Name: preparation of murine submandibular salivary gland for upright intravital microscopy
Uploaded: 2018-05-07T12:30:00
Description: Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Preparation of Murine Submandibular Salivary Gland for Upright Intravital Microscopy at JoVE.com

This work was funded by Swiss National Foundation (SNF) project grant 31003A_135649, 31003A_153457 and 31003A_172994 (to JVS), and Leopoldina fellowship LPDS 2011-16 (to BS). This work benefitted from optical setups of the "Microscopy Imaging Center" (MIC) of the University of Bern.

All animal work has been approved by the Cantonal Committee for Animal Experimentation and conducted according to federal guidelines.
1. Anesthetize the Mouse
<ol>
	<li>Wear personal protective equipment, including lab coat and gloves.</li>
	<li>Mix ketamine, xylazine, and saline to a working concentration of 20 mg/mL and 1 mg/mL, respectively. Inject the working stock intraperitoneally (i.p.) at 8-10 &#181;L/g of mouse. Place the mouse back into the cage. 
	NOTE: This protocol has been...

<ol>
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This protocol offers a straightforward approach for in vivo imaging of murine submandibular and sublingual salivary glands using upright non-linear microscopy often used in the field of immunology. The method can be adapted for the imaging of other exocrine glands in the head and neck region. For instance, our lab has performed imaging of the lacrimal gland in an analogous manner (not shown).
Removing the connective tissue around the SMG is the most critical step of this protocol, sin...

Saliva is secreted by exocrine glands to lubricate food, protect the mucosal surfaces of the oral tract, and to deliver digestive enzymes as well as antimicrobial substances1,2. In addition to minor salivary glands interspersed in the oral submucosa, there are three bilateral sets of major glands identified as parotid, sublingual, and submandibular, according to their location1,2. Pyramid-shaped epithelial cells, organized into flask-shaped sacs (acini) or demilunes that are surrounded by myoepithelial cells and a basement membrane, secrete the serous and mucous components of saliva1. The narrow luminal space of the acini drains into intercalated ducts, which unite into striated ducts until they finally join into a single excretory duct1. The main excretory duct of the SMG is called Wharton&#39;s duct (WD) and opens into the sublingual caruncle3,4. The SMG epithelial compartment therefore represents a highly arborized structure with manifold terminal endpoints, resembling a bundle of grapes1,5,6. The SMG interstitium is composed of blood and lymphatic vessels embedded in connective tissue7 containing parasympathetic nerves8 and extracellular matrix5. Normal human and rodent salivary glands also contain T cells, macrophages, and dendritic cells9, as well as plasma cells that secrete Immunoglobulin A (IgA) into the saliva9,10. Due to its multifaceted functions in health and disease, the SMG is a subject of interest for many fields of biological research, including dentistry4, immunology11, oncology12, physiology8, and cell biology3.
Imaging of dynamic cellular processes and interactions is a powerful tool in biological research13,14. The development of deep tissue imaging and innovations inmicroscopes based on nonlinear optics (NLO), which rely on scattering or absorption of multiple photons by the sample, has allowed to directly examine cellular processes in complex tissues13,15. Absorption of multiple photons involves delivery of the total excitation energy by low energy photons, which confines fluorophore excitation to the focal plane and thus allows deeper tissue penetration with reduced photodamage and noise from out of focus excitation13,15. This principle is employed by two-photon microscopy (2PM) and allows for imaging of fluorescent specimens in depths of up to 1 mm15,16. While commercially available 2PM setups have become user-friendly and reliable, the major challenge for intravital imaging is to carefully expose and stabilize the target organ of anesthetized mice, especially for imaging of time lapse series. Several methods for digital drift correction after data acquisition have been published17,18 and we recently developed &#34;VivoFollow&#34;, an automated correction system, which counteracts slow tissue drift in real time using a computerized stage19. However, it is still critical for high quality imaging to minimize tissue motion, especially fast movements caused by breathing or heartbeat19. Preparation and stabilization procedures have been published for multiple organs, including spinal cord20, liver21, skin22, lung23, and lymph node24. Furthermore, models for rat salivary gland imaging have been developed3,25 and further refined for high resolution intravital imaging of the murine SMG tailored to an inverted microscope setup26,27,28.
Here, we present a practical and adaptable protocol for intravital imaging of the murine SMG using upright nonlinear microscopy, which is commonly used for intravital imaging in the field of immunology. To this end, we modified a widely employed immobilization stage used for popliteal lymph node preparations.

<table border="1" fo:keep-together.within-page="1" fo:keep-with-next.within-page="always">
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td>Narketan 10 %&#160; (Ketamine) 20ml (100 mg/ml)</td>
			<td>Vetoquinol</td>
			<td>3605877535982</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Rompun 2% (Xylazine) 25 ml (20 mg/ml)</td>
			<td>Bayer</td>
			<td>680538150144</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Saline NaCl 0.9%</td>
			<td>B. Braun</td>
			<td>3535789</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Prequillan 1% (Acepromazine) 10 ml (10 mg/ml)</td>
			<td>Fatro</td>
			<td>6805671900029</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Electric shaver</td>
			<td>Wahl</td>
			<td>9818L</td>
			<td>or similar</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Hair removal cream</td>
			<td>Veet</td>
			<td>4002448090656</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Durapore Surgical tape (2.5 cm x 9.1 m and 1.25 cm x 9.1 m)</td>
			<td>Durapore (3M)</td>
			<td>1538-1</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Durapore Surgical tape (2.5 cm x 9.1 m and 1.25 cm x 9.1 m)</td>
			<td>Durapore (3M)</td>
			<td>1538-0</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Super glue Ultra gel, instantaneous glue</td>
			<td>Pattex, Henkel</td>
			<td>4015000415040</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Microscope cover glass slides 20 mm and 22 mm</td>
			<td>Menzel-Gl&#228;ser</td>
			<td>631-1343/ 631-1344</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Grease for laboratories 60 g glisseal N</td>
			<td>Borer (VWR supplier)</td>
			<td>DECO514215.00-CA15</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Surgical scissors</td>
			<td>Fine Science Tools (F.S.T )</td>
			<td>14090-09</td>
			<td>or similar</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Fine Forceps</td>
			<td>Fine Science Tools (F.S.T )</td>
			<td>11252-20</td>
			<td>or similar</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Cotton swab</td>
			<td>Migros</td>
			<td>617027988254</td>
			<td>or similar</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Gauze Gazin 5 x 5 cm</td>
			<td>Lohmann and Rauscher</td>
			<td>18500</td>
			<td>or similar</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Stereomicroscope</td>
			<td>Leica</td>
			<td>MZ16</td>
			<td>or similar</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Texas Red dextran 70kDa</td>
			<td>&#160;Molecular Probes</td>
			<td>D1864</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Cascade Blue dextran 10kDa</td>
			<td>invitrogen</td>
			<td>D1976</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Two-photon system</td>
			<td>LaVision Biotec</td>
			<td>TrimScope I and II</td>
			<td>or similar</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>XLUMPLANFL 20x/0.95 W objective</td>
			<td>Olympus</td>
			<td>n/a</td>
			<td>or other water immersion objective&#160;</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Digital thermometer</td>
			<td>Fluke</td>
			<td>95969077651</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

preparation of murine submandibular salivary gland for upright intravital microscopy

The submandibular salivary gland (SMG) is one of the three major salivary glands, and is of interest for many different fields of biological research, including cell biology, oncology, dentistry, and immunology. The SMG is an exocrine gland comprised of secretory epithelial cells, myofibroblasts, endothelial cells, nerves, and extracellular matrix. Dynamic cellular processes in the rat and mouse SMG have previously been imaged, mostly using inverted multi-photon microscope systems. Here, we describe a straightforward protocol for the surgical preparation and stabilization of the murine SMG in anesthetized mice for in vivo imaging with upright multi-photon microscope systems. We present representative intravital image sets of endogenous and adoptively transferred fluorescent cells, including the labeling of blood vessels or salivary ducts and second harmonic generation to visualize fibrillar collagen. In sum, our protocol allows for surgical preparation of mouse salivary glands in upright microscopy systems, which are commonly used for intravital imaging in the field of immunology.

This protocol allows imaging of almost the entire dorsal or ventral side of the SMG. The field of view typically also includes the sublingual salivary gland, which differs slightly from the SMG in cellular composition4. Both glands are encapsulated by fibrillar collagen and subdivided into lobes. Most 2PM systems can produce a label-free image of fibrillar collagen by measuring the 2nd harmonic signal, but usually fluorescent molecules are needed for vis...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Preparation of Murine Submandibular Salivary Gland for Upright Intravital Microscopy at JoVE.com

Preparation of Murine Submandibular Salivary Gland for Upright Intravital Microscopy

We describe a protocol to surgically expose and stabilize the murine submandibular salivary gland for intravital imaging using upright intravital microscopy. This protocol is easily adaptable to other exocrine glands of the head and neck region of mice and other small rodents.

The submandibular salivary gland (SMG) is one of the three major salivary glands, and is of interest for many different fields of biological research, ...

Research

JoVE Journal

Immunology and Infection

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The analysis of cell-cell or cell-pathogen interaction in vivo is an important tool to understand the dynamics of the immune response to infection. ...