Name: preparation of meiotic chromosome spreads from zebrafish spermatocytes
Uploaded: 2020-03-03T12:00:00
Description: Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Preparation of Meiotic Chromosome Spreads from Zebrafish Spermatocytes at JoVE.com

We thank Trent Newman and Masuda Sharifi for comments on the manuscript and An Nguyen for helping to optimize methods for spreading and staining chromosomes from zebrafish meiocytes. This work was supported by NIH R01 GM079115 awarded to S.M.B.

All methods involving zebrafish were carried out using ethical standards approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee at UC Davis.
1. Chromosome spreading procedure
NOTE: The following protocol is designed to create 4-6 slides, with hundreds of spread meiotic nuclei per slide. The numbers of testes used will depend on the size of the fish. Expect to use 20 animals at ~60 days post fertilization (dpf) and 15 animals at ~6 months post fertilization (mpf)....

<ol>
	<li>Nagaoka, S. I., Hassold, T. J., Hunt, P. A. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Human+aneuploidy:+mechanisms+and+new+insights+into+an+age-old+problem.">Human aneuploidy: mechanisms and new insights into an age-old problem.</a> Nature Reviews Genetics. 13, 493-504 (2012).</li><li>Zickler, D., Kleckner, N. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Recombination,+Pairing,+and+Synapsis+of+Homologs+during+Meiosis.">Recombination, Pairing, and Synapsis of Homologs during Meiosis.</a> Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Biology. 7, (2015).</li><li>Blokhina, Y. P., Nguyen, A. D., Draper, B. W., Burgess, S. M. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=The+telomere+bouquet+is+a+hub+where+meiotic+double-strand+breaks,+synapsis,+and+stable+homolog+juxtaposition+are+coordinated+in+the+zebrafish,+Danio+rerio.">The telomere bouquet is a hub where meiotic double-strand breaks, synapsis, and stable homolog juxtaposition are coordinated in the zebrafish, Danio rerio.</a> PLoS Genetics. 15, e1007730 (2019).</li><li>Saito, K., Sakai, C., Kawasaki, T., Sakai, N. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Telomere+distribution+pattern+and+synapsis+initiation+during+spermatogenesis+in+zebrafish.">Telomere distribution pattern and synapsis initiation during spermatogenesis in zebrafish.</a> Developmental Dynamics. 243, 1448-1456 (2014).</li><li>Oliver-Bonet, M., Turek, P. J., Sun, F., Ko, E., Martin, R. H. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Temporal+progression+of+recombination+in+human+males.">Temporal progression of recombination in human males.</a> Molecular Human Reproduction. 11, 517-522 (2005).</li><li>Gruhn, J. R., Rubio, C., Broman, K. W., Hunt, P. A., Hassold, T. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Cytological+studies+of+human+meiosis:+sex-specific+differences+in+recombination+originate+at,+or+prior+to,+establishment+of+double-strand+breaks.">Cytological studies of human meiosis: sex-specific differences in recombination originate at, or prior to, establishment of double-strand breaks.</a> PLoS One. 8, e85075 (2013).</li><li>Pratto, F., 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=Recombination+initiation+maps+of+individual+human+genomes.">Recombination initiation maps of individual human genomes.</a> Science. 346, 1256442 (2014).</li><li>Brown, P. W., 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=Meiotic+synapsis+proceeds+from+a+limited+number+of+subtelomeric+sites+in+the+human+male.">Meiotic synapsis proceeds from a limited number of subtelomeric sites in the human male.</a> American Journal of Human Genetics. 77, 556-566 (2005).</li><li>Poss, K. D., Nechiporuk, A., Stringer, K. F., Lee, C., Keating, M. T. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Germ+cell+aneuploidy+in+zebrafish+with+mutations+in+the+mitotic+checkpoint+gene+mps1.">Germ cell aneuploidy in zebrafish with mutations in the mitotic checkpoint gene mps1.</a> Genes and Development. 18, 1527-1532 (2004).</li><li>Saito, K., Siegfried, K. R., N&#252;sslein-Volhard, C., Sakai, N. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Isolation+and+cytogenetic+characterization+of+zebrafish+meiotic+prophase+I+mutants.">Isolation and cytogenetic characterization of zebrafish meiotic prophase I mutants.</a> Developmental Dynamics. 240, 1779-1792 (2011).</li><li>Sansam, C. L., Pezza, 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=Connecting+by+breaking+and+repairing:+mechanisms+of+DNA+strand+exchange+in+meiotic+recombination.">Connecting by breaking and repairing: mechanisms of DNA strand exchange in meiotic recombination.</a> Febs Journal. 282, 2444-2457 (2015).</li><li>Feitsma, H., Leal, M. C., Moens, P. B., Cuppen, E., Schulz, R. W. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Mlh1+Deficiency+in+Zebrafish+Results+in+Male+Sterility+and+Aneuploid+as+Well+as+Triploid+Progeny+in+Females.">Mlh1 Deficiency in Zebrafish Results in Male Sterility and Aneuploid as Well as Triploid Progeny in Females.</a> Genetics. 175, 1561-1569 (2007).</li><li>Dia, F., Strange, T., Liang, J., Hamilton, J., Berkowitz, K. M. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Preparation+of+Meiotic+Chromosome+Spreads+from+Mouse+Spermatocytes.">Preparation of Meiotic Chromosome Spreads from Mouse Spermatocytes.</a> Journal of Visualized Experiments. (129), e55378 (2017).</li><li>Moens, P. B. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Zebrafish:+chiasmata+and+interference.">Zebrafish: chiasmata and interference.</a> Genome. 49, 205-208 (2006).</li><li>Lisachov, A. P., Zadesenets, K. S., Rubtsov, N. B., Borodin, P. M. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Sex+chromosome+synapsis+and+recombination+in+male+guppies.">Sex chromosome synapsis and recombination in male guppies.</a> Zebrafish. 12 (2), 174-180 (2015).</li><li>Ocalewicz, K., Mota-Velasco, J. C., Campos-Ramos, R., Penman, D. J. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=FISH+and+DAPI+staining+of+the+synaptonemal+complex+of+the+Nile+tilapia+(Oreochromis+niloticus)+allow+orientation+of+the+unpaired+region+of+bivalent+1+observed+during+early+pachytene.">FISH and DAPI staining of the synaptonemal complex of the Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) allow orientation of the unpaired region of bivalent 1 observed during early pachytene.</a> Chromosome Research. 17 (6), 773 (2009).</li></ol>

Here we describe methods to probe the location of telomeres and chromosome-associated proteins in nuclear surface spreads from spermatocytes isolated from zebrafish testes. We expect that these methods will be applicable for analysis of spermatocytes in other teleost species with adjustment to the size of the testis.
While only a few antibodies have been raised to zebrafish meiotic proteins, we have had success using the following antibodies raised to human (h) or mouse (m) proteins. Our lab h...

Sexual reproduction proceeds through the combination of two haploid gametes, each carrying half the chromosome complement of a somatic cell. Meiosis is a specialized cell division that produces haploid gametes through one round of DNA replication and two successive rounds of chromosome segregation. In prophase I, homologous chromosomes (homologs) must undergo pairing, recombination, and synapsis, the latter of which is characterized by the formation of the synaptonemal complex that comprises two homolog axes bridged by the transverse filament, Sycp1 (Figure 1A,B). Failure to properly execute these processes can lead to the production of aneuploid gametes, which are a leading cause of miscarriages in humans1. Our knowledge of the coordination between pairing, recombination and synapsis has been facilitated by studies in a wide range of organisms, such as yeast, C. elegans, mouse, and Drosophila, among others2. While the general process of homologous chromosome pairing followed by segregation is well conserved, its dependency on recombination and synapsis and the order of these events varies.
Meiotic double-strand break (DSB) formation, which initiates homologous recombination, occurs near telomeres clustered in the bouquet during leptotene and synapsis ensues shortly after3,4. This configuration of DSB formation and synapsis initiation is also a characteristic of male meiosis in humans but not in mouse5,6,7,8, suggesting that zebrafish can serve as a model for human spermatogenesis. There are also several practical advantages of studying zebrafish meiosis. Both males and females undergo gametogenesis throughout adulthood, their gonads are easily accessible, and hundreds of offspring are generated from a single cross. Additionally, the embryos are transparent and develop externally, which facilitates the early detection of aberrations in embryonic development due to aneuploid gametes3,9. Disadvantages of using zebrafish are that they are slow to reach sexual maturity (~60 days) and the amount of material needed for nuclear surface spreads must be collected from ~10-20 adult animals, depending on their size.
Meiotic chromosome spread preparations are a vital tool for studying chromosome dynamics across all model organisms, since key signatures of meiotic chromosome dynamics can be probed. In zebrafish, key aspects of the progression of the meiotic program and nuclear organization have been dissected through probing nuclear surface spreads, referred to here as chromosome spreads, with antibodies for immunofluorescence detection of proteins and/or nucleic acids by FISH3,4,9,10,11,12. Indeed, the polarized localization of clustered telomeres in the bouquet can be preserved in the spread preparation (Figure 1C). Recently, we have used zebrafish spermatocyte chromosome spreads together with fluorescence detection methods and super-resolution microscopy to elucidate the detailed progression of zebrafish telomere dynamics, homologous chromosome pairing, double-strand break localization, and synapsis at key meiotic transitions3. Here we present methods to prepare chromosome spreads from spermatocytes of the zebrafish testes and subsequently stain them with fluorescent peptide nucleic acid (PNA) probes to repeated telomere sequences and immunofluorescence detection of chromosome associated proteins.

<table border="1" fo:keep-together.within-page="1" fo:keep-with-next.within-page="always">
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td>1.5 mL centrifuge tubes</td>
			<td>Several commercial brands available</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>1.5 mL microcentrifuge tube rack</td>
			<td>Several commercial brands available</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>16% formaldehyde, methanol-free</td>
			<td>ThermoFisher Scientific</td>
			<td>28908</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>2 mL</td>
			<td>Several commercial brands available</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>24 x 50 mm glass coverslips</td>
			<td>Corning</td>
			<td>2980-245</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>24 x 60 mm glasscoverslips</td>
			<td>VWR International</td>
			<td>16004-312</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>50 mL conical centrifuge tubes</td>
			<td>ThermoFisher Scientific</td>
			<td>363696</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Autoclave bag</td>
			<td>Several commercial brands available</td>
			<td></td>
			<td>Used to make plastic coverslips.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Bovine Serum Albumin (BSA)</td>
			<td>Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>BP1605-100</td>
			<td>Prepare a 100 mg/ml stock solution in sterile distilled water.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Cell Strainer, 100 &#181;m</td>
			<td>Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>08-771-19</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>CF405M goat anti-chicken IgY (H+L), highly cross-adsorbed</td>
			<td>Biotium</td>
			<td>203775-500uL</td>
			<td>Use at 1:1000</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Chicken anti-zfSycp1</td>
			<td>Generated by Burgess lab</td>
			<td>N/A</td>
			<td>Use at 1:100</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Collagenase from Clostridium histolyticum</td>
			<td>Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td>C0130-500MG</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Coplin jar</td>
			<td>Several commercial brands available</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>DNase I, grade II from bovine pancreas</td>
			<td>Roche Diagnostics</td>
			<td>10104159001</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Dulbecco&#39;s Modified Eagle Medium (DMEM)</td>
			<td>Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>MT10014CV</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Dumont No. 5 Forceps</td>
			<td>Fine Science Tools</td>
			<td>11252-30</td>
			<td>Two are required for dissecting the testes.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Eppendorf Tubes, 5 mL</td>
			<td>VWR International</td>
			<td>89429-308</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Formamide</td>
			<td>Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>BP228-100</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Goat anti-chicken IgY (H+L) secondary antibody, Alexa Fluor 488</td>
			<td>ThermoFisher Scientific</td>
			<td>A-11039</td>
			<td>Use at 1:1000</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Goat anti-chicken IgY (H+L) secondary antibody, Alexa Fluor 594</td>
			<td>ThermoFisher Scientific</td>
			<td>A-11042</td>
			<td>Use at 1:1000</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Goat anti-hDMC1</td>
			<td>Santa Cruz Biotechnology</td>
			<td>sc-8973</td>
			<td>Does not work in our hands</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Goat anti-rabbit IgG (H+L) cross-adsorbed secondary antibody, Alexa Fluor 488</td>
			<td>ThermoFisher Scientific</td>
			<td>A-11008</td>
			<td>Use at 1:1000</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Goat anti-rabbit IgG (H+L) cross-adsorbed secondary antibody, Alexa Fluor 594</td>
			<td>ThermoFisher Scientific</td>
			<td>A-11012</td>
			<td>Use at 1:1000</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Goat serum</td>
			<td>Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td>G9023-10mL</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Heparin sodium salt</td>
			<td>Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td>H3393-100KU</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Humidity chamber</td>
			<td>Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>50-112-3683</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Hybridization Oven</td>
			<td>VWR International</td>
			<td>230401V (Model 5420)</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Incubator Shaker</td>
			<td>New Brunswick Scientific</td>
			<td>Model Classic C25</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>KCl</td>
			<td>Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>P217-500</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Kimwipes</td>
			<td>Kimerbly-Clark Professional</td>
			<td>34155</td>
			<td>Used for the humidity chamber</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>KH2PO4</td>
			<td>Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>P285-500</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Microscope</td>
			<td>Several commercial brands available</td>
			<td></td>
			<td>Any standard microscope capable of at least ~1.65X magnification is sufficient.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Microscope slides</td>
			<td>Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>12-544-7</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Mouse anti-hamsterSCP3</td>
			<td>Abcam</td>
			<td>ab97672</td>
			<td>Does not work in our hands</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Mouse anti-hMLH1</td>
			<td>BD Biosciences</td>
			<td>550838</td>
			<td>Does not work in our hands</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Mouse anti-hRPA</td>
			<td>Sigma-Alrich</td>
			<td>MABE285</td>
			<td>Does not work in our hands</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Na2HPO4 &#183; 7 H2O</td>
			<td>Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>S373-500</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>NaCl</td>
			<td>Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>S271-3</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Photo-Flo 200 solution</td>
			<td>Electron Microscopy Sciences</td>
			<td>74257</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Plastic transfer pipettes</td>
			<td>Several commercial brands available</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>PNA TelC-Alexa647</td>
			<td>PNA Bio Inc</td>
			<td>F1013</td>
			<td>Prepare as per manufacturer&#39;s instructions.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>PNA TelC-Cy3</td>
			<td>PNA Bio Inc</td>
			<td>F1002</td>
			<td>Prepare as per manufacturer&#39;s instructions.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>ProLong Diamond Antifade Mountant</td>
			<td>ThermoFisher Scientific</td>
			<td>P36970</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>ProLong Diamond Antifade Mountant with DAPI</td>
			<td>ThermoFisher Scientific</td>
			<td>P36971</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Rabbit anti-hRPA</td>
			<td>Bethyl</td>
			<td>A300-244A</td>
			<td>Use at 1:300</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Rabbit anti-hSCP3</td>
			<td>Abcam</td>
			<td>ab150292</td>
			<td>Use at 1:200</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Rabbit anti-hRad51</td>
			<td>GeneTex</td>
			<td>GTX100469</td>
			<td>Use at 1:300</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Sodium citrate</td>
			<td>Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>S279-500</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Sucrose</td>
			<td>Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>S5-500</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Supercut Scissors, 30&#176; angle, 10 cm</td>
			<td>Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>50-822-353</td>
			<td>Can also use any pair of small scissors.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Sylgard kit</td>
			<td>Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>NC9897184</td>
			<td>Prepare as per manufacturer&#39;s instructions.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Triton X-100</td>
			<td>Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>BP151-100</td>
			<td>Dilute in sterile distilled water to make a 20% working solution. Store at room temperature. Triton X-100 forms a precipitate when diluted in water; precipitate dissolves overnight.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Trypsin</td>
			<td>Worthington Biochemical</td>
			<td>LS003708</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Trypsin inhibitor from chicken egg white</td>
			<td>Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td>T9253-500MG</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Tween 20</td>
			<td>Bio-Rad</td>
			<td>170-6531</td>
			<td>Dilute in sterile distilled water to make a 20% working solution. Store at room temperature.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Vannas Spring Scissors - 4 mm (micro scissors)</td>
			<td>Fine Science Tools</td>
			<td>15018-10</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

preparation of meiotic chromosome spreads from zebrafish spermatocytes

Meiosis is the key cellular process required to create haploid gametes for sexual reproduction. Model organisms have been instrumental in understanding the chromosome events that take place during meiotic prophase, including the pairing, synapsis, and recombination events that ensure proper chromosome segregation. While the mouse has been an important model for understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying these processes, not all meiotic events in this system are analogous to human meiosis. We recently demonstrated the exciting potential of the zebrafish as a model of human spermatogenesis. Here we describe, in detail, our methods to visualize meiotic chromosomes and associated proteins in chromosome spread preparations. These preparations have the advantage of allowing high resolution analysis of chromosome structures. First, we describe the procedure for dissecting testes from adult zebrafish, followed by cell dissociation, lysis, and spreading of the chromosomes. Next, we describe the procedure for detecting the localization of meiotic chromosome proteins, by immunofluorescence detection, and nucleic acid sequences, by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). These techniques comprise a useful set of tools for the cytological analysis of meiotic chromatin architecture in the zebrafish system. Researchers in the zebrafish community should be able to quickly master these techniques and incorporate them into their standard analyses of reproductive function.

We have outlined a method to prepare and visualize zebrafish spermatocyte spread preparations. When performed correctly, our procedure yields well spread, non-overlapping nuclei. To recover such nuclei, it is important to have the appropriate amount of starting material (i.e., testes), treat testes for a sufficient length of time in trypsin and an adequate number of DNase I treatments. These spreads can then be stained for telomeres and meiotic proteins to study meiotic progression during...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Preparation of Meiotic Chromosome Spreads from Zebrafish Spermatocytes at JoVE.com

Preparation of Meiotic Chromosome Spreads from Zebrafish Spermatocytes

Nuclear surface spreads are an indispensable tool for studying chromosome events during meiosis. Here we demonstrate a method to prepare and visualize meiotic chromosomes during prophase I from zebrafish spermatocytes.

Meiosis is the key cellular process required to create haploid gametes for sexual reproduction. Model organisms have been instrumental in understanding ...

Zebrafish is emerging as an excellent vertebrate model for studying the chromosome events of meiosis including homologous chromosome pairing, synapsis and recombination. This nuclear surface spreading protocol has enabled us to visualize key features of meiotic chromosome architecture using super resolution microscopy. Researchers can expect hundreds of well-spread nuclei per slide with less debris than other zebrafish spread protocols.The most technically challenging part of this procedure is the dissection of the zebrafish testes as it is in close proximity to the skin and is also attached to other organs. Visualizing the dissection procedure will allow researchers to know what to expect when they see the gonad embedded in the tissue of the animal. After euthanizing male zebrafish, decapitate one fish at a time with small scissors and then use micro scissors to cut along the ventral midline to expose the body cavity.Place the fish in a silicone-coated Petri dish and cover by a shallow pool of 1X PBS. Under a microscope at 1.65X magnification, dissect the testes using forceps. Remove as much as fat and surrounding tissue from the testes as possible.The gonad will appear translucent under the dissection scope light while the surrounding fat may have a slightly darker appearance. Some amount of fat may be left on the gonad without impeding the procedure. Add each dissected testes directly into a five milliliter tube with two milliliters of DMEM and keep on ice.To dissociate the testes cells, add 200 microliters of collagenase solution to the five milliliter tube with the testes. Mix the solution by inverting it several times. Gently shake the testes in an incubator shaker horizontally at 100 RPM at 32 degrees Celsius.Rapidly invert the tube every 10 minutes to facilitate dissociation. After an hour, the DMEM is cloudy and the testes are in small chunks. While the testes are incubated in collagenase, prewarm 100 microliters of 0.1 molar sucrose solution to 37 degrees Celsius.To wash out the collagenase, add DMEM to a final volume of five milliliters and invert the tube a few times. Pellet the testes at 200 g for three minutes at room temperature. Remove three milliliters of the supernatant so that only two milliliters remain.Repeat the DMEM wash two additional times. After the last DMEM wash, remove four milliliters of the supernatant and add one milliliter of DMEM, 200 microliters of trypsin solution, and 20 microliters of DNase I solution. Invert the tube a few times to mix the solution.Horizontally shake the tube at 32 degrees Celsius at 100 RPM. Rapidly invert the tube every five minutes to facilitate dissociation. After five to 15 minutes, the DMEM solution contains only a few clumps.Add 500 microliters of the trypsin inhibitor solution and 50 microliters of DNase I solution. Invert the tube a few times to mix then briefly spin down at 200 g for three minutes at room temperature to remove liquid or clumps that may adhere to the tube cap or the side of the tube. Place the tube on ice and resuspend the cell suspension by repeatedly pipetting up and down with a plastic transfer pipette for two minutes to facilitate dissociation of any remaining clumps.Ensure that the cell suspension does not go into the bulb of the transfer pipette. Then pre-wet a 100 micron cell strainer with DMEM and place it on top of a 50 milliliter tube on ice. Transfer the cell suspension through the strainer one drop at a time using a plastic transfer pipette.Transfer the filtrate using a plastic transfer pipette to a new five milliliter tube. Be sure to collect the pooled cells attached to the underside of the filter. Add DMEM into the tube to a final volume of five milliliters.Pellet the cells at 200 g for five minutes at room temperature. Remove as much supernatant as possible without disturbing the pellet and add five microliters of DNase I solution directly into the pellet. Then mix the pellet with the DNase I solution by gently scraping the outside bottom of the tube four to five times along an empty microcentrifuge tube rack.Add DMEM to a final volume of five milliliters and mix the solution by inverting the tube several times. Pellet the cell suspension at 200 g for two minutes at room temperature. Repeat the DNase treatment an additional one to three times until the resuspended pellet does not clump upon addition of DMEM.After the last spin, remove as much as supernatant as possible without disturbing the pellet. Next, add one milliliter of 1X PBS and resuspend the pellet by gently scraping the outside bottom of the tube along an empty tube rack. Pellet the cell suspension at 200 g for five minutes and then remove as much supernatant as possible without disturbing the pellet.Cut three millimeters from the end of a 200 microliter pipette tip to widen the aperture. With the cut pipette tip, resuspend the pellet in 80 microliters of 0.1 molar sucrose solution by pipetting up and down. Let the cell suspension sit at room temperature for three minutes.Next, with a pipette tip, coat one slide with 100 microliters of 1%formaldehyde with 0.15%Triton X-100. Then add 18 microliters of the sucrose cell suspension onto the center of the slide in a straight line perpendicular to the long edge. Tilt the slide back and forth to facilitate spreading of the cell suspension to all corners.Place the slides flat down in a slightly cracked open humidity chamber to prevent the formaldehyde solution from drying. Place the humidity chamber in a dark drawer overnight. In the morning, remove the lid from the humidity chamber and allow the slides to fully dry.Place the slides in a coplin jar and then fill the coplin jar with distilled water. Incubate for five minutes with gentle shaking at room temperature. Pour out the water and fill the jar with one to 250 wetting agent.Wash two times for five minutes each with gentle shaking at room temperature. Allow the slides to fully dry and store at minus 20 degrees Celsius until they are stained. This protocol outlined a method to prepare and visualize zebrafish spermatocyte spread which yields well-spread non-overlapping nuclei.The panels on the left show three stages of meiotic prophase, leptotene, early zygotene, and pachytene. Telomeres were stained magenta for each stage. An example of poor quality spreads due to insufficient DNase I treatments are shown here.Meiotic chromosomes stained for SYCP3 indicate overlapping nuclei due to a viscous sucrose cell suspension that prevents cells from properly spreading on the slide. It is very important to start with the correct amount of starting material, treat zebrafish testes for the appropriate amount of time in trypsin, and carry out the necessary number of DNase I treatments as failure to do so can lead to very few nuclei or clumped nuclei. Proper PPE should always be worn when working with formaldehyde.Following the spreading procedure, chromosomes can be stained to visualize various chromosomal structures as well as double-strand breaks to analyze the timing dependency and localization of meiotic events. Our technique has paved the way for showing that zebrafish may be a better model of human spermatogenesis than mouse based on the chromosome features and the telomere bouquet.

Research

JoVE Journal

Genetics

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