We gratefully thank the DFG for financial support (HO 1779/21-1) as well as Katrin Kumke and Dr. Veit Schubert (IPK, Gatersleben) for technical advice.

1. Chromosome Preparation
<ol>
	<li>Seed germination and fixation of root tips
	<ol>
		<li>Germinate 10-20 barley seeds on two layers of moist filter paper in a Petri dish under dark conditions for 2 days at 22-24 &#176;C. Cut off vigorous roots with the length of 1-2 cm from the seed by using a razor blade.</li>
		<li>Prepare ice-cold water by placing a 500 ml glass bottle containing cold tap water into crushed ice-water. Aerate the ice-cold water and immerse root tips for 20 hr to increase the frequency of metaphase cells.</li>
		<li>Transfer roots from water to 50 ml of ethanol: acetic acid (3:1) fixative to fix them at RT&#160;for 2 days. Store roots in a freshly prepared ethanol: acetic acid (3:1) fixative at 4 &#176;C until use up to a year.</li>
	</ol>
	</li>
	<li>Washing and enzyme treatment
	<ol>
		<li>Wash the 10-20 roots with 30 ml ice-cold tap water for 5 min twice using a 50 ml glass beaker. Use binocular microscope. Transfer roots one by one into 30 ml 0.01 M citrate buffer (0.01 M citric acid + 0.01 M sodium citrate, pH 4.8) using forceps and wash by shaking the glass beaker for 5 min twice. Place roots on filter paper to remove the liquid completely and cut-off undesired non-meristematic tissue using a razor blade.</li>
		<li>Incubate up to 20 root tips in 1 ml enzyme mixture at 37 &#176;C for about 50 min to soften the plant tissue (Table 1) in a watch glass. Enzyme mixture contains 0.7% cellulase R10, 0.7% cellulase, 1% pectolyase and 1% cytohelicase diluted in 0.01 M citrate buffer. Store the enzyme mixture at -20 &#176;C and reused up to five times.</li>
		<li>Remove the enzyme by pipetting and wash the root tips on ice with 5 ml 0.01 M citrate buffer twice to replace the residual enzyme.</li>
	</ol>
	</li>
	<li>Root maceration
	<ol>
		<li>Wash root tips with 1 ml 96% ethanol twice carefully in the same watch glass. Replace ethanol with freshly prepared fixative (75% acetic acid : 25% ethanol). Use 10-15 &#181;l fixative per root tip.</li>
		<li>Transfer root tips together with the fixative into a 2 ml tube and disintegrate root meristems with a dissecting needle or forceps. Tap the tube 20 times to re-suspend cells to obtain a cell suspension. Store the cell suspension at -20 &#176;C up to two months.</li>
	</ol>
	</li>
	<li>Dropping of the cell suspension
	<ol>
		<li>Place 2-3 layers of water-soaked paper tissue on a hot plate at 50 &#176;C. Immerse microscopic slides in ice-cold tap water in the fridge for 30 min. And place slides on top of the moist paper tissue.</li>
		<li>Pipette 7-10 &#181;l of cell suspension and drop it from a distance of 20 cm onto the cooled slide placed on the hot plate. Pipette 10 &#181;l of acetic acid-ethanol mixture on the same place as cell suspension on the slide and keep the slide on the hot plate for additional 2 min. Place the slide on the hot plate without the wet tissue and let it dry for 1 min.</li>
	</ol>
	</li>
	<li>Quality control and storage of slides
	<ol>
		<li>Check slides using a phase-contrast microscope to control the quality of the chromosome spread. Use slides either the same day or store by immersing in 96% ethanol in a Coplin jar at -20 &#176;C.</li>
	</ol>
	</li>
	<li>Pretreatment of slides before FISH; all steps are carried out at RT
	<ol>
		<li>Place slides in a Coplin jar containing 50 ml of 2x SSC (20x SSC contains 3 M NaCl and 300 mM trisodium citrate) for 5 min. Using forceps, transfer slides to a Coplin jar containing 50 ml of 45% acetic acid for 3-10 min.</li>
		<li>Transfer slides to a Coplin jar containing 50 ml of 2x SSC for 10 min. Transfer slides to a Coplin jar containing 50 ml of 4% formaldehyde (in 2x SSC) and immerse slides for 10 min to fix chromosomes.</li>
		<li>Remove formaldehyde by rinsing the slides 3 times for 4 min each, in a Coplin jar containing 50 ml 2x SSC. Dehydrate slides in a Coplin jar for 2 min in series of 70%, 90% and 100% ethanol, respectively and dry slides in a vertical position.</li>
	</ol>
	</li>
</ol>
2. Fluorescent In Situ Hybridization (FISH)
<ol>
	<li>For each slide, prepare a hybridization solution of 20 &#181;l in total using 10 &#181;l of deionized formamide, 5 &#181;l of 4x hybridization buffer (200 &#181;l buffer contains 80 &#181;l 20x SSC, 8 &#181;l 1 M Tris-HCl pH 8.0, 1.6 &#181;l 0.5 M EDTA, 11.2 &#181;l 10 &#181;g/ &#181;l salmon sperm and 99.2 &#181;l DNase-free water), 3 &#181;l of the probe and 2 &#181;l of DNase-free water.</li>
	<li>Add 20 &#181;l of hybridization solution per slide and cover with a 24 x 32 mm cover slip and arrest the cover slip with rubber cement. Denature slides with probes simultaneously at 80 &#176;C for 2 min on a hot plate.</li>
	<li>Transfer slides to a moist chamber and incubate slides at 37 &#176;C O/N avoiding light. Remove cover slips by rinsing the slides in a Coplin jar with 2x SSC. Place slides in a Coplin jar containing 55-60 &#176;C 2x SSC and incubate for 20 min.</li>
	<li>Place the slides to 2x SSC in a Coplin jar for 2 min at RT. Dehydrate slides in a Coplin jar for 2 min in series of 70%, 90% and 100% ethanol, respectively.</li>
	<li>Air-dry the slides and counterstain with 1 &#181;g/ml 4&#39;,6-diamidino-2-phenylindoline (DAPI) in antifade mounting medium, avoid intense light.</li>
</ol>
3. Microscopic Analysis and Storage
<ol>
	<li>Analyze the slides using an epifluorescence microscope. The selection of filter depends on the fluorochrome used for probe labeling. If necessary, store slides at 4 &#176;C under dark conditions up to a year.</li>
</ol>

<ol>
	<li>Geber, G., Schweizer, D. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Cytochemical+heterochromatin+differentiation+in+Sinapis+alba+(Cruciferae)+using+a+simple+air-drying+technique+for+producing+chromosome+spreads.">Cytochemical heterochromatin differentiation in Sinapis alba (Cruciferae) using a simple air-drying technique for producing chromosome spreads.</a> Pl Syst Evol. 158 (2-4), 97-106 (1988).</li><li>Andras, S. 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=A+drop-spreading+technique+to+produce+cytoplasm-free+mitotic+preparations+from+plants+with+small+chromosomes.">A drop-spreading technique to produce cytoplasm-free mitotic preparations from plants with small chromosomes.</a> Chromosome Res. 7 (8), 641-647 (1999).</li><li>Rothfels, K. H., Siminovitch, L. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=An+air-drying+technique+for+flattening+chromosomes+in+mammalian+cells+grown+in+vitro.">An air-drying technique for flattening chromosomes in mammalian cells grown in vitro.</a> Stain Technology. 33 (2), 73-77 (1958).</li><li>Martin, R., Busch, W., Herrmann, R. G., Wanner, G. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Efficient+preparation+of+plant+chromosomes+for+high-resolution+scanning+electron+microscopy.">Efficient preparation of plant chromosomes for high-resolution scanning electron microscopy.</a> Chromosome Res. 2 (5), 411-415 (1994).</li><li>Kato, A., Albert, P. S., Vega, J. M., Birchler, J. A. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Sensitive+fluorescence+in+situ+hybridization+signal+detection+in+maize+using+directly+labeled+probes+produced+by+high+concentration+DNA+polymerase+nick+translation.">Sensitive fluorescence in situ hybridization signal detection in maize using directly labeled probes produced by high concentration DNA polymerase nick translation.</a> Biotech. Histochem. 81 (2-3), 71-78 (2006).</li><li>Kirov, I., Divashuk, M., Van Laere, K., Soloviev, A., Khrustaleva, L. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=An+easy+'SteamDrop'+method+for+high+quality+plant+chromosome+preparation.">An easy 'SteamDrop' method for high quality plant chromosome preparation.</a> Mol. Cytogenet. 7, 21 (2014).</li><li>Spurbeck, J. L., Zinsmeister, A. R., Meyer, K. J., Jalal, 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=Dynamics+of+chromosome+spreading.">Dynamics of chromosome spreading.</a> Am J Med Genet. 61 (4), 387-393 (1996).</li><li>Ma, L., 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=Synteny+between+Brachypodium+distachyon+and+Hordeum+vulgare+as+revealed+by+FISH.">Synteny between Brachypodium distachyon and Hordeum vulgare as revealed by FISH.</a> Chromosome Res. 18 (7), 841-850 (2010).</li><li>Kato, A., Lamb, J. C., Birchler, J. A. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Chromosome+painting+using+repetitive+DNA+sequences+as+probes+for+somatic+chromosome+identification+in+maize.">Chromosome painting using repetitive DNA sequences as probes for somatic chromosome identification in maize.</a> Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U S A. 101 (37), 13554-13559 (2004).</li><li>Pan, W. H., Houben, A., Schlegel, R. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Highly+effective+cell+synchronization+in+plant-roots+by+hydroxyurea+and+amiprophos-methyl+or+colchicine.">Highly effective cell synchronization in plant-roots by hydroxyurea and amiprophos-methyl or colchicine.</a> Genome. 36 (2), 387-390 (1993).</li><li>Kim, J. S., 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=Integrated+karyotyping+of+sorghum+by+in+situ+hybridization+of+landed+BACs.">Integrated karyotyping of sorghum by in situ hybridization of landed BACs.</a> Genome. 45 (2), 402-412 (2002).</li><li>Lapitan, N. L. V., Brown, S. E., Kennard, W., Stephens, J. L., Knudson, D. L. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=FISH+physical+mapping+with+barley+BAC+clones.">FISH physical mapping with barley BAC clones.</a> Plant J. 11 (1), 149-156 (1997).</li><li>Aliyeva-Schnorr, L., 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=Cytogenetic+mapping+with+centromeric+BAC+contigs+shows+that+this+recombination-poor+region+comprises+more+than+half+of+barley+chromosome+3H.">Cytogenetic mapping with centromeric BAC contigs shows that this recombination-poor region comprises more than half of barley chromosome 3H.</a> Plant J. 84, 385-394 (2015).</li></ol>

The authors have nothing to disclose.

The chromosome preparation experiment has been carried out using young roots of cereals belonging to the grass family (Poaceae). All analyzed species have 14 relatively long mitotic metaphase chromosomes (11-15 &#181;m) in the diploid genome set and belong to large-genome species (5.1-7.9 Gbp).
Length of germinated roots was not more than 2 cm to obtain a maximum of meristematic tissue. Synchronization of dividing cells was achieved by a 20 hr long ice-water treatment that improved the quantit...

Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) is an effective tool for the physical mapping of single and high copy sequences at the chromosomal level. Prerequisite is the preparation of high quality chromosome spreads. There is no general chromosome preparation protocol that would be equally suitable for animal and plant cells. Preparation of plant chromosomes is particularly challenging due to the rigid cell wall and various cytoplasm consistency within different species. One of the favorable methods for the preparation of plant chromosomes is a so-called drop technique also known as drop-spreading technique and air-drying technique 1,2. This method was first introduced in 1958 by Rothfels and Siminovitch for in vitro grown mammalian cells 3. Later Martin et al. 4 and Kato et al. 5 adapted this method for plants.
More recently, a method named &#39;SteamDrop&#39; was developed which used water steam for the preparation of non-overlapping chromosomes 6. Although, the positive influence of high humidity was observed earlier 7, &#39;SteamDrop&#39; delivers a controlled workflow of high-quality chromosome preparations 6. The steam treatment causes stretching of chromosomes probably connected to some modifications of chromosomal proteins. The quality of resulting metaphase spreads is very high, although retaining of sufficient number of complete metaphase spreads for subsequent FISH experiments demands technical expertise.
Here we present a protocol for the preparation of mitotic cereal chromosomes suitable for the FISH detection of single and high copy probes 5,8. This method is an improved variant of the air-dry dropping method described by Kato 9 performed under relative humidity of 50%-55% (Figure 1). This protocol comprises a reduced number of washing steps making its application easy, efficient and reproducible. Using this protocol we obtained high-quality chromosome spreads and FISH results for Hordeum vulgare, H. bulbosum, H. marinum, H. murinum, H. pubiflorum and Secale cereale.

<table><tbody><tr><td>Hot Plate</td><td>MEDAX GmbH</td><td>12603</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Cellulase R10</td><td>Duchefa</td><td>C8001</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Cellulase&amp;nbsp;</td><td>CalBioChem</td><td>219466</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Pectolyase</td><td>Sigma</td><td>P3026</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Cytohelicase</td><td>Sigma</td><td>C8274</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Texas Red-12-dUTP</td><td>Invitrogen</td><td>C3176</td><td>direct fluorochrome&amp;nbsp;</td></tr><tr><td>Fluor488-5-dUTP</td><td>Invitrogen</td><td>C11397</td><td>direct fluorochrome&amp;nbsp;</td></tr><tr><td>Fluorecsence microscope</td><td>Olympus BX61</td><td>BX61</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>CCD camera</td><td>Orca ER, Hamamatsu</td><td>C10600</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>4&amp;rsquo;,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI)&amp;nbsp;</td><td>Vector Laboratories</td><td>H-1200</td><td>fluorecsent dye</td></tr></tbody></table>

a fast air-dry dropping chromosome preparation method suitable for fish in plants

Preparation of chromosome spreads is a prerequisite for the successful performance of fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). Preparation of high quality plant chromosome spreads is challenging due to the rigid cell wall. One of the approved methods for the preparation of plant chromosomes is a so-called drop preparation, also known as drop-spreading or air-drying technique. Here, we present a protocol for the fast preparation of mitotic chromosome spreads suitable for the FISH detection of single and high copy DNA probes. This method is an improved variant of the air-dry drop method performed under a relative humidity of 50%-55%. This protocol comprises a reduced number of washing steps making its application easy, efficient and reproducible. Obvious benefits of this approach are well-spread, undamaged and numerous metaphase chromosomes serving as a perfect prerequisite for successful FISH analysis. Using this protocol we obtained high-quality chromosome spreads and reproducible FISH results for Hordeum vulgare, H. bulbosum, H. marinum, H. murinum, H. pubiflorum and Secale cereale.

Microscopic slides with the mitotic metaphase spreads were prepared by the fast air-dry dropping chromosome preparation method described above (Suppl. Figure 1). FISH analysis was carried out using both, repetitive and single-copy sequences. Images were obtained by a epifluorescence microscope with a set of filters enabling excitation of corresponding fluorophores and captured by a high-sensitivity CCD monochrome camera. For the image acquisition we used a computer with an image acquisition software. Res...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about A Fast Air-dry Dropping Chromosome Preparation Method Suitable for FISH in Plants at JoVE.com

A Fast Air-dry Dropping Chromosome Preparation Method Suitable for FISH in Plants

A protocol is described for the preparation of high-quality mitotic plant chromosome spreads by a fast air-dry dropping method suitable for the FISH detection of single and high copy DNA probes.

Preparation of chromosome spreads is a prerequisite for the successful performance of fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). Preparation of high ...

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Biology

13.2K Views.  Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research (IPK). A protocol is described for the preparation of high-quality mitotic plant chromosome spreads by a fast air-dry dropping method suitable for the FISH detection of single and high copy DNA probes.

Video: A Fast Air-dry Dropping Chromosome Preparation Method Suitable for FISH in Plants

Profiling DNA Replication Timing Using Zebrafish as an In Vivo Model System

DNA replication timing is an important cellular characteristic, exhibiting significant relationships with chromatin structure, transcription, and DNA mutation rates. Changes in replication timing occur during development and in cancer, but the role replication timing plays in development and disease is not known. Zebrafish were recently established as an in vivo model system to study replication timing. Here is detailed the protocols for using the zebrafish to determine DNA replication timing. After sorting cells from embryos and adult zebrafish, high-resolution genome-wide DNA replication timing patterns can be constructed by determining changes in DNA copy number through analysis of next generation sequencing data. The zebrafish model system allows for evaluation of the replication timing changes that occur in vivo throughout development, and can also be used to assess changes in individual cell types, disease models, or mutant lines. These methods will enable studies investigating the mechanisms and determinants of replication timing establishment and maintenance during development, the role replication timing plays in mutations and tumorigenesis, and the effects of perturbing replication timing on development and disease.

Profiling DNA Replication Timing Using Zebrafish as an In Vivo Model System

Zebrafish were recently used as an in vivo model system to study DNA replication timing during development. Here is detailed the protocols for using zebrafish embryos to profile replication timing. This protocol can be easily adapted to study replication timing in mutants, individual cell types, disease models, and other species.

DNA replication timing is an important cellular characteristic, exhibiting significant relationships with chromatin structure, transcription, and DNA ...

Genetics

Ploidy Manipulation of Zebrafish Embryos with Heat Shock 2 Treatment

Manipulation of ploidy allows for useful transformations, such as diploids to tetraploids, or haploids to diploids. In the zebrafish Danio rerio, specifically the generation of homozygous gynogenetic diploids is useful in genetic analysis because it allows the direct production of homozygotes from a single heterozygous mother. This article describes a modified protocol for ploidy duplication based on a heat pulse during the first cell cycle, Heat Shock 2 (HS2). Through inhibition of centriole duplication, this method results in a precise cell division stall during the second cell cycle. The precise one-cycle division stall, coupled to unaffected DNA duplication, results in whole genome duplication. Protocols associated with this method include egg and sperm collection, UV treatment of sperm, in vitro fertilization and heat pulse to cause a one-cell cycle division delay and ploidy duplication. A modified version of this protocol could be applied to induce ploidy changes in other animal species.

A modified protocol for ploidy manipulation uses a heat shock to induce a one-cycle stall in cytokinesis in the early embryo. This protocol is demonstrated in the zebrafish but may be applicable to other species.

Manipulation of ploidy allows for useful transformations, such as diploids to tetraploids, or haploids to diploids. In the zebrafish Danio rerio, ...

Developmental Biology

Fluorescent in situ Hybridization on Mitotic Chromosomes of Mosquitoes

Fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) is a technique routinely used by many laboratories to determine the chromosomal position of DNA and RNA probes. One important application of this method is the development of high-quality physical maps useful for improving the genome assemblies for various organisms. The natural banding pattern of polytene and mitotic chromosomes provides guidance for the precise ordering and orientation of the genomic supercontigs. Among the three mosquito genera, namely Anopheles, Aedes, and Culex, a well-established chromosome-based mapping technique has been developed only for Anopheles, whose members possess readable polytene chromosomes 1. As a result of genome mapping efforts, 88% of the An. gambiae genome has been placed to precise chromosome positions 2,3 . Two other mosquito genera, Aedes and Culex, have poorly polytenized chromosomes because of significant overrepresentation of transposable elements in their genomes 4, 5, 6. Only 31 and 9% of the genomic supercontings have been assigned without order or orientation to chromosomes of Ae. aegypti 7 and Cx. quinquefasciatus 8, respectively. Mitotic chromosome preparation for these two species had previously been limited to brain ganglia and cell lines. However, chromosome slides prepared from the brain ganglia of mosquitoes usually contain low numbers of metaphase plates 9. Also, although a FISH technique has been developed for mitotic chromosomes from a cell line of Ae. aegypti 10, the accumulation of multiple chromosomal rearrangements in cell line chromosomes 11 makes them useless for genome mapping. Here we describe a simple, robust technique for obtaining high-quality mitotic chromosome preparations from imaginal discs (IDs) of 4th instar larvae which can be used for all three genera of mosquitoes. A standard FISH protocol 12 is optimized for using BAC clones of genomic DNA as a probe on mitotic chromosomes of Ae. aegypti and Cx. quinquefasciatus, and for utilizing an intergenic spacer (IGS) region of ribosomal DNA (rDNA) as a probe on An. gambiae chromosomes. In addition to physical mapping, the developed technique can be applied to population cytogenetics and chromosome taxonomy/systematics of mosquitoes and other insect groups.

Fluorescent in situ Hybridization on Mitotic Chromosomes of Mosquitoes

Among the three mosquito genera, namely Anopheles, Aedes, and Culex, physical genome mapping techniques were established only for Anopheles, whose members possess readable polytene chromosomes. For the genera of Aedes and Culex, however, cytogenetic mapping remains challenging because of the poor quality of polytene chromosomes. Here we present a universal protocol for obtaining high-quality preparations of mitotic chromosomes and an optimized FISH protocol for all three genera of mosquitoes.

Fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) is a technique routinely used by many laboratories to determine the chromosomal position of DNA and RNA probes. ...

Immunology and Infection

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.

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 ...

Co-expression of Multiple Chimeric Fluorescent Fusion Proteins in an Efficient Way in Plants

Information about the spatiotemporal subcellular localization(s) of a protein is critical to understand its physiological functions in cells. Fluorescent proteins and generation of fluorescent fusion proteins have been wildly used as an effective tool to directly visualize the protein localization and dynamics in cells. It is especially useful to compare them with well-known organelle markers after co-expression with the protein of interest. Nevertheless, classical approaches for protein co-expression in plants usually involve multiple independent expression plasmids, and therefore have drawbacks that include low co-expression efficiency, expression-level variation, and high time expenditure in genetic crossing and screening. In this study, we describe a robust and novel method for co-expression of multiple chimeric fluorescent proteins in plants. It overcomes the limitations of the conventional methods by using a single expression vector that is composed of multiple semi-independent expressing cassettes. Each protein expression cassette contains its own functional protein expression elements, and therefore it can be flexibly adjusted to meet diverse expression demand. Also, it is easy and convenient to perform the assembly and manipulation of DNA fragments in the expression plasmid by using an optimized one-step reaction without additional digestion and ligation steps. Furthermore, it is fully compatible with current fluorescent protein derived bio-imaging technologies and applications, such as FRET and BiFC. As a validation of the method, we employed this new system to co-express fluorescently fused vacuolar sorting receptor and secretory carrier membrane proteins. The results show that their perspective subcellular localizations are the same as in previous studies by both transient expression and genetic transformation in plants.

We have developed a novel method for co-expressing multiple chimeric fluorescent fusion proteins in plants to overcome the difficulties of conventional methods. It takes advantage of using a single expression plasmid that contains multiple functionally independent protein expressing cassettes to achieve protein co-expression.

Information about the spatiotemporal subcellular localization(s) of a protein is critical to understand its physiological functions in cells. Fluorescent ...

Chemistry

2D and 3D Chromosome Painting in Malaria Mosquitoes

Fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) of whole arm chromosome probes is a robust technique for mapping genomic regions of interest, detecting chromosomal rearrangements, and studying three-dimensional (3D) organization of chromosomes in the cell nucleus. The advent of laser capture microdissection (LCM) and whole genome amplification (WGA) allows obtaining large quantities of DNA from single cells. The increased sensitivity of WGA kits prompted us to develop chromosome paints and to use them for exploring chromosome organization and evolution in non-model organisms. Here, we present a simple method for isolating and amplifying the euchromatic segments of single polytene chromosome arms from ovarian nurse cells of the African malaria mosquito Anopheles gambiae. This procedure provides an efficient platform for obtaining chromosome paints, while reducing the overall risk of introducing foreign DNA to the sample. The use of WGA allows for several rounds of re-amplification, resulting in high quantities of DNA that can be utilized for multiple experiments, including 2D and 3D FISH. We demonstrated that the developed chromosome paints can be successfully used to establish the correspondence between euchromatic portions of polytene and mitotic chromosome arms in An. gambiae. Overall, the union of LCM and single-chromosome WGA provides an efficient tool for creating significant amounts of target DNA for future cytogenetic and genomic studies.

Chromosome painting is a useful method for studying organization of the cell nucleus and evolution of the karyotype. Here, we demonstrate an approach to isolate and amplify specific regions of interest from single polytene chromosomes that are subsequently used for two- and three-dimensional fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH).

Fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) of whole arm chromosome probes is a robust technique for mapping genomic regions of interest, detecting ...

A High-Throughput Method For Zebrafish Sperm Cryopreservation and In Vitro Fertilization

This is a method for zebrafish sperm cryopreservation that is an adaptation of the Harvey method (Harvey et al., 1982).  We have introduced two changes to the original protocol that both streamline the procedure and increase sample uniformity.  First, we normalize all sperm volumes using freezing media that does not contain the cryoprotectant. Second, cryopreserved sperm are stored in cryovials instead of capillary tubes.  The rates of sperm freezing and thawing (&delta;&deg;C/time) are probably the two most critical variables to control in this procedure.  For this reason, do not substitute different tubes for those specified.  Working in teams of 2 it is possible to freeze the sperm of 100 males per team in ~2 hrs.  Sperm cryopreserved using this protocol has an average of 25% fertility (measured as the number of viable embryos generated in an in vitro fertilization divided by the total number of eggs fertilized) and this percent fertility is stable over many years.

A High-Throughput Method For Zebrafish Sperm Cryopreservation and In Vitro Fertilization

This is a high-throughput sperm cryopreservation protocol for zebrafish. Sperm cryopreserved using this protocol has an average of 25% fertility in subsequent vitro fertilization and is stable over many years.

This is a method for zebrafish sperm cryopreservation that is an adaptation of the Harvey method (Harvey et al., 1982).  We have introduced two changes to ...

Making Gynogenetic Diploid Zebrafish by Early Pressure

Heterozygosity in diploid eukaryotes often makes genetic studies cumbersome. Methods that produce viable homozygous diploid offspring directly from heterozygous females allow F1 mutagenized females to be screened directly for deleterious mutations in an accelerated forward genetic screen. Streisinger et al.1,2 described methods for making gynogenetic (homozygous) diploid zebrafish by activating zebrafish eggs with ultraviolet light-inactivated sperm and preventing either the second meiotic or the first zygotic cell division using physical treatments (heat or pressure) that deploymerize microtubules. The "early pressure" (EP) method blocks the meiosis II, which occurs shortly after fertilization. The EP method produces a high percentage of viable embryos that can develop to fertile adults of either sex. The method generates embryos that are homozygous at all loci except those that were separated from their centromere by recombination during meiosis I. Homozygous mutations are detected in EP clutches at between 50% for centromeric loci and less than 1% for telomeric loci. This method is reproduced verbatim from the Zebrafish Book3.

This is a method for generating gynogenetic diploid zebrafish embryos (embryos whose only genetic contribution comes from the mother) by blocking the second meiotic division immediately after fertilization with ultraviolet light-inactivated sperm. EP embryos are not fully homozygous due to recombination during the first meiotic division, however they are homozygous at all loci that have not been separated from their centromere by recombination.

Heterozygosity in diploid eukaryotes often makes genetic studies cumbersome. Methods that produce viable homozygous diploid offspring directly from ...

Slide Preparation Method to Preserve Three-dimensional Chromatin Architecture of Testicular Germ Cells

During testicular germ cell differentiation, the structure of nuclear chromatin dynamically changes. The following describes a method designed to preserve the three-dimensional chromatin arrangement of testicular germ cells found in mice; this method has been termed as the three-dimensional (3D) slide method. In this method, testicular tubules are directly treated with a permeabilization step that removes cytoplasmic material, followed by a fixation step that fixes nuclear materials. Tubules are then dissociated, the cell suspension is cytospun, and cells adhere to slides. This method improves sensitivity towards detection of subnuclear structures and is applicable for immunofluorescence, DNA, and RNA fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and the combination of these detection methods. As an example of a possible application of the 3D slide method, a Cot-1 RNA FISH is shown to detect nascent RNAs. The 3D slide method will facilitate the detailed examination of spatial relationships between chromatin structure, DNA, and RNA during testicular germ cell differentiation.

The material here describes a method developed to preserve the three-dimensional chromatin structure of testicular germ cells. This has been termed the three-dimensional (3D) slide method. This method improves sensitivity for detection of subnuclear structures and is applicable for immunofluorescence, DNA, and RNA fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH).

During testicular germ cell differentiation, the structure of nuclear chromatin dynamically changes. The following describes a method designed to preserve ...

Silencing the Spark: CRISPR/Cas9 Genome Editing in Weakly Electric Fish

Electroreception and electrogenesis have changed in the evolutionary history of vertebrates. There is a striking degree of convergence in these independently derived phenotypes, which share a common genetic architecture. This is perhaps best exemplified by the numerous convergent features of gymnotiforms and mormyrids, two species-rich teleost clades that produce and detect weak electric fields and are called weakly electric fish. In the 50 years since the discovery that weakly electric fish use electricity to sense their surroundings and communicate, a growing community of scientists has gained tremendous insights into evolution of development, systems and circuits neuroscience, cellular physiology, ecology, evolutionary biology, and behavior. More recently, there has been a proliferation of genomic resources for electric fish. Use of these resources has already facilitated important insights with regards to the connection between genotype and phenotype in these species. A major obstacle to integrating genomics data with phenotypic data of weakly electric fish is a present lack of functional genomics tools. We report here a full protocol for performing CRISPR/Cas9 mutagenesis that utilizes endogenous DNA repair mechanisms in weakly electric fish. We demonstrate that this protocol is equally effective in both the mormyrid species Brienomyrus brachyistius and the gymnotiform Brachyhypopomus gauderio by using CRISPR/Cas9 to target indels and point mutations in the first exon of the sodium channel gene scn4aa. Using this protocol, embryos from both species were obtained and genotyped to confirm that the predicted mutations in the first exon of the sodium channel scn4aa were present. The knock-out success phenotype was confirmed with recordings showing reduced electric organ discharge amplitudes when compared to uninjected size-matched controls.

Here, a protocol is presented to produce and rear CRISPR/Cas9 genome knockout electric fish. Outlined in detail are the required molecular biology, breeding, and husbandry requirements for both a gymnotiform and a mormyrid, and injection techniques to produce Cas9-induced indel F0 larvae.

A Fast Air-dry Dropping Chromosome Preparation Method Suitable for FISH in Plants

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