Name: cryopreservation of zebrafish spermatogonia by whole testes needle immersed ultra-rapid cooling
Uploaded: 2018-03-04T13:00:00
Description: Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Cryopreservation of Zebrafish Spermatogonia by Whole Testes Needle Immersed Ultra-Rapid Cooling at JoVE.com

This study was supported by the National Research, Development and Innovation Office of Hungary (grant 116912 to &#193;H), the COST office (Food and Agriculture COST Action FA1205: AQUAGAMETE), the Stipendium Hungaricum Scholarship Programme (grant to ZM) and the New Hungarian National Excellence Predoctoral Fellowship (grant to EK).

All methods described here have been approved by the Hungarian Animal Welfare Law.
1. Reagent Preparation
<ol>
	<li>Stock solutions
	<ol>
		<li>Prepare 1 M trehalose by adding 0.378 g of trehalose dihydrate into 1 mL of dH2O. Mix well until it dissolves completely.</li>
		<li>Prepare 1 M sucrose by adding 0.342 g of sucrose into 1 mL of dH2O. Mix well until it dissolves completely.</li>
		<li>Prepare 1 M HEPES by&#160;adding 0.238 g of HEPES to 1 mL of dH2O. ...

<ol>
	<li>Mazur, P., Leibo, S. P., Seidel, G. R. J. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Cryopreservation+of+the+germplasm+of+animals+used+in+biological+and+medical+research:+Importance,+impact,+status,+and+future+directions.">Cryopreservation of the germplasm of animals used in biological and medical research: Importance, impact, status, and future directions.</a> Biol. Reprod. 78 (1), 2-12 (2008).</li><li>Carmichael, C., Westerfield, M., Varga, Z. M. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Cryopreservation+and+In+Vitro+Fertilization+at+the+Zebrafish+International+Resource+Center.">Cryopreservation and In Vitro Fertilization at the Zebrafish International Resource Center.</a> Methods Mol. Biol. 546, 45-65 (2009).</li><li>Yang, H., Carmichael, C., Varga, Z. M., Tiersch, T. R. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Development+of+a+simplified+and+standardized+protocol+with+potential+for+high-throughput+for+sperm+cryopreservation+in+zebrafish+Danio+rerio.">Development of a simplified and standardized protocol with potential for high-throughput for sperm cryopreservation in zebrafish Danio rerio.</a> Theriogenology. 68 (2), 128-136 (2007).</li><li>Morris, J. P., Berghmans, S., Zahrieh, D., Neuberg, D. S., Kanki, J. P., Look, A. T. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Zebrafish+sperm+cryopreservation+with+N,N-dimethylacetamide.">Zebrafish sperm cryopreservation with N,N-dimethylacetamide.</a> Biotechniques. 35 (5), 956-968 (2003).</li><li>Yoshizaki, G., 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=Spermatogonial+transplantation+in+fish:+A+novel+method+for+the+preservation+of+genetic+resources.">Spermatogonial transplantation in fish: A novel method for the preservation of genetic resources.</a> Comp. Biochem. Physiol. Part D: Genomics Proteomics. 6 (1), 55-61 (2011).</li><li>Gao, D., Critser, J. K. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Mechanisms+of+cryoinjury+in+living+cells.">Mechanisms of cryoinjury in living cells.</a> ILAR J. 41 (4), 187-196 (2000).</li><li>Asturiano, J. F., Cabrita, E., Horv&#225;th, &. #. 1. 9. 3. ;. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Progress,+challenges+and+perspectives+on+fish+gamete+cryopreservation:+A+mini-review.">Progress, challenges and perspectives on fish gamete cryopreservation: A mini-review.</a> Gen. Comp. Endocrinol. 245, 69-76 (2017).</li><li>K&#225;sa, 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=Development+of+sperm+vitrification+protocols+for+freshwater+fish+(Eurasian+perch,+Perca+fluviatilis)+and+marine+fish+(European+eel,+Anguilla+anguilla).">Development of sperm vitrification protocols for freshwater fish (Eurasian perch, Perca fluviatilis) and marine fish (European eel, Anguilla anguilla).</a> Gen. Comp. Endocrinol. 245, 102-107 (2017).</li><li>Cuevas-Uribe, R., Leibo, S. P., Daly, J., Tiersch, T. R. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Production+of+channel+catfish+with+sperm+cryopreserved+by+rapid+non-equilibrium+cooling.">Production of channel catfish with sperm cryopreserved by rapid non-equilibrium cooling.</a> Cryobiology. 63 (3), 186-197 (2011).</li><li>Wang, Y., Xiao, Z., Li, L., Fan, W., Li, S. W. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Novel+needle+immersed+vitrification:+A+practical+and+convenient+method+with+potential+advantages+in+mouse+and+human+ovarian+tissue+cryopreservation.">Novel needle immersed vitrification: A practical and convenient method with potential advantages in mouse and human ovarian tissue cryopreservation.</a> Hum. Reprod. 23 (10), 2256-2265 (2008).</li><li>Liu, J., Cheng, K. M., Silversides, F. G. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Production+of+Live+Offspring+from+Testicular+Tissue+Cryopreserved+by+Vitrification+Procedures+in+Japanese+Quail+(Coturnix+japonica).">Production of Live Offspring from Testicular Tissue Cryopreserved by Vitrification Procedures in Japanese Quail (Coturnix japonica).</a> Biol. Reprod. 88 (5), 124 (2013).</li><li>Liu, J., Cheng, K. M., Silversides, F. G. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Novel+needle-in-straw+vitrification+can+effectively+preserve+the+follicle+morphology,+viability,+and+vascularization+of+ovarian+tissue+in+Japanese+quail+(Coturnix+japonica).">Novel needle-in-straw vitrification can effectively preserve the follicle morphology, viability, and vascularization of ovarian tissue in Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica).</a> Anim. Reprod. Sci. 134 (3-4), 197-202 (2012).</li><li>Lee, S., Yoshizaki, G. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Successful+cryopreservation+of+spermatogonia+in+critically+endangered+Manchurian+trout+(Brachymystax+lenok).">Successful cryopreservation of spermatogonia in critically endangered Manchurian trout (Brachymystax lenok).</a> Cryobiology. 72 (2), 165-168 (2016).</li><li>Marques, L. 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=Viability+of+zebrafish+(Danio+rerio)+ovarian+follicles+after+vitrification+in+a+metal+container.">Viability of zebrafish (Danio rerio) ovarian follicles after vitrification in a metal container.</a> Cryobiology. 71 (3), 367-373 (2015).</li><li>Luji&#263;, 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=First+successful+vitrification+of+salmonid+ovarian+tissue.">First successful vitrification of salmonid ovarian tissue.</a> Cryobiology. 76, 154-157 (2017).</li><li>Bono-Mestre, C., Cardona-Costa, J., Garc&#237;a-Xim&#233;nez, F. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Effects+on+cell+viability+of+three+zebrafish+testicular+cell+or+tissue+cryopreservation+methods.">Effects on cell viability of three zebrafish testicular cell or tissue cryopreservation methods.</a> CryoLetters. 30 (2), 148-152 (2009).</li><li>Marinovi&#263;, Z., 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=Cryosurvival+of+isolated+testicular+cells+and+testicular+tissue+of+tench+Tinca+tinca+and+goldfish+Carassius+auratus+following+slow-rate+freezing.">Cryosurvival of isolated testicular cells and testicular tissue of tench Tinca tinca and goldfish Carassius auratus following slow-rate freezing.</a> Gen. Comp. Endocrinol. 245, 77-83 (2017).</li><li>P&#353;eni&#269;ka, M., Saito, T., Rodina, M., Dzyuba, B. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Cryopreservation+of+early+stage+Siberian+sturgeon+Acipenser+baerii+germ+cells,+comparison+of+whole+tissue+and+dissociated+cells.">Cryopreservation of early stage Siberian sturgeon Acipenser baerii germ cells, comparison of whole tissue and dissociated cells.</a> Cryobiology. 72, 119-122 (2016).</li><li>Lee, S., Iwasaki, Y., Shikina, S., Yoshizaki, G. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Generation+of+functional+eggs+and+sperm+from+cryopreserved+whole+testes.">Generation of functional eggs and sperm from cryopreserved whole testes.</a> Proc. Nati. Acad. Sci. USA. 110 (5), 1640-1645 (2013).</li></ol>

The main purpose of this study was to adapt the needle immersed ultra-rapid cooling procedure developed for avian and mammalian species10,11,12 to the cryopreservation of fish testis (zebrafish as a model organism). Most of the previous studies regarding cryopreservation of zebrafish genetic resources were primarily focused on cryopreservation of zebrafish sperm2,3,...

Novel trends in science and biotechnology have led to the creation of thousands of new mutant lines of mice, Drosophila, zebrafish and other species used as model organisms in biomedical and other sciences1. Furthermore, as new technologies are developed and become available, the numbers of mutant lines steadily increase2. This leads to the necessity for a safe storage of genetic resources beyond the common practices of keeping breeding colonies. As a method which enables safe storage of genetic resources for an indefinite period of time, cryopreservation offers many advantages such as extension of reproductive season, circumvents the need for continuous maintenance of broodstock, and it is more cost- and labor-efficient2.
Protocols for sperm cryopreservation developed during the past several years2,3,4 offer the opportunity for successful storage of zebrafish male genetic material. However, cryopreservation of eggs or embryos in fish is not yet possible due to their complex structure and large amounts of yolk material. Recently, the practice of transplantation of primordial germ cells (PGCs) or spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs) offers a bypass to this barrier by developing into functional sperm and eggs after transplantation5. Therefore, cryopreservation of SSCs offers a new frontier in conservation of rare and valuable genetic resources.
Even though cryopreservation offers many advantages, the slow-rate freezing process generates several conditions that may lead to cell damage2. These include intracellular and extracellular ice formation, dehydration, cryoprotectant toxicity and others. Intracellular ice damages the cells, extracellular ice may lead to mechanical crushing of cells, while water diffusion from the cells during slow-rate freezing may lead to dehydration6. Recently, vitrification as a technique which prevents the negative effects of ice formation has been applied in the cryopreservation of fish gametes7,8,9. It presents an ultra-rapid cooling technique through which the internal and external media turn into an amorphous/glassy state without crystalizing into ice7,10. Successful vitrification of testicular and ovarian tissue has been evidenced in avian and mammalian species10,11,12, thus opening possibilities for its application in fish, as well.
In this study, we present the needle immersed vitrification (NIV) procedure for the cryopreservation of whole zebrafish testes. We demonstrate a reliable method for the isolation of zebrafish early-stage germ cells without contamination and a cryopreservation process that yields relatively high amounts of early-stage germ cells with a low presence of other cells, especially spermatozoa. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to demonstrate a detailed visualized protocol for ultra-rapid cooling of fish gonadal tissue and zebrafish germline cells. Additionally, repeatability of the method is demonstrated in five different zebrafish strains: AB wild type, casper (roy-/-; nacre-/-), leopard (leot1/t1), vasa [Tg(vas::eGFP)] and Wilms tumor [Tg(wt1b::eGFP 1)] transgenic line.

<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="948">
	<tbody>
		<tr height="24">
			<td height="24" style="height:24px;width:232px;">Leibovitz media (L-15)</td>
			<td style="width:220px;">Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td style="width:200px;">L1518</td>
			<td style="width:296px;">Supplemented with L-glutamine</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="22">
			<td height="22" style="height:22px;width:232px;">Fetal bovine serum (FBS)</td>
			<td style="width:220px;">Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td style="width:200px;">F9665</td>
			<td style="width:296px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:232px;">Tricaine methanesulfonate (MS-222)</td>
			<td style="width:220px;">Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td>E10521</td>
			<td style="width:296px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="22">
			<td height="22" style="height:22px;width:232px;">HEPES</td>
			<td style="width:220px;">Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td style="width:200px;">H3375</td>
			<td style="width:296px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="19">
			<td height="19" style="height:19px;width:232px;">Sucrose</td>
			<td style="width:220px;">Acros Organics</td>
			<td>57-50-1</td>
			<td style="width:296px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;width:232px;">Trehalose</td>
			<td style="width:220px;">Acros Organics</td>
			<td>99-20-7</td>
			<td style="width:296px;">Dihydrate</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;width:232px;">Methanol</td>
			<td style="width:220px;">Reanal</td>
			<td style="width:200px;">20740-0-08-65</td>
			<td style="width:296px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;width:232px;">Propylene glycol</td>
			<td style="width:220px;">Reanal</td>
			<td style="width:200px;">08860-1-08-65</td>
			<td style="width:296px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;width:232px;">Dimethyl sulfoxide</td>
			<td style="width:220px;">Reanal</td>
			<td style="width:200px;">00190-1-01-65</td>
			<td style="width:296px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;width:232px;">Collagenase</td>
			<td style="width:220px;">Gibco</td>
			<td style="width:200px;">9001-12-1</td>
			<td style="width:296px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;width:232px;">Trypsin</td>
			<td style="width:220px;">Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td style="width:200px;">T8003</td>
			<td style="width:296px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="24">
			<td height="24" style="height:24px;width:232px;">DNase I</td>
			<td style="width:220px;">Panreac AppliChem</td>
			<td style="width:200px;">A3778</td>
			<td style="width:296px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;width:232px;">Trypan blue</td>
			<td style="width:220px;">Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td style="width:200px;">T6146</td>
			<td style="width:296px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;width:232px;">Phospate buffered saline (PBS)</td>
			<td style="width:220px;">Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td>P4417</td>
			<td>Tablets for preparation of 200 ml PBS solution</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

cryopreservation of zebrafish spermatogonia by whole testes needle immersed ultra-rapid cooling

Current trends in science and biotechnology lead to creation of thousands of new lines in model organisms thereby leading to the necessity for new methods for safe storage of genetic resources beyond the common practices of keeping breeding colonies. The main purpose of this study was to adapt the needle immersed vitrification (NIV) procedure to cryopreserve whole zebrafish testes. Cryopreservation of early-stage germ cells by whole testes NIV offers possibilities for the storage of zebrafish genetic resources, especially since after transplantation they can mature into both male and female gametes. Testes were excised, pinned on an acupuncture needle, equilibrated in two cryoprotective media (equilibration solution containing 1.5 M methanol and 1.5 M propylene glycol; and vitrification solution containing 3 M dimethyl sulfoxide and 3 M propylene glycol) and plunged into liquid nitrogen. Samples were warmed in a series of three consequent warming solutions. The main advantages of this technique are (1) the lack of spermatozoa after digestion of warmed testes thus facilitating downstream manipulations; (2) ultra-rapid cooling enabling the optimal exposure of tissues to liquid nitrogen therefore maximizing the cooling and reducing the required concentration of cryoprotectants, thereby reducing their toxicity; (3) synchronous exposure of several testes to cryoprotectants and liquid nitrogen; and (4) repeatability demonstrated by obtaining viability of above 50% in five different zebrafish strains.

On average, the number of early-stage germ cells isolated from a single fresh zebrafish testis varied between 40,000 and 200,000 cells depending on the size of the fish. When digesting fresh zebrafish testes in all 5 strains, early-germ cells were not the only cells present in the cell suspensions (Figure 2). Beside the early-stage germ cells, numerous spermatozoa were found as well. On the other hand, there were far less spermatozoa after digestion of cryopr...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Cryopreservation of Zebrafish Spermatogonia by Whole Testes Needle Immersed Ultra-Rapid Cooling at JoVE.com

Cryopreservation of Zebrafish Spermatogonia by Whole Testes Needle Immersed Ultra-Rapid Cooling

The main purpose of this study was to adapt the needle immersed vitrification (NIV) procedure to cryopreserve whole zebrafish testes. Additionally, the repeatability of the method in five different zebrafish strains was tested.

Current trends in science and biotechnology lead to creation of thousands of new lines in model organisms thereby leading to the necessity for new methods ...

Cryopreservation offers the possibility of maintaining live cells and tissues at low temperatures for an infinite period of time, at least in human terms. Vitrification is a form of cryopreservation which involves ultra-rapid cooling into a glassy, amorphous state without the formation of crystalline ice and without the damages associated. In this video, we present the protocol for the vitrification of whole zebrafish testes, which allows their safe storage until their later use as a source of germ cells for transplantation into suitable recipients.The current vitrification protocol has one significant advantage over the slow-rate freezing protocols in regard to germ stem cell manipulations. And that is that after vitrification and warming, the spermatozoa die and they get adjusted so they are not present in the cell suspension. Therefore, there is no need for isolation of germ cells after warming.And that readily facilitates the downstream manipulations. Euthanize the fish by placing it into a dish containing 200 milligrams per liter of MS-222 at pH seven. Before continuing with the dissection, make sure that the gills have stopped moving, and at least 10 minutes have passed since that moment to ensure death by hypoxia.Dry the fish by patting it on a paper towel and place it on its dorsal side on a dissecting mat. Firstly, cut off the pelvic and pectoral fins for easier dissection. Horizontally snip the skin on the belly of the fish between the pectoral fins, and cut the skin and underlying muscle along the belly until the anal fin.Open the body cavity of the fish and pin the left and right body wall to the dissection mat with needles. Testes are located above the gastrointestinal organs on both sides of the swimming bladder. To prevent contamination, do not take out the gastrointestinal organs, but gently push them to one side and remove the testes from the opposing side.Testes are connected to the body wall, so remove them carefully and cut the connecting peritoneum by micro scissors. Additionally, in order to prevent contamination, firstly sterilize the testes by putting them into 70%ethanol for two seconds, and then place them in L-15 on 96-well plate on ice. Mark needles with appropriate labels, depending on the sample type, and prepare the equilibration and vitrification solutions.Transfer the testes to a larger-well plate or dish and pin three testes or more, depending on the size of the needle, on a sterile acupuncture needle. Firstly, position the testes on top of curved tweezers. Place the point of the needle in the middle of the testis and carefully pull the testis upward with the tweezers.After puncturing the testis, gently pull it upwards towards the top of the needle. Make sure the testes are separated from each other and they are not falling off or sliding down. Place the needles with pinned testes in a Tubulator Eppendorf tube filled with L-15 until vitrification at 25 degrees.The storage time should not exceed one hour. Transfer the needle with the testes into the equilibration solution and incubate for five minutes at 25 degrees. Transfer the needle into the vitrification solution and incubate for 30 seconds at 25 degrees.Remove the needle from the vitrification solution. Quickly and gently absorb the remaining solution from the tissue by a sterile paper towel. Use caution to avoid the testes sticking to the paper towel or falling off.Quickly place the needle into liquid nitrogen in a styrofoam box. Keep the needle in liquid nitrogen in a closed styrofoam box for five to 10 minutes. Pre-cool an opened 4.5 milliliter cryotube and its cap in the same box.After five to 10 minutes, transfer each needle into a separate cryotube under the surface of liquid nitrogen and close the cryotube. Place the cryotube onto a metal cane and place it in the cryobank canister as fast as possible. Store the samples in a canister storage drawer until further use.Warm each needle separately. All warming solutions should be at 25 degrees. Detach the cryotube from the metal cane and plunge it into liquid nitrogen stored in a styrofoam box.Open the cryotube in the liquid nitrogen vapor using forceps, and release the needle into the liquid nitrogen. Transfer the needle very fast into the first warming solution and incubate for one minute. Make sure to transfer the needle quickly to prevent it warming in the air during transfer.Transfer the needle into the second warming solution, and incubate for three minutes. Transfer the needle into the third warming solution and incubate for five minutes. Release the testes from the needle by sliding them downwards with curved tweezers.Place each warmed testis individually into a separate well filled with 250 microliters of L-15, supplemented with 10%FPS. Make sure that the wells are labeled according to the sample. Keep the well plate on ice until all samples are warmed, and until further work.Prepare 500 microliters of the dissociation solution for each sample in separate two-milliliter tubes. Label the tubes according to the code of the sample. Incubate the prepared dissociation solution for five minutes at room temperature.Add the warmed tissue into the digestion solution, and cut it into small pieces by at least 30 movements of small scissors. Incubate the tissue on a shaking plate for 90 minutes at 24 degrees. Stop the digestion process by adding 400 microliters of L-15 and 100 microliters of 10%FPS.Briefly shake the solution and incubate for one minute at room temperature. Filter the obtained solution through 50-micron filters into a 1.5 milliliter tube. Label the tubes accordingly.Centrifuge the filtered solution at 200 G for 10 minutes at 25 degrees. Carefully remove the supernatant and re-suspend the pellet in 20 microliters of L-15, supplemented with 10%FPS. Manually shake the tube until the pellet is completely dissolved.Keep the cell suspension on ice or at four degrees until further use. Mix five microliters of cell suspension and five microliters of 0.4%trypan blue solution in an appropriately-labeled 0.2 milliliter PCR tube. If different volumes are used, make sure that the dilution ratio of one to one remains.Incubate this suspension for one to three minutes at 25 degrees. Check the viability of each sample in a hemocytometer under a microscope. Count the number of live cells unstained by trypan blue in 15 fields.Calculate the total number of cells in 20 microliters of the cell suspension. The suspension is now ready for any downstream application. On average, the number of early-stage germ cells isolated from a single fresh zebrafish testis vary between 40, 000 and 200, 000 cells, depending on the size of the fish.In all zebrafish lines used in this study, the current vitrification protocol yielded average viability rates of 50%and higher. This indicates favorable viability and repeatability of the presented protocol. When digesting fresh zebrafish testes in all five strains, besides the early-stage germ cells, numerous spermatozoa were found as well.After digestion of cryo-preserved testes, there were far less spermatozoa, indicating that they do not survive this vitrification protocol, and that they are most likely eliminated during the digestion process. The needle-immersed vitrification protocol presented in this study offers several advantages in the cryopreservation of testicular pieces. Firstly, several pieces can be pinned to one needle, and therefore they can simultaneously be exposed to cryoprotectants and to the liquid nitrogen.Furthermore, this method enables that very low amounts of cryoprotectants are attached to the tissue pieces. And therefore, cooling and warming rates can be higher. One significant advantage is that spermatozoa do not survive this protocol, and therefore in the end, the cell suspensions are enriched spermatogonia, which will facilitate the downstream applications.But one thing that has to be taken into account is the possibility of cross-contamination through nitrogen. Therefore when using this method, liquid nitrogen should not be reused.

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Biology

Transplantation of Whole Kidney Marrow in Adult Zebrafish

Hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) are a rare population of pluripotent cells that maintain all the differentiated blood lineages throughout the life of an organism. The functional definition of a HSC is a transplanted cell that has the ability to reconstitute all the blood lineages of an irradiated recipient long term. This designation was established by decades of seminal work in mammalian systems. Using hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) and reverse genetic manipulations in the mouse, the underlying regulatory factors of HSC biology are beginning to be unveiled, but are still largely under-explored. Recently, the zebrafish has emerged as a powerful genetic model to study vertebrate hematopoiesis. Establishing HCT in zebrafish will allow scientists to utilize the large-scale genetic and chemical screening methodologies available in zebrafish to reveal novel mechanisms underlying HSC regulation. In this article, we demonstrate a method to perform HCT in adult zebrafish. We show the dissection and preparation of zebrafish whole kidney marrow, the site of adult hematopoiesis in the zebrafish, and the introduction of these donor cells into the circulation of irradiated recipient fish via intracardiac injection. Additionally, we describe the post-transplant care of fish in an "ICU" to increase their long-term health. In general, gentle care of the fish before, during, and after the transplant is critical to increase the number of fish that will survive more than one month following the procedure, which is essential for assessment of long term (&lt;3 month) engraftment. The experimental data used to establish this protocol will be published elsewhere. The establishment of this protocol will allow for the merger of large-scale zebrafish genetics and transplant biology.

In this article, we demonstrate a method to perform HCT in adult zebrafish.

Hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) are a rare population of pluripotent cells that maintain all the differentiated blood lineages throughout the life of an ...

Zebrafish Whole Mount High-Resolution Double Fluorescent In Situ Hybridization

Whole mount in situ hybridization is one of the most widely used techniques in developmental biology. Here, we present a high-resolution double fluorescent in situ hybridization protocol for analyzing the precise expression pattern of a single gene and for determining the overlap of the expression domains of two genes. The protocol is a modified version of the standard in situ hybridization using alkaline phosphatase and substrates such as NBT/BCIP and Fast Red 1,2. This protocol utilizes standard digoxygenin and fluorescein labeled probes along with tyramide signal amplification (TSA) 3. The commercially available TSA kits allow flexible experimental design as fluorescence emission from green to far-red can be used in combination with various nuclear stains, such as propidium iodide, or fluorescence immunohistochemistry for proteins. TSA produces a reactive fluorescent substrate that quickly covalently binds to moieties, typically tyrosine residues, in the immediate vicinity of the labeled antisense riboprobe. The resulting staining patterns are high resolution in that subcellular localization of the mRNA can be observed using laser scanning confocal microscopy 3,4. One can observe nascent transcripts at the chromosomal loci, distinguish nuclear and cytoplasmic staining and visualize other patterns such as cortical localization of mRNA. Studies in Drosophila indicate that roughly 70% of mRNAs exhibit specific patterns of subcellular localization that frequently correlate with the function of the encoded protein 5. When combined with computer-aided reconstruction of 3D confocal datasets, our protocol allows the detailed analysis of mRNA distribution with sub-cellular resolution in whole vertebrate embryos.

Zebrafish Whole Mount High-Resolution Double Fluorescent In Situ Hybridization

Whole mount in situ hybridization is one of the most widely used techniques in developmental biology. Here, we present a high-resolution double fluorescent in situ hybridization protocol for analyzing the precise expression pattern of a single gene and for determining the overlap of the expression domains of two genes. We include a propidium iodide nuclear counter-stain to highlight tissue organization.

Whole mount in situ hybridization is one of the most widely used techniques in developmental biology.  Here, we present a high-resolution double ...

Generating Chimeric Zebrafish Embryos by Transplantation

One of the most powerful tools used to gain insight into complex developmental processes is the analysis of chimeric embryos. A chimera is defined as an organism that contains cells from more than one animal; mosaics are one type of chimera in which cells from more than one genotype are mixed, usually wild-type and mutant. In the zebrafish, chimeras can be readily made by transplantation of cells from a donor embryo into a host embryo at the appropriate embryonic stage. Labeled donor cells are generated by injection of a lineage marker, such as a fluorescent dye, into the one-cell stage embryo. Labeled donor cells are removed from donor embryos and introduced into unlabeled host embryos using an oil-controlled glass pipette mounted on either a compound or dissecting microscope. Donor cells can in some cases be targeted to a specific region or tissue of the developing blastula or gastrula stage host embryo by choosing a transplantation site in the host embryo based on well-established fate maps.

A step-by-step guide to generating targeted chimeric zebrafish embryos by transplantation at the blastula or gastrula stage.

One of the most powerful tools used to gain insight into complex developmental processes is the analysis of chimeric embryos. A chimera is defined as an ...

A High-Throughput Method For Zebrafish Sperm Cryopreservation and In Vitro Fertilization

This is a method for zebrafish sperm cryopreservation that is an adaptation of the Harvey method (Harvey et al., 1982).  We have introduced two changes to the original protocol that both streamline the procedure and increase sample uniformity.  First, we normalize all sperm volumes using freezing media that does not contain the cryoprotectant. Second, cryopreserved sperm are stored in cryovials instead of capillary tubes.  The rates of sperm freezing and thawing (&delta;&deg;C/time) are probably the two most critical variables to control in this procedure.  For this reason, do not substitute different tubes for those specified.  Working in teams of 2 it is possible to freeze the sperm of 100 males per team in ~2 hrs.  Sperm cryopreserved using this protocol has an average of 25% fertility (measured as the number of viable embryos generated in an in vitro fertilization divided by the total number of eggs fertilized) and this percent fertility is stable over many years.

A High-Throughput Method For Zebrafish Sperm Cryopreservation and In Vitro Fertilization

This is a high-throughput sperm cryopreservation protocol for zebrafish. Sperm cryopreserved using this protocol has an average of 25% fertility in subsequent vitro fertilization and is stable over many years.

This is a method for zebrafish sperm cryopreservation that is an adaptation of the Harvey method (Harvey et al., 1982).  We have introduced two changes to ...

Making Gynogenetic Diploid Zebrafish by Early Pressure

Heterozygosity in diploid eukaryotes often makes genetic studies cumbersome. Methods that produce viable homozygous diploid offspring directly from heterozygous females allow F1 mutagenized females to be screened directly for deleterious mutations in an accelerated forward genetic screen. Streisinger et al.1,2 described methods for making gynogenetic (homozygous) diploid zebrafish by activating zebrafish eggs with ultraviolet light-inactivated sperm and preventing either the second meiotic or the first zygotic cell division using physical treatments (heat or pressure) that deploymerize microtubules. The "early pressure" (EP) method blocks the meiosis II, which occurs shortly after fertilization. The EP method produces a high percentage of viable embryos that can develop to fertile adults of either sex. The method generates embryos that are homozygous at all loci except those that were separated from their centromere by recombination during meiosis I. Homozygous mutations are detected in EP clutches at between 50% for centromeric loci and less than 1% for telomeric loci. This method is reproduced verbatim from the Zebrafish Book3.

This is a method for generating gynogenetic diploid zebrafish embryos (embryos whose only genetic contribution comes from the mother) by blocking the second meiotic division immediately after fertilization with ultraviolet light-inactivated sperm. EP embryos are not fully homozygous due to recombination during the first meiotic division, however they are homozygous at all loci that have not been separated from their centromere by recombination.

Heterozygosity in diploid eukaryotes often makes genetic studies cumbersome. Methods that produce viable homozygous diploid offspring directly from ...

Isolation of Drosophila melanogaster Testes

The testes of Drosophila melanogaster provide an important model for the study of stem cell maintenance and differentiation, meiosis, and soma-germline interactions. Testes are typically isolated from adult males 0-3 days after eclosion from the pupal case. The testes of wild-type flies are easily distinguished from other tissues because they are yellow, but the testes of white mutant flies, a common genetic background for laboratory experiments are similar in both shape and color to the fly gut. Performing dissection on a glass microscope slide with a black background makes identifying the testes considerably easier. Testes are removed from the flies using dissecting needles. Compared to protocols that use forceps for testes dissection, our method is far quicker, allowing a well-practiced individual to dissect testes from 200-300 wild-type flies per hour, yielding 400-600 testes. Testes from white flies or from mutants that reduce testes size are harder to dissect and typically yield 200-400 testes per hour.

Isolation of Drosophila melanogaster Testes

Drosophila melanogaster testes can be rapidly and efficiently isolated from adult males using dissecting needles. With practice, one can readily isolate in one or two days an amount of testes sufficient for the analysis of DNA or RNA by high throughput sequencing or more traditional molecular biology methods or of protein for antibody- or enzyme-based assays.

The testes of Drosophila melanogaster provide an important model for the study of stem cell maintenance and differentiation, meiosis, and soma-germline ...

Cryopreservation of Mouse Embryos by Ethylene Glycol-Based Vitrification

Cryopreservation of mouse embryos is a technological basis that supports biomedical sciences, because many strains of mice have been produced by genetic modifications and the number is consistently increasing year by year. Its technical development started with slow freezing methods in the 1970s1, then followed by vitrification methods developed in the late 1980s2. Generally, the latter technique is advantageous in its quickness, simplicity, and high survivability of recovered embryos. However, the cryoprotectants contained are highly toxic and may affect subsequent embryo development. Therefore, the technique was not applicable to certain strains of mice, even when the solutions are cooled to 4&deg;C to mitigate the toxic effect during embryo handling. At the RIKEN BioResource Center, more than 5000 mouse strains with different genetic backgrounds and phenotypes are maintained3, and therefore we have optimized a vitrification technique with which we can cryopreserve embryos from many different strains of mice, with the benefits of high embryo survival after vitrifying and thawing (or liquefying, more precisely) at the ambient temperature4.
Here, we present a vitrification method for mouse embryos that has been successfully used at our center. The cryopreservation solution contains ethylene glycol instead of DMSO to minimize the toxicity to embryos5. It also contains Ficoll and sucrose for prevention of devitrification and osmotic adjustment, respectively. Embryos can be handled at room temperature and transferred into liquid nitrogen within 5 min. Because the original method was optimized for plastic straws as containers, we have slightly modified the protocol for cryotubes, which are more easily accessible in laboratories and more resistant to physical damages. We also describe the procedure of thawing vitrified embryos in detail because it is a critical step for efficient recovery of live mice. These methodologies would be helpful to researchers and technicians who need preservation of mouse strains for later use in a safe and cost-effective manner.

An ethylene glycol-based vitrification method for mouse embryos is described. It is advantageous to other methods in its simplicity and low embryonic toxicity, and therefore can be broadly applicable to many strains of mice, including inbred and gene-modified mice.

Cryopreservation of mouse embryos is a technological basis that supports biomedical sciences, because many strains of mice have been produced by genetic ...

Imaging Centrosomes in Fly Testes

Centrosomes are conserved microtubule-based organelles whose structure and function change dramatically throughout the cell cycle and cell differentiation. Centrosomes are essential to determine the cell division axis during mitosis and to nucleate cilia during interphase. The identity of the proteins that mediate these dynamic changes remains only partially known, and the function of many of the proteins that have been implicated in these processes is still rudimentary. Recent work has shown that Drosophila spermatogenesis provides a powerful system to identify new proteins critical for centrosome function and formation as well as to gain insight into the particular function of known players in centrosome-related processes. Drosophila is an established genetic model organism where mutants in centrosomal genes can be readily obtained and easily analyzed. Furthermore, recent advances in the sensitivity and resolution of light microscopy and the development of robust genetically tagged centrosomal markers have transformed the ability to use Drosophila testes as a simple and accessible model system to study centrosomes. This paper describes the use of genetically-tagged centrosomal markers to perform genetic screens for new centrosomal mutants and to gain insight into the specific function of newly identified genes.

Imaging of centrosomal proteins during Drosophila spermatogenesis is a powerful method to identify new proteins critical for centrosome biology as well as to elucidate the particular function of known players in this process.

Centrosomes are conserved microtubule-based organelles whose structure and function change dramatically throughout the cell cycle and cell ...

Analysis of Apoptosis in Zebrafish Embryos by Whole-mount Immunofluorescence to Detect Activated Caspase 3

Whole-mount immunofluorescence to detect activated Caspase 3 (Casp3 assay) is useful to identify cells undergoing either intrinsic or extrinsic apoptosis in zebrafish embryos. The whole-mount analysis provides spatial information in regard to tissue specificity of apoptosing cells, although sectioning and/or colabeling is ultimately required to pinpoint the exact cell types undergoing apoptosis. The whole-mount Casp3 assay is optimized for analysis of fixed embryos between the 4-cell stage and 32 hr-post-fertilization and is useful for a number of applications, including analysis of zebrafish mutants and morphants, overexpression of mutant and wild-type mRNAs, and exposure to chemicals. Compared to acridine orange staining, which can identify apoptotic cells in live embryos in a matter of hours, Casp3 and TUNEL assays take considerably longer to complete (2-4 days). However, because of the dynamic nature of apoptotic cell formation and clearance, analysis of fixed embryos ensures accurate comparison of apoptotic cells across multiple samples at specific time points. We have also found the Casp3 assay to be superior to analysis of apoptotic cells by the whole-mount TUNEL assay in regard to cost and reliability. Overall, the Casp3 assay represents a robust, highly reproducible assay in which to analyze apoptotic cells in early zebrafish embryos.

Certain genetic perturbations or exposure to toxins can disrupt normal developmental processes leading to death of specific cell types. The analysis of activated Caspase 3 by whole-mount immunofluorescence in zebrafish embryos reveals stage- and tissue-specific localization of cells specifically undergoing apoptosis.

Whole-mount immunofluorescence to detect activated Caspase 3 (Casp3 assay) is useful to identify cells undergoing either intrinsic or extrinsic apoptosis ...

Flat Mount Preparation for Observation and Analysis of Zebrafish Embryo Specimens Stained by Whole Mount In situ Hybridization

The zebrafish embryo is now commonly used for basic and biomedical research to investigate the genetic control of developmental processes and to model congenital abnormalities. During the first day of life, the zebrafish embryo progresses through many developmental stages including fertilization, cleavage, gastrulation, segmentation, and the organogenesis of structures such as the kidney, heart, and central nervous system. The anatomy of a young zebrafish embryo presents several challenges for the visualization and analysis of the tissues involved in many of these events because the embryo develops in association with a round yolk mass. Thus, for accurate analysis and imaging of experimental phenotypes in fixed embryonic specimens between the tailbud and 20 somite stage (10 and 19 hours post fertilization (hpf), respectively), such as those stained using whole mount in situ hybridization (WISH), it is often desirable to remove the embryo from the yolk ball and to position it flat on a glass slide. However, performing a flat mount procedure can be tedious. Therefore, successful and efficient flat mount preparation is greatly facilitated through the visual demonstration of the dissection technique, and also helped by using reagents that assist in optimal tissue handling. Here, we provide our WISH protocol for one or two-color detection of gene expression in the zebrafish embryo, and demonstrate how the flat mounting procedure can be performed on this example of a stained fixed specimen. This flat mounting protocol is broadly applicable to the study of many embryonic structures that emerge during early zebrafish development, and can be implemented in conjunction with other staining methods performed on fixed embryo samples.

Flat Mount Preparation for Observation and Analysis of Zebrafish Embryo Specimens Stained by Whole Mount In situ Hybridization

The zebrafish embryo is an excellent model for developmental biology research. During embryogenesis, zebrafish develop with a yolk mass, which presents three-dimensional challenges for sample observation and analysis. This protocol describes how to create two-dimensional flat mount preparations of whole mount in situ (WISH) stained zebrafish embryo specimens.

The zebrafish embryo is now commonly used for basic and biomedical research to investigate the genetic control of developmental processes and to model ...