Name: rearing the fruit fly drosophila melanogaster under axenic and gnotobiotic conditions
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Description: Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Rearing the Fruit Fly Drosophila melanogaster Under Axenic and Gnotobiotic Conditions at JoVE.com

Some details of this protocol were optimized with the assistance of Dr. Adam Dobson, who also provided helpful comments on the manuscript. This work was supported by the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (FNIH) grant number R01GM095372 (JMC, A(CN)W, AJD, and AED). FNIH grant number 1F32GM099374-01 (PDN), and Brigham Young University startup funds (JMC, MLK, MV). Publication costs were supported by the Brigham Young University College of Life Sciences and Department of Plant and Wildlife Sciences.

1. Culture Bacteria (Start ~1 Week before Picking Eggs)
<ol>
	<li>Prepare modified MRS20 (mMRS) plates and broth tubes (Table 1). Pour 20 ml mMRS agar into each 100 mm Petri plate and allow to cool/dry overnight, or 5 ml mMRS broth into 18 mm test tubes.</li>
	<li>Streak Acetobacter pomorum, A. tropicalis, Lactobacillus brevis, and L. plantarum on mMRS agar plates. Incubate Acetobacter overnight at 30 &#176;C. Incubate Lactobacillus anaer...

<ol>
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C., 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=Drosophila+microbiome+modulates+host+developmental+and+metabolic+homeostasis+via+insulin+signaling.">Drosophila microbiome modulates host developmental and metabolic homeostasis via insulin signaling.</a> Science. 334 (6056), 670-674 (2011).</li><li>Storelli, G., 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=Lactobacillus+plantarum+promotes+Drosophila+systemic+growth+by+modulating+hormonal+signals+through+TOR-dependent+nutrient+sensing.">Lactobacillus plantarum promotes Drosophila systemic growth by modulating hormonal signals through TOR-dependent nutrient sensing.</a> Cell Metab. 14 (3), 403-414 (2011).</li><li>Wong, A. C., Chaston, J. M., Douglas, A. E. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=The+inconstant+gut+microbiota+of+Drosophila+species+revealed+by+16S+rRNA+gene+analysis.">The inconstant gut microbiota of Drosophila species revealed by 16S rRNA gene analysis.</a> ISME J. 7 (10), 1922-1932 (2013).</li><li>Newell, P. D., Douglas, A. E. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Interspecies+interactions+determine+the+impact+of+the+gut+microbiota+on+nutrient+allocation+in+Drosophila+melanogaster.">Interspecies interactions determine the impact of the gut microbiota on nutrient allocation in Drosophila melanogaster.</a> Appl Environ Microbiol. 80 (2), 788-796 (2014).</li><li>Broderick, N. 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The method described here is one of several approaches for embryo dechorionation8,11,18,25,26,27, together with alternative methods of rearing axenic flies, including serial transfer of axenic adults18,27 or antibiotic treatment13,18. Other dechorionation methods include ethanol washes and reduce11,25,26 or extend8 hypochlorite treatment. Different wash steps may aid rearing different fly genotypes: in a previous study most of ~100 Drosophila genotypes were ...

An erratum was issued for: <a href="https://www.jove.com/t/54219/rearing-fruit-fly-drosophila-melanogaster-under-axenic-gnotobiotic">Rearing the Fruit Fly Drosophila melanogaster Under Axenic and Gnotobiotic Conditions</a>. The Protocol was updated.
Step 6.1.4.2 of the Protocol was updated from:
If using the 4 species described here, normalize cells to equivalent colony forming unit (CFU)/ml densities (OD600 to CFU conversion determined previously20) using this equation: 
E = ((O-B) x V x D)/C 
where E = volume to resuspend pellet in (&#956;l), O = OD600 bacteria, B = OD600 blank media, D = fold-dilution, V = &#181;l bacterial culture prior to centrifugation, C = OD600 of predetermined constant. See Supplemental Code File for examples of calculations using these equations. For spectrophotometers that automatically blank, use &#34;O&#34; in place of &#34;O-B&#34;. 
Note: The predetermined constants (units OD600, normalized to 107 CFU ml-1, constants derived in20) are as follows: A. tropicalis (0.052), A. pomorum (0.038), L. brevis (0.056), L. plantarum (0.077).
to:
If using the 4 species described here, normalize cells to equivalent colony forming unit (CFU)/ml densities (OD600 to CFU conversion determined previously20) using this equation: 
E = ((O-B) x V x D)/C 
where E = volume to resuspend pellet in (&#956;l), O = OD600 bacteria, B = OD600 blank media, D = fold-dilution, V = &#181;l bacterial culture prior to centrifugation, C = OD600 of predetermined constant. See Supplemental Code File for examples of calculations using these equations. For spectrophotometers that automatically blank, use &#34;O&#34; in place of &#34;O-B&#34;. 
Note: The predetermined constants (units OD600, normalized to 107 CFU ml-1, constants derived in20) are as follows: A. tropicalis (0.053), A. pomorum (0.038), L. brevis (0.077), L. plantarum (0.056).

An erratum was issued for: <a href="https://www.jove.com/t/54219/rearing-fruit-fly-drosophila-melanogaster-under-axenic-gnotobiotic">Rearing the Fruit Fly Drosophila melanogaster Under Axenic and Gnotobiotic Conditions</a>. The Protocol was updated.

Erratum: Rearing the Fruit Fly Drosophila melanogaster Under Axenic and Gnotobiotic Conditions

Most animals are intimately associated with bacteria (&#39;microbiota&#39;) from birth to death1. Comparisons of microorganism-free (&#39;axenic&#39;) and microorganism-associated (&#39;conventional&#39;) animals have shown microbes influence diverse aspects of animal health, including metabolic, nutritional, vascular, hepatic, respiratory, immunological, endocrine, and neurological function2. The fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster is a key model for understanding many of these processes in the presence of microbes3,4 and for studying microbiota influence on animal health5,6. No bacterial species is present in every individual (&#39;core&#39;), but Acetobacter and Lactobacillus species numerically dominate the microbiota of both laboratory-reared and wild-caught D. melanogaster. Other Acetobacteraceae (including Komagataeibacter and Gluconobacter), Firmicutes (such as Enterococcus and Leuconostoc), and Enterobacteriaceae are either frequently present in Drosophila individuals at low abundance, or irregularly present at high abundance7-12.
The microbiota of Drosophila and mammals is inconstant within and across generations14,19. Microbiota inconstancy can lead to phenotypic noise when measuring microbiota-dependent traits. For example, the Acetobacteraceae influence lipid (triglyceride) storage in Drosophila15-18. If Acetobacteraceae are more abundant in flies of one vial than in another19, isogenic flies can have different phenotypes20. A solution for the problem of microbiota inconstancy in mice14 has been in practice since the 1960&#39;s, by introducing a defined community of 8 dominant microbial species to mouse pups each new generation (altered Schaedler flora), ensuring that each pup is exposed to the same key members of the mouse microbiota. This practice controls for microbiota composition even when the microbiota is not the primary target of study32, and sets precedent to ensure the presence of key microbes in a variety of experimental conditions.
To define the influence of microbes on Drosophila nutrition, several protocols for deriving axenic fly lines have been developed, including hypochlorite dechorionation of embryos (either derived de novo each generation or maintained generationally by transfer to sterile diets) and antibiotic treatment13. There are benefits to different approaches, such as ease and rapidity for both of antibiotics treatment and serial transfer, versus greater control of confounding variables with de novo dechorionation (e.g., egg density, residual contaminating microbes, off-target antibiotic effects). Regardless of the method of preparation, introduction of specified microbial species to axenic embryos permits culture of Drosophila with defined (&#39;gnotobiotic&#39;) communities. Alternatively, mimicking the use of Schaedler flora, this community could be inoculated to conventionally-laid eggs (following steps 6-7 only) to ensure the presence of trait-influencing microbes in each vial and avoid complications of microbiota inconstancy. Here we describe the protocol for raising axenic and gnotobiotic Drosophila by de novo dechorionation of embryos, and for confirming the presence of introduced or contaminating microbial taxa.

<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="851">
	<tbody>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;width:259px;">Brewer&#39;s Yeast</td>
			<td style="width:291px;">MP Biomedicals, LLC.</td>
			<td style="width:108px;">903312</td>
			<td style="width:195px;">http://www.mpbio.com/product.php?pid=02903312</td>
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		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">Glucose</td>
			<td>Sigma Aldrich</td>
			<td>158968-3KG</td>
			<td>http://www.sigmaaldrich.com/catalog/product/aldrich/158968?lang=en&#38;region=US</td>
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		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">Agar</td>
			<td>Fisher--Lab Scientific</td>
			<td>fly802010</td>
			<td>https://www.fishersci.com/shop/products/drosophila-agar-8-100mesh-10kg/nc9349177</td>
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		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">Welch&#39;s 100% Grape Juice Concentrate</td>
			<td>Walmart or other grocery store</td>
			<td>9116196</td>
			<td>http://www.walmart.com/ip/Welch-s-Frozen-100-Grape-Juice-Concentrate-11.5-oz/10804406</td>
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			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">Cage: 32 oz. Translucent Round Deli Container</td>
			<td>Webstaurant Store</td>
			<td>999L5032Y</td>
			<td>http://www.webstaurantstore.com/newspring-delitainer-sd5032y-32-oz-translucent-round-deli-container-24-pack/999L5032Y.html</td>
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			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">Translucent Round Deli Container Lid</td>
			<td>Webstaurant Store</td>
			<td>999YNL500</td>
			<td>http://www.webstaurantstore.com/newspring-delitainer-ynl500-translucent-round-deli-container-lid-60-pack/999YNL500.html</td>
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			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">Stock Bottles</td>
			<td>Genesee Scientific</td>
			<td style="width:108px;">32-130</td>
			<td>https://geneseesci.com/shop-online/product-details/?product=32-130</td>
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		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">Droso-Plugs</td>
			<td>Genesee Scientific</td>
			<td style="width:108px;">49-101</td>
			<td>https://geneseesci.com/shop-online/product-details/?product=49-101</td>
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		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">Nylon Mesh</td>
			<td>Genesee Scientific</td>
			<td>57-102&#160;</td>
			<td>https://geneseesci.com/shop-online/product-details/715/?product=57-102</td>
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		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">Plastic Bushing</td>
			<td>Home Depot</td>
			<td style="width:108px;">100343125</td>
			<td>http://www.homedepot.com/p/Halex-2-1-2-in-Rigid-Insulated-Plastic-Bushing-75225/100343125</td>
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		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">Specimen Cup</td>
			<td>MedSupply Partners</td>
			<td>K01-207067</td>
			<td>http://www.medsupplypartners.com/covidien-specimen-containers.html</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">Repeater M4</td>
			<td>Eppendorf</td>
			<td>4982000322</td>
			<td>https://online-shop.eppendorf.us/US-en/Manual-Liquid-Handling-44563/Dispensers--Burettes-44566/Repeater-M4-PF-44619.html</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">50 ml Centrifuge Tubes</td>
			<td>Laboratory Product Sales</td>
			<td>TR2003</td>
			<td>https://www.lpsinc.com/Catalog4.asp?catalog_nu=TR2003</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">Food Boxes</td>
			<td>USA Scientific</td>
			<td>2316-5001</td>
			<td>http://www.usascientific.com/search.aspx?find=2316-5001</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">Lysing Matrix D Bulk</td>
			<td>MP Biomedicals, LLC.</td>
			<td>116540434</td>
			<td>http://www.mpbio.com/search.php?q=6540-434&#38;s=Search</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">Filter Pipette Tips, 300&#956;l</td>
			<td>USA Scientific</td>
			<td>1120-9810</td>
			<td>http://www.usascientific.com/search.aspx?find=1120-9810</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">Petri Dishes</td>
			<td>Laboratory Product Sales</td>
			<td>M089303</td>
			<td>https://www.lpsinc.com/Catalog4.asp?catalog_nu=M089303</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">Ethanol</td>
			<td>Decon Laboratories, INC.</td>
			<td>2701</td>
			<td>http://www.deconlabs.com/products.php?ID=88</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">Paintbrush</td>
			<td>Walmart</td>
			<td>5133</td>
			<td>http://www.walmart.com/ip/Chenille-Kraft-5133-Acrylic-Handled-Brush-Set-Assorted-Sizes-colors-8-Brushes-set/41446005</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">Forceps</td>
			<td>Fisher</td>
			<td>08-882</td>
			<td>https://www.fishersci.com/shop/products/fisherbrand-medium-pointed-forceps-3/p-128693</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">Household Bleach (6-8% Hypochlorite)</td>
			<td>Walmart</td>
			<td>550646751</td>
			<td>http://www.walmart.com/ip/Clorox-Concentrated-Regular-Bleach-121-fl-oz/21618295</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">Universal Peptone</td>
			<td>Genesee Scientific</td>
			<td>20-260</td>
			<td>https://geneseesci.com/shop-online/product-details/?product=20-260</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">Yeast Extract</td>
			<td>&#160;Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>BP1422-500</td>
			<td>https://www.fishersci.com/shop/products/fisher-bioreagents-microbiology-media-additives-yeast-extract-3/bp1422500?matchedCatNo=BP1422500</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">Dipotassium Phosphate</td>
			<td>Sigma Aldrich</td>
			<td>P3786-1KG</td>
			<td>http://www.sigmaaldrich.com/catalog/search?term=P3786-1KG&#38;interface=All&#38;N=0&#38;mode=match%20partialmax&#38;lang=en&#38;region=US&#38;focus=product</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">Ammonium Citrate</td>
			<td>Sigma Aldrich</td>
			<td>25102-500g</td>
			<td>http://www.sigmaaldrich.com/catalog/search?term=25102-500g&#38;interface=All&#38;N=0&#38;mode=match%20partialmax&#38;lang=en&#38;region=US&#38;focus=product</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">Sodium Acetate</td>
			<td>VWR</td>
			<td>97061-994</td>
			<td>https://us.vwr.com/store/catalog/product.jsp?catalog_number=97061-994</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">Magnesium Sulfate</td>
			<td>Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>M63-500</td>
			<td>https://www.fishersci.com/shop/products/magnesium-sulfate-heptahydrate-crystalline-certified-acs-fisher-chemical-3/m63500?matchedCatNo=M63500</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">Manganese Sulfate</td>
			<td>Sigma Aldrich</td>
			<td>10034-96-5</td>
			<td>http://www.sigmaaldrich.com/catalog/search?term=10034-96-5&#38;interface=CAS%20No.&#38;N=0&#38;mode=match%20partialmax&#38;lang=en&#38;region=US&#38;focus=product</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">MRS Powder</td>
			<td>Sigma Aldrich</td>
			<td style="width:108px;">69966-500G</td>
			<td>http://www.sigmaaldrich.com/catalog/product/sial/69966?lang=en&#38;region=US</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">96 Well Plate Reader</td>
			<td>BioTek (Epoch)&#160;</td>
			<td>NA</td>
			<td>http://www.biotek.com/products/microplate_detection/epoch_microplate_spectrophotometer.html</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">1.7 ml Centrifuge Tubes</td>
			<td>USA Scientific</td>
			<td>1615-5500</td>
			<td>http://www.usascientific.com/search.aspx?find=1615-5500</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">Filter Pipette Tips, 1000&#956;l</td>
			<td>USA Scientific</td>
			<td>1122-1830</td>
			<td>http://www.usascientific.com/search.aspx?find=1122-1830</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">96 Well Plates</td>
			<td>Greiner Bio-One</td>
			<td>655101</td>
			<td>https://shop.gbo.com/en/usa/articles/catalogue/article/0110_0040_0120_0010/13243/</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">Ceramic Beads</td>
			<td>MP Biomedicals, LLC.</td>
			<td>6540-434</td>
			<td>http://www.mpbio.com/product.php?pid=116540434</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">Tissue Homogenizer</td>
			<td>MP Biomedicals, LLC.</td>
			<td>116004500</td>
			<td>http://www.mpbio.com/product.php?pid=116004500</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">Class 1 BioSafety Cabinet</td>
			<td>Thermo Scientific&#160;</td>
			<td>Model 1395</td>
			<td>http://www.thermoscientific.com/en/product/1300-series-class-ii-type-a2-biological-safety-cabinet-packages.html</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

rearing the fruit fly drosophila melanogaster under axenic and gnotobiotic conditions

The influence of microbes on myriad animal traits and behaviors has been increasingly recognized in recent years. The fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster is a model for understanding microbial interactions with animal hosts, facilitated by approaches to rear large sample sizes of Drosophila under microorganism-free (axenic) conditions, or with defined microbial communities (gnotobiotic). This work outlines a method for collection of Drosophila embryos, hypochlorite dechorionation and sterilization, and transfer to sterile diet. Sterilized embryos are transferred to sterile diet in 50 ml centrifuge tubes, and developing larvae and adults remain free of any exogenous microbes until the vials are opened. Alternatively, flies with a defined microbiota can be reared by inoculating sterile diet and embryos with microbial species of interest. We describe the introduction of 4 bacterial species to establish a representative gnotobiotic microbiota in Drosophila. Finally, we describe approaches for confirming bacterial community composition, including testing if axenic Drosophila remain bacteria-free into adulthood.

Successful rearing of axenic flies is confirmed by isolation of no CFUs from whole-body homogenizations of D. melanogaster adults (Figure 1). Alternatively, if the plated homogenate yields colonies, the vials are contaminated and should be discarded. For gnotobiotic flies, each of the four bacterial isolates were isolated from pools of 5 adult males, demonstrating differences in total viable CFUs associated with adult flies (Figure 1). Each bacte...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Rearing the Fruit Fly Drosophila melanogaster Under Axenic and Gnotobiotic Conditions at JoVE.com

Rearing the Fruit Fly Drosophila melanogaster Under Axenic and Gnotobiotic Conditions

A method for rearing Drosophila melanogaster under axenic and gnotobiotic conditions is presented. Fly embryos are dechorionated in sodium hypochlorite, transferred aseptically to sterile diet, and reared in closed containers. Inoculating diet and embryos with bacteria leads to gnotobiotic associations, and bacterial presence is confirmed by plating whole-body Drosophila homogenates.

Rearing the Fruit Fly Drosophila melanogaster Under Axenic and Gnotobiotic Conditions

The influence of microbes on myriad animal traits and behaviors has been increasingly recognized in recent years. The fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster is ...

The overall goal of this procedure is to rear fruit flies that are free of associated microorganisms. This method can help any researcher in the Drosophila field control for, manipulate, or study the microbiota, including its relationship to various host traits. The main advantage of this technique is that it permits researchers to rear fruit flies in the complete absence of external microorganisms.Generally, individuals new to this method will struggle, because the sterilization and rinsing steps must be conducted without introducing any contaminating microbes. To begin the experiment, streak previously prepared cultures on modified MRS, or mMRS, agar plates. Incubate the plates overnight at 30 degrees Celsius.Incubate anaerobic cultures in an airtight container, and flood it with carbon dioxide before sealing. The next day, pick a single colony from the mMRS plate into a test tube containing mMRS broth. Grow lactobacillus species under static conditions, and grow acetobacter species with shaking.Prepare the sterile diet in a one-liter Erlenmeyer flask. Microwave the diet until it has boiled three sequential times, and mix the flask by swirling in between each boil. Transfer the diet to a wide-mouth container on a stir plate to maintain stirring, and transfer the diet to conical centrifuge tubes.Loosely cap the tubes and place them in a covered autoclavable polypropylene rack. Autoclave the fly diet. When the autoclave is complete, remove the racks and immediately shake each rack horizontally to ensure the diet does not separate.Allow the diet to cool on a shaker for exactly 45 minutes. After cooling, immediately shake the diet horizontally by hand. Microwave the grape juice agar ingredients.Bring the mixture to a boil three times, and add 10 grams of frozen grape juice concentrate to increase egg visibility on the agar plate. When the agar has cooled to 55 degrees Celsius, pour 20 milliliters into 100-millimeter Petri dishes, and allow the agar to solidify. Next, pour the yeast paste onto the agar plate, and make sure that the surface is covered, then pour off the excess, leaving a thin yeast residue behind.Transfer the agar plates to the bottom of a cage. Transfer 250 flies into the container, and cover it with a lid. Cover the mesh-protected hole with an empty Petri dish lid.Incubate the flies. Place nylon mesh into a plastic bushing to prepare the sieve for egg collection. If the same flies will be used the next day, immediately transfer them to a new cage containing freshly yeasted grape juice agar plates.The grape juice plate in the previous cage contains the fruit fly eggs. Remove dead flies with a clean paint brush, and take caution not to break up the agar. Rinse the agar plate with distilled watar, and gently brush the eggs from the agar surface.Then pour the slurry over the mesh to collect the eggs. Sterilize the biosafety cabinet with 70%ethanol, then turn on the UV light. Spray all non-biological supplies with 70%ethanol, and immediately place them in the biosafety cabinet, then sterilize them with UV light.It is critical to ensure that good aseptic technique is practiced when working within, or when adding or removing new materials to the biosafety cabinet. Transfer the bushing with the eggs into a 120-milliliter specimen cup, and slowly pour 90 milliliters of 0.6%sodium hypochlorite solution or 7%bleach into the bushing just below the rim. Using forceps, periodically move the bushing up and down in the solution to re-suspend the eggs.Transfer the bushing directly into a second specimen cup pre-filled with 90 milliliters of bleach. At the end of the second bleach treatment, the eggs should begin to adhere to the sides of the bushing. Discard the bleach and completely rinse the bushing with sterile water.Again, use forceps to re-suspend the eggs several times during each wash. By the end of the third wash, most eggs should be attached to the side of the bushing. Using a sterile paint brush, transfer the eggs from the side of the bushing to the sterile diet.Leave the caps loose to allow oxygen to enter the tube. The transferred eggs will be visible on the surface of the diet. Use filter tips to transfer 100 microliters of overnight growth to a sterile microfuge tube.Next, transfer 200 microliters of each culture to a 96-well plate. Remove the samples from the biosafety cabinet and centrifuge them to pellet the bacteria. After making one, two, and four full dilutions, measure the optical density, or OD600, on a multi-well plate reading spectrophotometer.After obtaining the OD600, remove the supernatant with a pipette tip, and use fresh mMRS to re-suspend the pellet. Mix the diluted bacterial strains in equal ratios to create a multi-species cocktail. Transfer 50 microliters of the cocktail to the conical tubes containing the sterile diet and dechorionated eggs.Be sure to add the bacteria after the egg transfer to prevent contamination between vials. Then place the inoculated tubes in an incubator. To measure the colony-forming units, or CFUs, transfer five flies to a 1.7-milliliter microfuge tube containing 125 microliters of ceramic beads and 125 microliters of mMRS broth.Homogenize the flies using a tissue homogenizer. There should be no whole pieces of fly remaining. Next, dilute the homogenate with 875 microliters of mMRS, vortex the homogenate for five seconds, and pipette 120 microliters into the first well of a microtiter plate.Remove 10 microliters from the first well, and add it to the second well containing 70 microliters of MRS. Mix the contents of the second well thoroughly, then transfer 10 microliters from the second well to the third well containing 70 microliters of MRS, and mix thoroughly. Transfer 10 microliters of each dilution to an mMRS plate.Slightly incline the dish to spread the dilution several millimeters down the agar surface, and allow the liquid to dry before moving the plate. Remove the plates from the incubator once distinct individual colonies are visible, and count them from a dilution with 10 to 100 isolated colonies. Finally, calculate the CFU per fly.Each of the four species in the gnotobiotic Drosophila melanogaster presents different morphologies. Acetobacter colonies are a clear light brown, and come in varying sizes. A.tropicalis is opaque, whereas A.pomorum is transparent.L.Brevis colonies are small and white, and L.plantarum colonies are large and yellow. This graph displays the colony-forming units, or CFUs per fly, of four bacterial strains isolated from axenic and gnotobiotic Drosophila. Lack of colonies in the axenic homogenates confirms D.melanogaster sterility.Once mastered, microbe-free Drosophila can be prepared in under an hour, if performed properly. This procedure can be performed with bacterial strains other than those described in this video, in order to explore the effects of myriad bacteria on Drosophila melanogaster. Instead of starting with microorganism-free Drosophila, a bacterial cocktail can be inoculated to conventional Drosophila stocks to ensure that flies in each vial have access to a shared set of microbes.

rearing-fruit-fly-drosophila-melanogaster-under-axenic-gnotobiotic

Research

JoVE Journal

Developmental Biology

Assaying Blood Cell Populations of the Drosophila melanogaster Larva

In vertebrates, hematopoiesis is regulated by inductive microenvironments (niches). Likewise, in the invertebrate model organism&#160;Drosophila melanogaster, inductive microenvironments known as larval Hematopoietic Pockets (HPs) have been identified as anatomical sites for the development and regulation of blood cells (hemocytes), in particular of the self-renewing macrophage lineage.&#160;HPs are segmentally repeated pockets between the epidermis and muscle layers of the larva, which also comprise sensory neurons of the peripheral nervous system. In the larva, resident (sessile) hemocytes are exposed to anti-apoptotic, adhesive and proliferative cues from these sensory neurons and potentially other components of the HPs, such as the lining muscle and epithelial layers. During normal development, gradual release of resident hemocytes from the HPs fuels the population of circulating hemocytes, which culminates in the release of most of the resident hemocytes at the beginning of metamorphosis. Immune assaults, physical injury or mechanical disturbance trigger the premature release of resident hemocytes into circulation. The switch of larval hemocytes between resident locations and circulation raises the need for a common standard/procedure to selectively isolate and quantify these two populations of blood cells from single Drosophila larvae. Accordingly, this protocol describes an automated method to release and quantify the resident and circulating hemocytes from single larvae. The method facilitates ex vivo approaches, and may be adapted to serve a variety of developmental stages of Drosophila and other invertebrate organisms.

Assaying Blood Cell Populations of the Drosophila melanogaster Larva

Drosophila blood cells, or hemocytes, cycle between resident sites and circulation. In the larva, resident (sessile) hemocytes localize to inductive microenvironments, the Hematopoietic Pockets, while circulating hemocytes move freely in the hemolymph. The goal of this protocol is the standardized isolation and quantification of these two, behaviorally distinct but interchanging, hemocyte populations.

In vertebrates, hematopoiesis is regulated by inductive microenvironments (niches). Likewise, in the invertebrate model organism&#160;Drosophila ...

Production and Administration of Therapeutic Mesenchymal Stem/Stromal Cell (MSC) Spheroids Primed in 3-D Cultures Under Xeno-free Conditions

Mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs) hold great promise in bioengineering and regenerative medicine. MSCs can be isolated from multiple adult tissues via their strong adherence to tissue culture plastic and then further expanded in vitro, most commonly using fetal bovine serum (FBS). Since FBS can cause MSCs to become immunogenic, its presence in MSC cultures limits both clinical and experimental applications of the cells. Therefore, studies employing chemically defined xeno-free (XF) media for MSC cultures are extremely valuable. Many beneficial effects of MSCs have been attributed to their ability to regulate inflammation and immunity, mainly through secretion of immunomodulatory factors such as tumor necrosis factor-stimulated gene 6 (TSG6) and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2). However, MSCs require activation to produce these factors and since the effect of MSCs is often transient, great interest has emerged to discover ways of pre-activating the cells prior to their use, thus eliminating the lag time for activation in vivo. Here we present protocols to efficiently activate or prime MSCs in three-dimensional (3D) cultures under chemically defined XF conditions and to administer these pre-activated MSCs in vivo. Specifically, we first describe methods to generate spherical MSC micro-tissues or &#39;spheroids&#39; in hanging drops using XF medium and demonstrate how the spheres and conditioned medium (CM) can be harvested for various applications. Second, we describe gene expression screens and in vitro functional assays to rapidly assess the level of MSC activation in spheroids, emphasizing the anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer potential of the cells. Third, we describe a novel method to inject intact MSC spheroids into the mouse peritoneal cavity for in vivo efficacy testing. Overall, the protocols herein overcome major challenges of obtaining pre-activated MSCs under chemically defined XF conditions and provide a flexible system to administer MSC spheroids for therapies.

Production and Administration of Therapeutic Mesenchymal Stem/Stromal Cell MSC Spheroids Primed in 3-D Cultures Under Xeno-free Conditions

The therapeutic potential of mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs) is well-documented, however the best method of preparing the cells for patients remains controversial. Herein, we communicate protocols to efficiently generate and administer therapeutic spherical aggregates or 'spheroids' of MSCs primed under xeno-free conditions for experimental and clinical applications.

Mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs) hold great promise in bioengineering and regenerative medicine. MSCs can be isolated from multiple adult tissues via ...

Protocols for Visualizing Steroidogenic Organs and Their Interactive Organs with Immunostaining in the Fruit Fly Drosophila melanogaster

In multicellular organisms, a small group of cells is endowed with a specialized function in their biogenic activity, inducing a systemic response to&#160;growth and reproduction. In insects, the larval prothoracic gland (PG) and the adult female ovary play essential roles in biosynthesizing the principal steroid hormones called ecdysteroids. These ecdysteroidogenic organs are innervated from the nervous system, through&#160;which the timing of biosynthesis is affected by environmental cues. Here we describe a protocol for visualizing ecdysteroidogenic organs and their interactive organs in larvae and adults of the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, which provides a suitable model system for studying steroid hormone biosynthesis and its regulatory mechanism. Skillful dissection allows us to maintain the positions of ecdysteroidogenic organs and their interactive organs including the brain, the ventral nerve cord, and other tissues. Immunostaining with antibodies against ecdysteroidogenic enzymes, along with transgenic fluorescence proteins driven by tissue-specific promoters, are available to label ecdysteroidogenic cells. Moreover, the innervations of the ecdysteroidogenic organs can also be labeled by specific antibodies or a collection of GAL4 drivers in various types of neurons. Therefore, the ecdysteroidogenic organs and their neuronal connections can be&#160;visualized simultaneously&#160;by immunostaining and transgenic techniques. Finally, we describe how to visualize germline stem cells, whose proliferation and maintenance are controlled by ecdysteroids. This method contributes to comprehensive understanding of steroid hormone biosynthesis and its neuronal regulatory mechanism.

Protocols for Visualizing Steroidogenic Organs and Their Interactive Organs with Immunostaining in the Fruit Fly Drosophila melanogaster

We describe a protocol for dissection, fixation, and immunostaining of steroidogenic organs in Drosophila larvae and adult females to study steroid hormone biosynthesis and its regulatory mechanism. In addition to steroidogenic organs, we visualize the innervation of steroidogenic organs as well as steroidogenic target cells such as germline stem cells.

In multicellular organisms, a small group of cells is endowed with a specialized function in their biogenic activity, inducing a systemic response ...

Dissection and Immunofluorescent Staining of Mushroom Body and Photoreceptor Neurons in Adult Drosophila melanogaster Brains

Nervous system development involves a sequential series of events that are coordinated by several signaling pathways and regulatory networks. Many of the proteins involved in these pathways are evolutionarily conserved between mammals and other eukaryotes, such as the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, suggesting that similar organizing principles exist during the development of these organisms. Importantly, Drosophila has been used extensively to identify cellular and molecular mechanisms regulating processes that are required in mammals including neurogenesis, differentiation, axonal guidance, and synaptogenesis. Flies have also been used successfully to model a variety of human neurodevelopmental diseases. Here we describe a protocol for the step-by-step microdissection, fixation, and immunofluorescent localization of proteins within the adult Drosophila brain. This protocol focuses on two example neuronal populations, mushroom body neurons and retinal photoreceptors, and includes optional steps to trace individual mushroom body neurons using Mosaic Analysis with a Repressible Cell Marker (MARCM) technique. Example data from both wild-type and mutant brains are shown along with a brief description of a scoring criteria for axonal guidance defects. While this protocol highlights two well-established antibodies for investigating the morphology of mushroom body and photoreceptor neurons, other Drosophila brain regions and the localization of proteins within other brain regions can also be investigated using this protocol.

Dissection and Immunofluorescent Staining of Mushroom Body and Photoreceptor Neurons in Adult Drosophila melanogaster Brains

This protocol describes the dissection and immunostaining of adult Drosophila melanogaster brain tissues. Specifically, this protocol highlights the use of Drosophila mushroom body and photoreceptor neurons as example neuronal subsets that can be accurately used to uncover general principles underlying many aspects of neuronal development.

Nervous system development involves a sequential series of events that are coordinated by several signaling pathways and regulatory networks. Many of the ...

Induction of Endothelial Differentiation in Cardiac Progenitor Cells Under Low Serum Conditions

Cardiac progenitor cells (CPCs) may have therapeutic potential for cardiac regeneration after injury. In the adult mammalian heart, intrinsic CPCs are extremely scarce, but expanded CPCs could be useful for cell therapy. A prerequisite for their use is their ability to differentiate in a controlled manner into the various cardiac lineages using defined and efficient protocols. In addition, upon in vitro expansion, CPCs isolated from patients or preclinical disease models may offer fruitful research tools for the investigation of disease mechanisms.
Current studies use different markers to identify CPCs. However, not all of them are expressed in humans, which limits the translational impact of some preclinical studies. Differentiation protocols that are applicable irrespective of the isolation technique and marker expression will allow for the standardized expansion and priming of CPCs for cell therapy purpose. Here we describe that the priming of CPCs under a low fetal bovine serum (FBS) concentration and low cell density conditions facilitates the endothelial differentiation of CPCs. Using two different subpopulations of mouse and rat CPCs, we show that laminin is a more suitable substrate than fibronectin for this purpose under the following protocol: after culturing for 2 - 3 days in medium including supplements that maintain multipotency and with 3.5% FBS, CPCs are seeded on laminin at &#60;60% confluence and cultured in supplement-free medium with low concentrations of FBS (0.1%) for 20 - 24 hours before differentiation in endothelial differentiation medium. Because CPCs are a heterogeneous population, serum concentrations and incubation times may need to be adjusted depending on the properties of the respective CPC subpopulation. Considering this, the technique can be applied to other types of CPCs as well and provides a useful method to investigate the potential and mechanisms of differentiation and how they are affected by disease when using CPCs isolated from respective disease models.

This protocol describes an endothelial differentiation technique for cardiac progenitor cells. It particularly focuses on how serum concentration and cell-seeding density affect the endothelial differentiation potential.

Cardiac progenitor cells (CPCs) may have therapeutic potential for cardiac regeneration after injury. In the adult mammalian heart, intrinsic CPCs are ...

Thawing, Culturing, and Cryopreserving Drosophila Cell Lines

There are currently over 160 distinct Drosophila cell lines distributed by the Drosophila Genomics Resource Center (DGRC). With genome engineering, the number of novel cell lines is expected to increase. The DGRC aims to familiarize researchers with using Drosophila cell lines as an experimental tool to complement and drive their research agenda. Procedures for working with a variety of Drosophila cell lines with distinct characteristics are provided, including protocols for thawing, culturing, and cryopreserving cell lines. Importantly, this publication demonstrates the best practices required to work with Drosophila cell lines to minimize the risk of contaminations from adventitious microorganisms or from other cell lines. Researchers who become familiar with these procedures will be able to delve into the many applications that use Drosophila cultured cells including biochemistry, cell biology and functional genomics.

Thawing, Culturing, and Cryopreserving Drosophila Cell Lines

Drosophila cell lines are important reagents for both fundamental and biomedical research. This article provides protocols for thawing, subculturing, and the cryopreservation of commonly used Drosophila cell lines to assist researchers in incorporating the use of these reagents in their research.

There are currently over 160 distinct Drosophila cell lines distributed by the Drosophila Genomics Resource Center (DGRC). With genome engineering, the ...

Methods to Test Endocrine Disruption in Drosophila melanogaster

In recent years there has been growing evidence that all organisms and the environment are exposed to hormone-like chemicals, known as endocrine disruptor chemicals (EDCs). These chemicals may alter the normal balance of endocrine systems and lead to adverse effects, as well as an increasing number of hormonal disorders in the human population or disturbed growth and reduced reproduction in the wildlife species. For some EDCs, there are documented health effects and restrictions on their use. However, for most of them, there is still no scientific evidence in this sense. In order to verify potential endocrine effects of a chemical in the full organism, we need to test it in appropriate model systems, as well as in the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster. Here we report detailed in vivo protocols to study endocrine disruption in Drosophila, addressing EDC effects on the fecundity/fertility, developmental timing, and lifespan of the fly. In the last few years, we used these Drosophila life traits to investigate the effects of exposure to 17-&#945;-ethinylestradiol (EE2), bisphenol A (BPA), and bisphenol AF (BPA F). Altogether, these assays covered all Drosophila life stages and made it possible to evaluate endocrine disruption in all hormone-mediated processes. Fecundity/fertility and developmental timing assays were useful to measure the EDC impact on the fly reproductive performance and on developmental stages, respectively. Finally, the lifespan assay involved chronic EDC exposures to adults and measured their survivorship. However, these life traits can also be influenced by several experimental factors that had to be carefully controlled. So, in this work, we suggest a series of procedures we have optimized for the right outcome of these assays. These methods allow scientists to establish endocrine disruption for any EDC or for a mixture of different EDCs in Drosophila, although to identify the endocrine mechanism responsible for the effect, further essays could be needed.

Methods to Test Endocrine Disruption in Drosophila melanogaster

Endocrine disruptor chemicals (EDCs) represent a serious problem for organisms and for natural environments. Drosophila melanogaster represents an ideal model to study EDC effects in vivo. Here, we present methods to investigate endocrine disruption in Drosophila, addressing EDC effects on fecundity, fertility, developmental timing, and lifespan of the fly.

In recent years there has been growing evidence that all organisms and the environment are exposed to hormone-like chemicals, known as endocrine disruptor ...

Assay for Blood-brain Barrier Integrity in Drosophila melanogaster

Proper nervous system development includes the formation of the blood-brain barrier, the diffusion barrier that tightly regulates access to the nervous system and protects neural tissue from toxins and pathogens. Defects in the formation of this barrier have been correlated with neuropathies, and the breakdown of this barrier has been observed in many neurodegenerative diseases. Therefore, it is critical to identify the genes that regulate the formation and maintenance of the blood-brain barrier to identify potential therapeutic targets. In order to understand the exact roles these genes play in neural development, it is necessary to assay the effects of altered gene expression on the integrity of the blood-brain barrier. Many of the molecules that function in the establishment of the blood-brain barrier have been found to be conserved across eukaryotic species, including the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster. Fruit flies have proven to be an excellent model system for examining the molecular mechanisms regulating nervous system development and function. This protocol describes a step-by-step procedure to assay for blood-brain barrier integrity during the embryonic and larval stages of D. melanogaster development.

Assay for Blood-brain Barrier Integrity in Drosophila melanogaster

Blood-brain barrier integrity is critical for nervous system function. In Drosophila melanogaster, the blood-brain barrier is formed by glial cells during late embryogenesis. This protocol describes methods to assay for blood-brain barrier formation and maintenance in D. melanogaster embryos and third instar larvae.

Proper nervous system development includes the formation of the blood-brain barrier, the diffusion barrier that tightly regulates access to the nervous ...

Efficient Differentiation of Postganglionic Sympathetic Neurons using Human Pluripotent Stem Cells under Feeder-free and Chemically Defined Culture Conditions

Human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) have become a powerful tool for disease modeling and the study of human embryonic development in vitro. We previously presented a differentiation protocol for the derivation of autonomic neurons with sympathetic character that has been applied to patients with autonomic neuropathy. However, the protocol was built on Knock Out Serum Replacement (KSR) and feeder-based culture conditions, and to ensure high differentiation efficiency, cell sorting was necessary. These factors cause high variability, high cost, and low reproducibility. Moreover, mature sympathetic properties, including electrical activity, have not been verified. Here, we present an optimized protocol where PSC culture and differentiation are performed in feeder-free and chemically defined culture conditions. Genetic markers identifying trunk neural crest are identified. Further differentiation into postganglionic sympathetic neurons is achieved after 20 days without the need for cell sorting. Electrophysiological recording further shows the functional neuron identity. Firing detected from our differentiated neurons can be enhanced by nicotine and suppressed by the adrenergic receptor antagonist propranolol. Intermediate sympathetic neural progenitors in this protocol can be maintained as neural spheroids for up to 2 weeks, which allows expansion of the cultures. In sum, our updated sympathetic neuron differentiation protocol shows high differentiation efficiency, better reproducibility, more flexibility, and better neural maturation compared to the previous version. This protocol will provide researchers with the cells necessary to study human disorders that affect the autonomic nervous system.

In this protocol, we describe a stable, highly efficient differentiation strategy for the generation of postganglionic sympathetic neurons from human pluripotent stem cells. This model will make neurons available for the use of studies of multiple autonomic disorders.

Human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) have become a powerful tool for disease modeling and the study of human embryonic development in vitro. We previously ...

Whole Animal Imaging of Drosophila melanogaster using Microcomputed Tomography

Biomedical imaging tools permit investigation of molecular mechanisms across spatial scales, from genes to organisms. Drosophila melanogaster, a well-characterized model organism, has benefited from the use of light and electron microscopy to understand gene function at the level of cells and tissues. The application of imaging platforms that allow for an understanding of gene function at the level of the entire intact organism would further enhance our knowledge of genetic mechanisms. Here a whole animal imaging method is presented that outlines the steps needed to visualize Drosophila at any developmental stage using microcomputed tomography (&#181;-CT). The advantages of &#181;-CT include commercially available instrumentation and minimal hands-on time to produce accurate 3D information at micron-level resolution without the need for tissue dissection or clearing methods. Paired with software that accelerate image analysis and 3D rendering, detailed morphometric analysis of any tissue or organ system can be performed to better understand mechanisms of development, physiology, and anatomy for both descriptive and hypothesis testing studies. By utilizing an imaging workflow that incorporates the use of electron microscopy, light microscopy, and &#181;-CT, a thorough evaluation of gene function can be performed, thus furthering the usefulness of this powerful model organism.

Whole Animal Imaging of Drosophila melanogaster using Microcomputed Tomography

A protocol is presented that allows for the visualization of intact Drosophila melanogaster at any stage of development using microcomputed tomography.