Dissection of Adult Mouse Stria Vascularis for Single-Nucleus Sequencing or Immunostaining

Summary

The stria vascularis is vital to the generation of endocochlear potential. Here, we present the dissection of the adult mouse stria vascularis for single-nucleus sequencing or immunostaining.

Abstract

Endocochlear potential, which is generated by the stria vascularis, is essential to maintain an environment conducive to appropriate hair cell mechanotransduction and ultimately hearing. Pathologies of the stria vascularis can result in a decreased hearing. Dissection of the adult stria vascularis allows for focused single-nucleus capture and subsequent single-nucleus sequencing and immunostaining. These techniques are used to study stria vascularis pathophysiology at the single-cell level.

Single-nucleus sequencing can be used in the setting of transcriptional analysis of the stria vascularis. Meanwhile, immunostaining continues to be useful in identifying specific populations of cells. Both methods require proper stria vascularis dissection as a prerequisite, which can prove to be technically challenging.

Introduction

The cochlea consists of three fluid filled chambers, the scala vestibuli, scala media, and scala tympani. The scala vestibuli and scala tympani each contain perilymph, which has a high concentration of sodium (138 mM) and a low concentration of potassium (6.8 mM)¹. The scala media contains endolymph, which has a high concentration of potassium (154 mM) and a low concentration of sodium (0.91 mM)^1,2,3. This difference in ion concentration can be referred to as the endocochlear potential (EP), and is primarily generated by the movement of potassium ions ....

Protocol

All animal experiments and procedures were performed according to protocols approved by the Animal Care and Use Committee of the National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Stroke and the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, National Institutes of Health. All experimental protocols were approved by the Animal Care and Use Committee of the National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Stroke and the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, National Institutes of .......

Discussion

Prior to the advent of single-cell sequencing, many researchers used bulk tissue analysis, which only made it possible to analyze transcriptomes averaged across cells. In particular, single-cell and sNuc-Seq made it possible to isolate the transcriptome of a single cell or single nucleus, respectively³². In this instance, single-nucleus transcriptomes can be identified for marginal, intermediate, and basal cells, as well as spindle cells³⁰. This enables the investigation of.......

Materials

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
10-µm filter (Polyethylenterephthalat)	PluriSelect	#43-50010-01	Filter tissue during sNuc-Seq
18 x 18 mm cover glass	Fisher Scientific	12-541A	Cover slip to mount SV
30-µm filter (Polyethylenterephthalat)	PluriSelect	#43-50030-03	Filter tissue during sNuc-Seq
75 x 25 mm Superfrost Plus/Colorforst Plus Microslide	Daigger	EF15978Z	Microslide to mount SV on
C57BL/6J Mice	The Jackson Laboratory	RRID: IMSR_JAX:000664	General purpose mouse strain that has pigment more easily seen in the intermediate cells of the SV.
Cell Counter	Logos Biosystems	L20001	Used for cell counting
Chalizon curette 5'', size 3 2.5 mm	Biomedical Research Instruments	15-1020	Used to transfer SV
Chromium Next GEM single Cell 3' GEM Kit v3.1	Chromium	PN-1000141	Generates single cell 3' gene expression libraries
Clear nail polish	Fisher Scientific	NC1849418	Used for sealing SV mount
Corning Falcon Standard Tissue Culture Dishes, 24 well	Corning	08-772B	Culture dish used to hold specimen during dissection
DAPI	Invitrogen	D1306, RRID: AB_2629482	Stain used for nucleus labeling
Dounce homogenizer	Sigma-Aldrich	D8938	Used to homogenize tissue for sNuc-seq
Dumont #5 Forceps	Fine Science Tools	11252-30	General forceps for dissection
Dumont #55 Forceps	Fine Science Tools	11255-20	Forceps with fine tip that makes SV manipulation easier
Fetal Bovine Serum	ThermoFisher	16000044	Used for steps of sNuc-Seq
Glue stick	Fisher Scientific	NC0691392	Used for mounting SV
GS-IB4 Antibody	Molecular Probes	I21411, RRID: AB-2314662	Antibody used for capillary labeling
KCNJ10-ZsGreen Mice	n/a	n/a	Transgenic mouse that expresses KCNJ10-ZsGreen, partiularly in the intermediate cells of the SV.
MgCl2	ThermoFisher	AM9530G	Used for steps of sNuc-Seq
Mounting reagent	ThermoFisher	#S36940	Mounting reagent for SV
Multiwell 24 well plate	Corning	#353047	Plate used for immunostaining
NaCl	ThermoFisher	AAJ216183	Used for steps of sNuc-Seq
Nonidet P40	Sigma-Aldrich	9-16-45-9	Used for steps of sNuc-Seq
Nuclease free water	ThermoFisher	4387936	Used for steps of sNuc-Seq
Orbital shaker	Silent Shake	SYC-2102A	Used for steps of immunostaining
PBS	ThermoFisher	J61196.AP	Used for steps of immunostaining and dissection
RNA Later	Invitrogen	AM7021	Used for preservation of SV for sNuc-Seq
Scizzors	Fine Science Tools	14058-09	Used for splitting mouse skull
Tris-HCl	Sigma-Aldrich	15506017	Used for steps of sNuc-Seq
Trypan blue stain	Gibco	15250061	Used for cell counting
Tween20	ThermoFisher	AAJ20605AP	Used for steps of sNuc-Seq
Zeiss STEMI SV 11 Apo stereomicroscope	Zeiss	n/a	Microscope used for dissections