Name: two-photon axotomy and time-lapse confocal imaging in live zebrafish embryos
Uploaded: 2009-02-16T00:00:00
Description: Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Two-photon axotomy and time-lapse confocal imaging in live zebrafish embryos at JoVE.com

We thank Mark Terasaki for initial advice on using a two-photon microscope to create local tissue damage, Kathy Joubin for advice on mounting for time-lapse imaging, and the Sagasti and Portera-Cailliau labs for discussions. Initial experiments were performed by AS as a Grass Foundation Fellow at the Marine Biological Labs in Woods Hole, MA. Work in the Sagasti lab was supported by grants from the Whitehall Foundation, the Klingenstein Foundation, and a Burroughs Wellcome Fund Career Award in the Biological Sciences.

Part 1: Mounting zebrafish embryos for long-term imaging
<ol>
<li>Prepare 1% low melt agarose solution for embedding. Dissolve agarose in DI water by heating in a microwave, aliquot into small tubes and store in a heating block at 42 degrees Celsius.</li>
<li>Select embryos for imaging and remove their chorions by gently pulling the chorion apart with forceps. Embryos can be placed into a 5% PTU Ringers solution at 22-24 hours post fertilization (hpf) to inhibit the formation of pigment. This improves the clarity of...

<ol>
	<li>Sagasti, A., Guido, M. R., Raible, D. W., Schier, A. F. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Repulsive+interactions+shape+the+morphologies+and+functional+arrangement+of+zebrafish+peripheral+sensory+arbors.">Repulsive interactions shape the morphologies and functional arrangement of zebrafish peripheral sensory arbors.</a> Curr Biol. 15, 804-814 (2005).</li><li>Pologruto, T. A., Sabatini, B. L., Svoboda, K. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=ScanImage:+flexible+software+for+operating+laser+scanning+microscopes.">ScanImage: flexible software for operating laser scanning microscopes.</a> Biomed Eng Online. 2 (13), (2003).</li><li>Svoboda, K., Yasuda, R. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Principles+of+two-photon+excitation+microscopy+and+its+applications+to+neuroscience.">Principles of two-photon excitation microscopy and its applications to neuroscience.</a> Neuron. 50, 823-839 (2006).</li><li>Sacconi, L. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=In+vivo+multiphoton+nanosurgery+on+cortical+neurons.">In vivo multiphoton nanosurgery on cortical neurons.</a> J Biomed Opt. 12, 050502-050502 (2007).</li><li>Galbraith, J. A., Terasaki, M. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Controlled+damage+in+thick+specimens+by+multiphoton+excitation.">Controlled damage in thick specimens by multiphoton excitation.</a> Mol Biol Cell. 14, 1808-1817 (2003).</li><li>Yanik, M. F. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Neurosurgery:+functional+regeneration+after+laser+axotomy.">Neurosurgery: functional regeneration after laser axotomy.</a> Nature. 432, 822-822 (2004).</li><li>Quinto-Su, P. A., Venugopalan, V. <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+laser+cellular+microsurgery.">Mechanisms of laser cellular microsurgery.</a> Methods Cell Biol. 82, 113-151 (2007).</li></ol>

We have used the methods described to precisely axotomize peripheral sensory axons and to directly observe regeneration in the living zebrafish embryo. Long-term time-lapse confocal imaging in zebrafish can be used to observe many developmental processes in vivo. The two-photon axotomy procedure described can be modified for many different experimental goals. We have used the same general procedure to ablate entire trigeminal sensory neuron cell bodies, by zooming in on the cell body rather than on a branch o...

two-photon axotomy and time-lapse confocal imaging in live zebrafish embryos

Zebrafish have long been utilized to study the cellular and molecular mechanisms of development by time-lapse imaging of the living transparent embryo. Here we describe a method to mount zebrafish embryos for long-term imaging and demonstrate how to automate the capture of time-lapse images using a confocal microscope. We also describe a method to create controlled, precise damage to individual branches of peripheral sensory axons in zebrafish using the focused power of a femtosecond laser mounted on a two-photon microscope. The parameters for successful two-photon axotomy must be optimized for each microscope. We will demonstrate two-photon axotomy on both a custom built two-photon microscope and a Zeiss 510 confocal/two-photon to provide two examples.

Zebrafish trigeminal sensory neurons can be visualized in a transgenic line expressing GFP driven by a sensory neuron specific promoter 1. We have adapted this zebrafish trigeminal model to directly observe sensory axon regeneration in living zebrafish embryos. Embryos are anesthetized with tricaine and positioned within a drop of agarose as it solidifies. Immobilized embryos are sealed within an imaging chamber filled with phenylthiourea (PTU) Ringers. We have found that embryos can be continuously imaged in these chambers for 12-48 hours. A single confocal image is then captured to determine the desired site of axotomy. The region of interest is located on the two-photon microscope by imaging the sensory axons under low, non-damaging power. After zooming in on the desired site of axotomy, the power is increased and a single scan of that defined region is sufficient to sever the axon. Multiple location time-lapse imaging is then set up on a confocal microscope to directly observe axonal recovery from injury.

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Two-photon axotomy and time-lapse confocal imaging in live zebrafish embryos at JoVE.com

Two-photon axotomy and time-lapse confocal imaging in live zebrafish embryos

Here we describe a method for mounting zebrafish embryos for long-term imaging, two-photon imaging and tissue-damage techniques, and time-lapse confocal imaging.

Zebrafish have long been utilized to study the cellular and molecular mechanisms of development by time-lapse imaging of the living transparent embryo.  ...

Research

JoVE Journal

Biology

Live Imaging of the Zebrafish Embryonic Brain by Confocal Microscopy

In this video, we demonstrate the method our lab has developed to analyze the cell shape changes and rearrangements required to bend and fold the ...

Live Imaging of Cell Motility and Actin Cytoskeleton of Individual Neurons and Neural Crest Cells in Zebrafish Embryos

The zebrafish is an ideal model for imaging cell behaviors during development in vivo. Zebrafish embryos are externally fertilized and thus easily ...

Time-lapse Imaging of Mitosis After siRNA Transfection

Changes in cellular organization and chromosome dynamics that occur during mitosis are tightly coordinated to ensure accurate inheritance of genomic and ...

Two-Photon-Based Photoactivation in Live Zebrafish Embryos

Photoactivation of target compounds in a living organism has proven a valuable approach to investigate various biological processes such as embryonic ...

Transplantation of GFP-expressing Blastomeres for Live Imaging of Retinal and Brain Development in Chimeric Zebrafish Embryos

Cells change extensively in their locations and property during embryogenesis. These changes are regulated by the interactions between the cells and their ...

Multicolor Time-lapse Imaging of Transgenic Zebrafish: Visualizing Retinal Stem Cells Activated by Targeted Neuronal Cell Ablation

High-resolution time-lapse imaging of living zebrafish larvae can be utilized to visualize how biological processes unfold (for review see 1). Compound ...

Time-lapse Microscopy of Early Embryogenesis in Caenorhabditis elegans

Time-lapse Microscopy of Early Embryogenesis in Caenorhabditis elegans

Caenorhabditis elegans has often been used as a model system in studies of early developmental processes.  The transparency of the 
embryos, the genetic ...

Fluorescence-based Measurement of Store-operated Calcium Entry in Live Cells: from Cultured Cancer Cell to Skeletal Muscle Fiber

Store operated Ca2+ entry (SOCE), earlier termed capacitative Ca2+ entry, is a tightly regulated mechanism for influx of extracellular Ca2+ into cells to ...

Use of Time Lapse Microscopy to Visualize Anoxia-induced Suspended Animation in C. elegans Embryos

Use of Time Lapse Microscopy to Visualize Anoxia-induced Suspended Animation in C. elegans Embryos

Caenorhabdits elegans has been used extensively in the study of stress resistance, which is facilitated by the transparency of the adult and embryo stages ...

Long-term, High-resolution Confocal Time Lapse Imaging of Arabidopsis Cotyledon Epidermis during Germination

Long-term, High-resolution Confocal Time Lapse Imaging of Arabidopsis Cotyledon Epidermis during Germination

Imaging in vivo dynamics of cellular behavior throughout a developmental sequence can be a powerful technique for understanding the mechanics of tissue ...