Visualizing Monocarboxylates and Other Relevant Metabolites in the Ex Vivo Drosophila Larval Brain Using Genetically Encoded Sensors

Summary

Here we present a protocol to visualize the transport of monocarboxylates, glucose, and ATP in glial cells and neurons using genetically encoded Förster resonance energy transfer-based sensors in an ex-vivo Drosophila larval brain preparation.

Abstract

The high energy requirements of brains due to electrical activity are one of their most distinguishing features. These requirements are met by the production of ATP from glucose and its metabolites, such as the monocarboxylates lactate and pyruvate. It is still unclear how this process is regulated or who the key players are, particularly in Drosophila.

Using genetically encoded Förster resonance energy transfer-based sensors, we present a simple method for measuring the transport of monocarboxylates and glucose in glial cells and neurons in an ex-vivo Drosophila larval brain preparation. The protocol describes how to dissect and adhere a larval brain expressing one of the sensors to a glass coverslip.

We present the results of an entire experiment in which lactate transport was measured in larval brains by knocking down previously identified monocarboxylate transporters in glial cells. Furthermore, we demonstrate how to rapidly increase neuronal activity and track metabolite changes in the active brain. The described method, which provides all necessary information, can be used to analyze other Drosophila living tissues.

Introduction

The brain has high energy requirements due to the high cost of restoring ion gradients in neurons caused by neuronal electric signal generation and transmission, as well as synaptic transmission^1,2. This high energy demand has long been thought to be met by the continuous oxidation of glucose to produce ATP³. Specific transporters at the blood-brain barrier transfer the glucose in the blood to the brain. Constant glycemic levels ensure that the brain receives a steady supply of glucose⁴. Interestingly, growing experimental evidence suggests that molecules derived....

Protocol

1. Fly strain maintenance and larval synchronization

1. To perform these experiments, use fly cultures raised at 25 °C on standard Drosophila food composed of 10% yeast, 8% glucose, 5% wheat flour, 1.1% agar, 0.6% propionic acid, and 1.5% methylparaben.
2. To follow this protocol, use the following lines: w¹¹¹⁸ (experimental control background), OK6-GAL4 (driver for motor neurons), repo-GAL4 (driver for all glial cells), CG-GAL4 (driver for fat bodies), U.......

Discussion

The use of the Drosophila model for the study of brain metabolism is relatively new²⁶, and it has been shown to share more characteristics with mammalian metabolism than expected, which has primarily been studied in vitro in primary neuron cultures or brain slices. Drosophila excels at in vivo experiments thanks to the battery of genetic tools and genetically encoded sensors available that allows researchers to visualize in real time the metabolic changes caused.......

Materials

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
Agarose	Sigma	A9539
CaCl2	Sigma	C3881
CCD Camera ORCA-R2	Hamamatsu	-
Cell-R Software	Olympus	-
CG-GAL4	Bloomington Drosophila Stock Center	7011	Fat body driver
Dumont # 5 Forceps	Fine Science Tools	11252-30
DV2-emission splitting system	Photometrics	-
Glass coverslips (25 mm diameter)	Marienfeld	111650	Germany
Glucose	Sigma	G8270
GraphPad Prism	GraphPad Software	Version 8,0,2
HEPES	Sigma	H3375
ImageJ software	National Institues of Health	Version 1,53t
KCl	Sigma	P9541
LUMPlanFl 40x/0.8 water immersion objective	Olympus	-
Methylparaben	Sigma	H5501
MgCl2	Sigma	M1028
NaCl	Sigma	S7653
OK6-GAL4	Bloomington Drosophila Stock Center		Motor neuron driver
Picrotoxin	Sigma	P1675S	CAUTION-Fatal if swallowed
Poly-L-lysine	Sigma	P4707
Propionic Acid	Sigma	P1386
Repo-GAL4	Bloomington Drosophila Stock Center	7415	Glial cell driver (all)
Sodium Lactate	Sigma	71718
Sodium pyruvate	Sigma	P2256
Spinning Disk fluorescence Microscope BX61WI	Olympus	-
Sucrose	Sigma	S0389
Trehalose	US Biological	T8270
UAS-AT1.03NL	Kyoto Drosophila Stock Center	117012	ATP sensor
UAS-Chk RNAi GD1829	Vienna Drosophila Resource Center	v37139	Chk RNAi line
UAS-FLII12Pglu700md6	Bloomington Drosophila Stock Center	93452	Glucose sensor
UAS-GCaMP6f	Bloomington Drosophila Stock Center	42747	Calcium sensor
UAS-Laconic	Sierralta Lab	-	Lactate sensor
UAS-Pyronic	Pierre Yves Placais/Thomas Preat	-	CNRS-Paris
UMPlanFl 20x/0.5 water immersion objective	Olympus	-