Name: in vivo calcium imaging of neuronal ensembles in networks of primary sensory neurons in intact dorsal root ganglia
Uploaded: 2023-02-10T13:20:00
Description: Watch this Scientific Journal Video about In Vivo Calcium Imaging of Neuronal Ensembles in Networks of Primary Sensory Neurons in Intact Dorsal Root Ganglia at JoVE.com

This work was supported by National Institutes of Health Grants R01DE026677 and R01DE031477 (to Y.S.K.), UTHSCSA startup fund (Y.S.K.), a Rising STAR Award from University of Texas system (Y.S.K.), and Craniofacial Oral-biology Student Training in Academic Research (COSTAR) National Institute of Health Grant 5T32DE014318 (J.S.).

All procedures described here were performed in accordance with a protocol approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee of the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio.
NOTE: Once started, animal surgery (step 1) and imaging (step 2) must be completed in a continuous manner. Data analysis (step 3) may be performed later.
1. Surgery and securing the animal for right side L5 DRG imaging
NOTE: Bo...

<ol>
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Persistent pain is present in a wide range of disorders, debilitating and/or reducing the quality of life for about 8% of people29. Primary sensory neurons detect noxious stimuli on the skin, and their plasticity contributes to persistent pain8. While neurons can be studied in cell culture and explants, doing so removes them from their normal physiological context. Surgical exposure of the DRG, followed by Pirt-GCaMP3 Ca2+ imaging, permits the study of primary se...

Primary sensory neurons directly innervate the skin and carry somatosensory information back to the central nervous system1,2. Dorsal root ganglia (DRGs) are cell body clusters of 10,000-15,000 primary sensory neurons3,4. DRG neurons present diverse size, myelination levels, and gene and receptor expression patterns. Smaller diameter neurons include pain-sensing neurons and larger diameter neurons typically respond to non-painful mechanical stimuli5,6. Disorders in the primary sensory neurons such as injury, chronic inflammation, and peripheral neuropathies can sensitize these neurons to various stimuli and contribute to chronic pain, allodynia, and pain hypersensitivity7,8. Therefore, the study of DRG neurons is important in understanding both somatosensation generally and many pain and itch disorders.
Neurons firing in vivo are essential to somatosensation, but until recently, tools to study intact ganglia in vivo have been limited to relatively small numbers of cells9. Here, we describe a powerful method for studying the action potentials or activities of neurons on a population level in vivo as an ensemble. The method employs imaging based on cytoplasmic Ca2+ dynamics. The Ca2+ sensitive fluorescent indicators are good proxies for measuring cellular activity due to the normally low concentration of cytoplasmic Ca2+. These indicators have allowed simultaneous monitoring of hundreds to several thousands of primary sensory neurons in mice9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16 and rats17. The method of in vivo Ca2+ imaging described in this study can be used to directly observe populational level responses to mechanical, cold, thermal, and chemical stimuli.
The phosphoinositide-binding membrane protein, Pirt is expressed at high levels in almost all (&#62;95%) primary sensory neurons18,19 and can be used to drive the expression of the Ca2+ sensor, GCaMP3, to monitor neuron activity in vivo20. In this protocol, techniques are described for performing in vivo DRG surgery, Ca2+ imaging, and analysis in the right side lumbar 5 (L5) DRG of Pirt-GCaMP3 mice14 using confocal laser scanning microscopy (LSM).

<table border="1" fo:keep-together.within-page="1" fo:keep-with-next.within-page="always">
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td>Anased Injection (Xylazine)</td>
			<td>Covetrus, Akorn</td>
			<td>33197</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>C Epiplan-Apochromat 10x/0.4 DIC</td>
			<td>Cal Zeiss</td>
			<td>422642-9900-000</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Cotton Tipped Applicators</td>
			<td>McKesson</td>
			<td>24-106-1S</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Curved Hemostat</td>
			<td>Fine Science Tools</td>
			<td>13007-12</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>DC Temperature Controller</td>
			<td>FHC</td>
			<td>40-90-8D</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>DC Temperature Controller Heating Pad</td>
			<td>FHC</td>
			<td>40-90-2-05</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Dumont Ceramic Coated Forceps</td>
			<td>Fine Science Tools</td>
			<td>11252-50</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>FHC DC Temperature Controller</td>
			<td>FHC</td>
			<td>40-90-8D</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Fluriso (Isoflurane)</td>
			<td>MWI Animal Health, Piramal Group</td>
			<td>501017</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Friedman-Pearson Rongeurs</td>
			<td>Fine Science Tools</td>
			<td>16221-14</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>GelFoam</td>
			<td>Pfizer</td>
			<td>09-0353-01</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Ketaset (Ketamine)</td>
			<td>Zoetis</td>
			<td>KET-00002R2</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Luminescent Green Stage Tape</td>
			<td>JSITON/ Amazon</td>
			<td>B803YW8ZWL</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Matrx VIP 3000 Isoflurane Vaporizer</td>
			<td>Midmark</td>
			<td>91305430</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Micro dissecting scissors</td>
			<td>Roboz</td>
			<td>RS-5882</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Micro dissecting spring scissors</td>
			<td>Fine Science Tools</td>
			<td>15023-10</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Micro dissecting spring scissors</td>
			<td>Roboz</td>
			<td>RS-5677</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Mini Rectal Thermistor Probe</td>
			<td>FHC</td>
			<td>40-90-5D-02</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Operating scissors</td>
			<td>Roboz</td>
			<td>RS-6812</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Pirt-GCaMP3 C57BL/6J mice</td>
			<td>Johns Hopkins University</td>
			<td>N/A</td>
			<td>Either sex can be imaged equally well. Mice should be at least 8 weeks old due to weak or intermittent Pirt promoter expression in younger mice.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>SMALGO small animal algometer</td>
			<td>Bioseb In vivo Research Instruments</td>
			<td>BIO-SMALGO</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Stereotaxic frame</td>
			<td>Kopf Model 923-B</td>
			<td>923-B</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>td-Tomato C57BL/6J mice</td>
			<td>Jackson Laboratory</td>
			<td>7909</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Top Plate, 6 in x 10 in</td>
			<td>Newport</td>
			<td>290-TP</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>TrpV1-Cre C57BL/6J mice</td>
			<td>Jackson Laboratory</td>
			<td>17769</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Zeiss LSM 800 confocal microscope</td>
			<td>Cal Zeiss</td>
			<td>LSM800</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Zeiss Zen 2.6 Blue Edition Software</td>
			<td>Cal Zeiss</td>
			<td>Zen (Blue Edition) 2.6</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

in vivo calcium imaging of neuronal ensembles in networks of primary sensory neurons in intact dorsal root ganglia

Ca2+ imaging can be used as a proxy for cellular activity, including action potentials and various signaling mechanisms involving Ca2+ entry into the cytoplasm or the release of intracellular Ca2+ stores. Pirt-GCaMP3-based Ca2+ imaging of primary sensory neurons of the dorsal root ganglion (DRG) in mice offers the advantage of simultaneous measurement of a large number of cells. Up to 1,800 neurons can be monitored, allowing neuronal networks and somatosensory processes to be studied as an ensemble in their normal physiological context at a populational level in vivo. The large number of neurons monitored allows the detection of activity patterns that would be challenging to detect using other methods. Stimuli can be applied to the mouse hindpaw, allowing the direct effects of stimuli on the DRG neuron ensemble to be studied. The number of neurons producing Ca2+ transients as well as the amplitude of Ca2+ transients indicates sensitivity to specific sensory modalities. The diameter of neurons provides evidence of activated fiber types (non-noxious mechano vs. noxious pain fibers, A&#946;, A&#948;, and C fibers). Neurons expressing specific receptors can be genetically labeled with td-Tomato and specific Cre recombinases together with Pirt-GCaMP. Therefore, Pirt-GCaMP3 Ca2+ imaging of DRG provides a powerful tool and model for the analysis of specific sensory modalities and neuron subtypes acting as an ensemble at the populational level to study pain, itch, touch, and other somatosensory signals.

<img alt="Figure 4" class="xfigimg" src="/files/ftp_upload/64826/64826fig04.jpg" /> 
Figure 4: Representative images of L5 dorsal root ganglia of Pirt-GCaMP3 mice. (A,D) Single frame high resolution scans of L5 dorsal root ganglia of Pirt-GCaMP3 mice are shown. (B,E). Average intensity projections of 15 frames of Pirt-GCaMP3 L5 DRG ganglia from panel A and panel D, respectively...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about In Vivo Calcium Imaging of Neuronal Ensembles in Networks of Primary Sensory Neurons in Intact Dorsal Root Ganglia at JoVE.com

In Vivo Calcium Imaging of Neuronal Ensembles in Networks of Primary Sensory Neurons in Intact Dorsal Root Ganglia

This protocol describes the surgical exposure of the dorsal root ganglion (DRG) followed by GCaMP3 (genetically-encoded Ca2+ indicator; Green Fluorescent Protein-Calmodulin-M13 Protein 3) Ca2+ imaging of the neuronal ensembles using Pirt-GCaMP3 mice while applying a variety of stimuli to the ipsilateral hind paw.

In Vivo Calcium Imaging of Neuronal Ensembles in Networks of Primary Sensory Neurons in Intact Dorsal Root Ganglia

Ca2+ imaging can be used as a proxy for cellular activity, including action potentials and various signaling mechanisms involving Ca2+ entry into the ...

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