in anesthetized or immobilized ...

Imaging Dendritic Spines in Caenorhabditis elegans

Dendritic spines are specialized sites of synaptic innervation modulated by activity and serve as substrates for learning and memory. Recently, dendritic spines have been described for DD GABAergic neurons as the input sites from presynaptic cholinergic neurons in the motor circuit of Caenorhabditis elegans. This synaptic circuit can now serve as a powerful new in vivo model of spine morphogenesis and function that exploits the facile genetics and ready accessibility of C. elegans to live-cell imaging. 
This protocol describes experimental strategies for assessing DD spine structure and function. In this approach, a super-resolution imaging strategy is used to visualize the intricate shapes of actin-rich dendritic spines. To evaluate the DD spine function, the light-activated opsin, Chrimson, stimulates the presynaptic cholinergic neurons, and the calcium indicator, GCaMP, reports the evoked calcium transients in postsynaptic DD spines. Together, these methods comprise powerful approaches for identifying genetic determinants of dendritic spines in C. elegans that could also direct spine morphogenesis and function in the brain.

Imaging Dendritic Spines in Caenorhabditis elegans

Dendritic spines are important cellular features of the nervous system. Here live imaging methods are described for assessing the structure and function of dendritic spines in C. elegans.&#160;These approaches support the development of mutant screens for genes that define dendritic spine shape or function.

Imagerie des épines dendritiques chez Caenorhabditis elegans

Dendritic spines are specialized sites of synaptic innervation modulated by activity and serve as substrates for learning and memory. Recently, dendritic ...

In vivo Assessment of Microtubule Dynamics and Orientation in Caenorhabditis elegans Neurons

In neurons, microtubule orientation has been a key assessor to identify axons that have plus-end out microtubules and dendrites that generally have mixed orientation. Here we describe methods to label, image, and analyze the microtubule dynamics and growth during the development and regeneration of touch neurons in C. elegans. Using genetically encoded fluorescent reporters of microtubule tips, we imaged the axonal microtubules. The local changes in microtubule behavior that initiates axon regeneration following axotomy can be quantified using this protocol. This assay is adaptable to other neurons and genetic backgrounds to investigate the regulation of microtubule dynamics in various cellular processes.

In vivo Assessment of Microtubule Dynamics and Orientation in Caenorhabditis elegans Neurons

A protocol for imaging the dynamic microtubules in vivo using fluorescently labeled End binding protein has been presented. We described the methods to label, image, and analyze the dynamic microtubules in the Posterior lateral microtubule (PLM) neuron of C. elegans.

In vivo Évaluation de la dynamique et de l’orientation des microtubules dans les neurones de Caenorhabditis elegans

In neurons, microtubule orientation has been a key assessor to identify axons that have plus-end out microtubules and dendrites that generally have mixed ...