This work was supported by grants from the NIA to Y-W.C.F (AG21068, AG31086).

1. Insulin Solution Preparation
<ol>
<li>Prepare fresh bovine insulin solution by dissolving insulin in PBS to achieve the concentration of 0.01 mg/ml. Both insulin/PBS and control PBS solutions must be kept on ice throughout the injection procedure. These solutions should be prepared with 0.5% (v/v) FD&amp;C Blue no. 1 food coloring.</li>
</ol>
2. Needle Preparation and Injection Set-up
<ol>
<li>Prepare capillary glass needles using a micropipette puller.The following puller settings produce needles of sufficient quality for injection: Heat, 345; Pull, 210; Velocity, 100; Time, 200 (100ms). Freshly pulled needles must be blunted by pressing the tip through a Kimwipe tissue. This blunting process removes the elongated high resistance tip and produces a stouter tip with a larger pore diameter.</li> 
<li>Place blunted needles tip-up in a microcentrifuge tube containing the insulin/PBS solution or PBS alone. Capillary action results in back-filling of each needle. Observe the tip of the needle under a stereomicroscope to ensure that no debris or air bubbles appear at the tip. Discard any needles that do not fill cleanly.</li>
<li>Insert filled needles into the manual microinjector needle holder and position the needle holder with a micromanipulator so that the needle tip is visible through a stereomicroscope. Apply positive pressure on the fluid column in the needle by turning the manual microinjector micrometer knob attached to the plunger on the microinjector syringe.</li> 
<li>Verify that sufficient pressure for fluid displacement has been applied by touching a Kimwipe to the tip of the needle and confirming fluid flow.</li> 
<li>Once the needle has been prepared for injection, affix a calibration chart to the needle shaft with clear tape, and bring the needle tip into focus through a stereomicroscope under 20X magnification.</li>
</ol>
3. Fly Preparation 
<ol>
<li>Ten-day-old female flies are used for injection experiments. Collect flies within 24 h of eclosion. Anesthetize flies with humidified CO2 on a gas pad, sort out males and place female flies into vials containing standard or treatment diet. Maintain female flies on experimental diets for 10 days.</li>
<li>On the tenth day following eclosion and separation on to experimental diets, transfer flies from their food-containing vials to vials containing a 5 ml plug of 2% agar and starve them for 12-16 h.</li>
<li>Transfer starved flies to vials containing 10% glucose soaked filters for 1 hour prior to insulin injection.</li>
<li>Briefly anesthetize the flies with humidified CO2 after glucose feeding and then cold immobilize them on ice.</li>
</ol>
4. Injection Procedure
<ol>
<li>Gently grasp a cold-immobilized fly with a pair of fine forceps and hold it close to the needle tip so that the tip is adjacent to the anterior region of the left side of the fly's thorax. Bring both the needle tip and the fly's thorax into focus under the stereomicroscope.</li>
<li>Gently move the fly toward the needle tip so that the needle tip touches the center of the protuberance of the left prescutum region of the fly's thorax (Fig. 1). Once the fly is properly oriented and aligned with the needle tip, continue to advance the fly onto the needle so that the needle impales the center of the prescutum.</li>
<li>Apply positive pressure as needed by advancing the syringe plunger with the microinjector's micromanipulator knob until 0.1 &mu;l of fluid has been injected into the fly. The flow of fluid into the fly's hemocoel will impart a blue color to the left side of the anterior thorax. Occasionally one must retract and advance several times to dislodge any needle tip blockage and allow for fluid flow.</li> 
<li>Allow injected flies to recover in 2% agar vials for designated time points before hemolymph extraction.</li>
</ol>
5. Hemolymph Collection
<ol>
<li>Briefly anesthetize flies with humidified CO2 at desired post-injection time points and position each fly dorsal-side-down on double-sided tape affixed to the surface of a CO2 pad. Arrange flies in even rows with head capsules aligned. One can use a trimmed wooden applicator stick to press their wings into the tape adhesive and ensure immobilization.</li> 
<li>Once flies are fixed to the tape, grasp each fly's proboscis with fine forceps and gently pull it towards the ventral and then posterior region of the fly so that the front of the head capsule is visible through the stereo microscope.</li>
<li>With your other hand and while holding the proboscis in position, puncture the center of the head capsule just above the ptilinal suture using a sharp tungsten needle (Fig. 2). One must be careful not to insert the needle too far as it is easy to punch the tip of the needle through the other side of the head capsule and subsequently lose control of hemolymph flow. Puncture all flies in an injection group before collecting hemolymph.</li>
<li>Once the head capsule has been punctured, use a trimmed wooden applicator stick to gently apply pressure to the fly's abdomen. It may be helpful to roll the fly over so that it rests on its ventral side as you apply pressure. This procedure will produce a droplet of hemolymph from the head capsule puncture site.</li>
<li>Touch one end of a 1&mu;l microcapillary tube to the hemolymph droplet emerging from the head capsule puncture site. The hemolymph will enter the tube via capillary action. Determine and record the amount of hemolymph collected by checking the fluid column within the microcapillary tube against a graduated volume chart.</li>
</ol>
6. Hemolymph Glucose Determination
<ol>
<li>Eject hemolymph samples into microplate wells containing 100 &mu;l of Infinity Glucose Reagent. Keep plate on ice while loading hemolymph samples.</li>
<li>Establish a standard curve by loading separately 1 &mu;l each of glucose stock solutions at 50mM, 25mM, 12.5mM, 6.25mM and 3.125mM.</li>
<li>Incubate samples at 37&deg;C for 10 minutes.</li>
<li>Detect absorbance at 340 nm.</li>
<li>Account for hemolymph volume collected and determine sample glucose concentration based on the standard curve with known glucose concentrations.</li> 
</ol>
7. Representative Results
A typical insulin tolerance response is detected in insulin-injected flies where a drop in circulating glucose levels is detected 15 minutes post-injection. In contrast, such response is not seen in PBS injected flies (Fig. 3). This response in peripheral glucose disposal continues in insulin-injected flies up to 30 minutes post-injection. We routinely extract 0.2-0.5 &mu;l of hemolymph per 4-5 flies in each injection group. Three injection groups are included in each experiment.
<img src="/files/ftp_upload/2722/2722fig1.jpg" alt="Figure 1"/> 
Figure 1. Left side of Drosophila thorax showing needle insertion site (Modified from Demerec, 1950) 7. Insert the needle through the center of the prescutum on the anterior, dorsal region of the left side of the thorax.
<img src="/files/ftp_upload/2722/2722fig2.jpg" alt="Figure 2"/> 
Figure 2. Frontal view of Drosophila head showing puncture location for hemolymph extraction (Modified from Demerec, 1950) 7. Puncture the head capsule with a finely sharpened tungsten probe in the center of the head capsule just above the ptilinal suture. 
<img src="/files/ftp_upload/2722/2722fig3.jpg" alt="Figure 3"/> 
Figure 3. A typical insulin tolerance response detected in control adult flies. Control w1118 flies were injected with bovine insulin (1 ng in PBS) or PBS only. Flies in replicate groups were then allowed to recover for 0, 15 or 30 minutes and circulating glucose levels were measured.

<ol>
	<li>Rulifson, E. J., Kim, S. K., Nusse, R. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Ablation+of+insulin-producing+neurons+in+flies:+growth+and+diabetic+phenotypes.">Ablation of insulin-producing neurons in flies: growth and diabetic phenotypes.</a> Science. 296, 1118-1118 (2002).</li><li>Kim, S. K., Rulifson, E. J. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Conserved+mechanisms+of+glucose+sensing+and+regulation+by+Drosophila+corpora+cardiaca+cells.">Conserved mechanisms of glucose sensing and regulation by Drosophila corpora cardiaca cells.</a> Nature. 431, 316-316 (2004).</li><li>Broughton, S. J. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Longer+lifespan,+altered+metabolism,+and+stress+resistance+in+Drosophila+from+ablation+of+cells+making+insulin-like+ligands.">Longer lifespan, altered metabolism, and stress resistance in Drosophila from ablation of cells making insulin-like ligands.</a> Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 102, 3105-3105 (2005).</li><li>Haselton, A. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Partial+ablation+of+adult+Drosophila+insulin-producing+neurons+modulates+glucose+homeostasis+and+extends+life+span+without+insulin+resistance.">Partial ablation of adult Drosophila insulin-producing neurons modulates glucose homeostasis and extends life span without insulin resistance.</a> Cell Cycle. 9, 3063-3063 (2010).</li><li>Haselton, A. T., Fridell, Y. W. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Adult+Drosophila+melanogaster+as+a+model+for+the+study+of+glucose+homeostasis.">Adult Drosophila melanogaster as a model for the study of glucose homeostasis.</a> Aging (Albany NY). 2, 523-523 (2010).</li><li>Belgacem, Y. H., Martin, J. R. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Disruption+of+insulin+pathways+alters+trehalose+level+and+abolishes+sexual+dimorphism+in+locomotor+activity+in+Drosophila.">Disruption of insulin pathways alters trehalose level and abolishes sexual dimorphism in locomotor activity in Drosophila.</a> J Neurobiol. 66, 19-19 (2006).</li><li>Demerec, M. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=.">.</a> Biology of Drosophila. , (1950).</li></ol>

No conflicts of interest declared.

The technique described in this report is potentially useful in any study that investigates physiological processes resulting in detectable alterations in Drosophila hemolymph composition. By combining injection and hemolymph collection in this manner, it is possible to ascertain the immediate physiologically relevant effects of a particular experimental treatment or manipulation. The primary advantage of this "bloodletting" technique in hemolymph collection over previous techniques involving decapitation <sup...

<table border="1">
<tbody>
	<tr>
 	<th>Name of the reagent/equipment</th>
 <th>Company</th>
 <th>Catalogue number</th>
 
 </tr>
 <tr>
 	<td>Bovine insulin</td>
 <td>Sigma</td>
 <td>I5500</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 	<td>Infinity Glucose Reagent </td>
 <td>Thermo Electron Corporation</td>
 <td>TR1541</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 	<td>Manual microinjector </td>
 <td>Sutter Instrument </td>
 <td>&nbsp;</td>
 </tr>

 <tr>
 	<td>P-87 Flamming/Brown micropipette puller</td>
 <td>Sutter Instrument </td>
 <td>&nbsp;</td>
 </tr>

 <tr>
 	<td>Single barrel borosilicate capillary glass</td>
 <td>A-M Systems</td>
 <td>626000</td>
 </tr>

 <tr>
 	<td>FD&amp;C Blue No. 1</td>
 <td>McCormick &amp; Company</td>
 <td>&nbsp;</td>
 </tr>

 <tr>
 	<td>1 &mu;l microcapillary tubes</td>
 <td>Drummond</td>
 <td>&nbsp;</td>
 </tr>

 <tr>
 	<td>Three-axis manual micromanipulator and base</td>
 <td>World Precision Instruments</td>
 <td>&nbsp;</td>
 </tr>
</tbody>
</table>

insulin injection and hemolymph extraction to measure insulin sensitivity in adult drosophila melanogaster

Conserved nutrient sensing mechanisms exist between mammal and fruit fly where peptides resembling mammalian insulin and glucagon, respectively function to maintain glucose homeostasis during developmental larval stages 1,2. Studies on largely post-mitotic adult flies have revealed perturbation of glucose homeostasis as the result of genetic ablation of insulin-like peptide (ILP) producing cells (IPCs) 3. Thus, adult fruit flies hold great promise as a suitable genetic model system for metabolic disorders including type II diabetes. To further develop the fruit fly system, comparable physiological assays used to measure glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity in mammals must be established. To this end, we have recently described a novel procedure for measuring oral glucose tolerance response in the adult fly and demonstrated the importance of adult IPCs in maintaining glucose homeostasis 4,5. Here, we have modified a previously described procedure for insulin injection 6 and combined it with a novel hemolymph extraction method to measure peripheral insulin sensitivity in the adult fly. Uniquely, our protocol allows direct physiological measurements of the adult fly's ability to dispose of a peripheral glucose load upon insulin injection, a methodology that makes it feasible to characterize insulin signaling mutants and potential interventions affecting glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity in the adult fly.

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Insulin Injection and Hemolymph Extraction to Measure Insulin Sensitivity in Adult Drosophila melanogaster at JoVE.com

Insulin Injection and Hemolymph Extraction to Measure Insulin Sensitivity in Adult Drosophila melanogaster

Conserved insulin signaling pathways found in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster make this organism a potential tool for modeling metabolic disorders including type II diabetes. To this end, it is critical to establish physiological assays to effectively measure systemic insulin action in peripheral glucose disposal in the adult fly.

Insulin Injection and Hemolymph Extraction to Measure Insulin Sensitivity in Adult Drosophila melanogaster

Conserved nutrient sensing mechanisms exist between mammal and fruit fly where peptides resembling mammalian insulin and glucagon, respectively function ...

insulin-injection-hemolymph-extraction-to-measure-insulin-sensitivity

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19.6K Views.  State University of New York. Conserved insulin signaling pathways found in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster make this organism a potential tool for modeling metabolic disorders including type II diabetes. To this end, it is critical to establish physiological assays to effectively measure systemic insulin action in peripheral glucose disposal in the adult fly.

Video: Insulin Injection and Hemolymph Extraction to Measure Insulin Sensitivity in Adult Drosophila melanogaster

High-Resolution Video Tracking of Locomotion in Adult Drosophila Melanogaster

Flies provide an important model for studying complex behavior due to the plethora of genetic tools available to researchers in this field. Studying locomotor behavior in Drosophila melanogaster relies on the ability to be able to quantify changes in motion during or in response to a given task. For this reason, a high-resolution video tracking system, such as the one we describe in this paper, is a valuable tool for measuring locomotion in real-time. Our protocol involves the use of an initial air pulse to break the flies momentum, followed by a thirty second filming period in a square chamber. A tracking program is then used to calculate the instantaneous speed of each fly within the chamber in 10 msec increments. Analysis software then compiles this data, and outputs a variety of parameters such as average speed, max speed, time spent in motion, acceleration, etc. This protocol will discuss proper feeding and management of flies for behavioral tasks, handling flies without anesthetization or immobilization, setting up a controlled environment, and running the assay from start to finish.

The study of complex locomotor behavior in Drosophila melanogaster is dependent upon the ability to quantify changes in a given fly's movement. This article demonstrates how to do this using a high-resolution tracking system.

Flies provide an important model for studying complex behavior due to the plethora of genetic tools available to researchers in this field.  Studying ...

Retro-orbital Injection in Adult Zebrafish

Drug treatment of whole animals is an essential tool in any model system for pharmacological and chemical genetic studies. Intravenous (IV) injection is often the most effective and noninvasive form of delivery of an agent of interest. In the zebrafish (Danio rerio), IV injection of drugs has long been a challenge because of the small vessel diameter. This has also proved a significant hurdle for the injection of cells during hematopoeitic stem cell transplantation. Historically, injections into the bloodstream were done directly through the heart. However, this intra-cardiac procedure has a very high mortality rate as the heart is often punctured during injection leaving the fish prone to infection, massive blood loss or fatal organ damage. Drawing on our experience with the mouse, we have developed a new injection procedure in the zebrafish in which the injection site is behind the eye and into the retro-orbital venous sinus. This retro-orbital (RO) injection technique has been successfully employed in both the injection of drugs in the adult fish as well as transplantation of whole kidney marrow cells. RO injection has a much lower mortality rate than traditional intra-cardiac injection. Fish that are injected retro-orbitally tend to bleed less following injection and are at a much lower risk of injury to a major organ like the heart. Further, when performed properly, injected cells and/or drugs quickly enter the bloodstream allowing compounds to exert their effect on the whole fish and kidney cells to easily home to their niche. Thus, this new injection technique minimizes mortality while allowing efficient delivery of material into the bloodstream of adult fish. Here we exemplify this technique by retro-orbital injection of Tg(globin:GFP) cells into adult casper fish as well as injection of a red fluorescent dye (dextran, Texas Red ) into adult casper fish. We then visualize successful injections by whole animal fluorescence microscopy.

Here we show how to do retro-orbital injection in adult zebrafish.

Drug treatment of whole animals is an essential tool in any model system for pharmacological and chemical genetic studies. Intravenous (IV) injection is ...

Dissection of Oenocytes from Adult Drosophila melanogaster

In Drosophila melanogaster, as in other insects, a waxy layer on the outer surface of the cuticle, composed primarily of hydrocarbon compounds, provides protection against desiccation and other environmental challenges. Several of these cuticular hydrocarbon (CHC) compounds also function as semiochemical signals, and as such mediate pheromonal communications between members of the same species, or in some instances between different species, and influence behavior. Specialized cells referred to as oenocytes are regarded as the primary site for CHC synthesis. However, relatively little is known regarding the involvement of the oenocytes in the regulation of the biosynthetic, transport, and deposition pathways contributing to CHC output. Given the significant role that CHCs play in several aspects of insect biology, including chemical communication, desiccation resistance, and immunity, it is important to gain a greater understanding of the molecular and genetic regulation of CHC production within these specialized cells. The adult oenocytes of D. melanogaster are located within the abdominal integument, and are metamerically arrayed in ribbon-like clusters radiating along the inner cuticular surface of each abdominal segment. In this video article we demonstrate a dissection technique used for the preparation of oenocytes from adult D. melanogaster. Specifically, we provide a detailed step-by-step demonstration of (1) how to fillet prepare an adult Drosophila abdomen, (2) how to identify the oenocytes and discern them from other tissues, and (3) how to remove intact oenocyte clusters from the abdominal integument. A brief experimental illustration of how this preparation can be used to examine the expression of genes involved in hydrocarbon synthesis is included. The dissected preparation demonstrated herein will allow for the detailed molecular and genetic analysis of oenocyte function in the adult fruit fly.

Dissection of Oenocytes from Adult Drosophila melanogaster

In insects, the oenocytes produce cuticular hydrocarbon compounds. These compounds protect against desiccation and facilitate chemical communication. Here we demonstrate a dissection technique used to isolate the oenocytes from adult Drosophila melanogaster, and illustrate how this preparation can be utilized to study genes involved in hydrocarbon synthesis.

In Drosophila melanogaster, as in other insects, a waxy layer on the outer surface of the cuticle, composed primarily of hydrocarbon compounds, provides ...

A Quantitative Assay for Insulin-expressing Colony-forming Progenitors

The field of pancreatic stem and progenitor cell biology has been hampered by a lack of in vitro functional and quantitative assays that allow for the analysis of the single cell. Analyses of single progenitors are of critical importance because they provide definitive ways to unequivocally demonstrate the lineage potential of individual progenitors. Although methods have been devised to generate "pancreatospheres" in suspension culture from single cells, several limitations exist. First, it is time-consuming to perform single cell deposition for a large number of cells, which in turn commands large volumes of culture media and space. Second, numeration of the resulting pancreatospheres is labor-intensive, especially when the frequency of the pancreatosphere-initiating progenitors is low. Third, the pancreatosphere assay is not an efficient method to allow both the proliferation and differentiation of pancreatic progenitors in the same culture well, restricting the usefulness of the assay.
To overcome these limitations, a semi-solid media based colony assay for pancreatic progenitors has been developed and is presented in this report. This method takes advantage of an existing concept from the hematopoietic colony assay, in which methylcellulose is used to provide viscosity to the media, allowing the progenitor cells to stay in three-dimensional space as they undergo proliferation as well as differentiation. To enrich insulin-expressing colony-forming progenitors from a heterogeneous population, we utilized cells that express neurogenin (Ngn) 3, a pancreatic endocrine progenitor cell marker. Murine embryonic stem (ES) cell-derived Ngn3 expressing cells tagged with the enhanced green fluorescent protein reporter were sorted and as many as 25,000 cells per well were plated into low-attachment 24-well culture dishes. Each well contained 500 &mu;L of semi-solid media with the following major components: methylcellulose, Matrigel, nicotinamide, exendin-4, activin &beta;B, and conditioned media collected from murine ES cell-derived pancreatic-like cells. After 8 to 12 days of culture, insulin-expressing colonies with distinctive morphology were formed and could be further analyzed for pancreatic gene expression using quantitative RT-PCR and immunoflourescent staining to determine the lineage composition of each colony.
In summary, our colony assay allows easy detection and quantification of functional progenitors within a heterogeneous population of cells. In addition, the semi-solid media format allows uniform presentation of extracellular matrix components and growth factors to cells, enabling progenitors to proliferate and differentiate in vitro. This colony assay provides unique opportunities for mechanistic studies of pancreatic progenitor cells at the single cell level.

A three-dimensional clonogenic assay that allows pancreatic-like progenitors to differentiate into insulin-expressing colonies is described. This method takes advantage of semi-solid media containing methylcellulose, Matrigel and growth factors, in which single progenitors proliferate and differentiate in vitro, permitting quantification of the number of functional progenitors in a population.

The field of pancreatic stem and progenitor cell biology has been hampered by a lack of in vitro functional and quantitative assays that allow for the ...

Measurement of Lifespan in Drosophila melanogaster

Aging is a phenomenon that results in steady physiological deterioration in nearly all organisms in which it has been examined, leading to reduced physical performance and increased risk of disease. Individual aging is manifest at the population level as an increase in age-dependent mortality, which is often measured in the laboratory by observing lifespan in large cohorts of age-matched individuals. Experiments that seek to quantify the extent to which genetic or environmental manipulations impact lifespan in simple model organisms have been remarkably successful for understanding the aspects of aging that are conserved across taxa and for inspiring new strategies for extending lifespan and preventing age-associated disease in mammals.
The vinegar fly, Drosophila melanogaster, is an attractive model organism for studying the mechanisms of aging due to its relatively short lifespan, convenient husbandry, and facile genetics. However, demographic measures of aging, including age-specific survival and mortality, are extraordinarily susceptible to even minor variations in experimental design and environment, and the maintenance of strict laboratory practices for the duration of aging experiments is required. These considerations, together with the need to practice careful control of genetic background, are essential for generating robust measurements. Indeed, there are many notable controversies surrounding inference from longevity experiments in yeast, worms, flies and mice that have been traced to environmental or genetic artifacts1-4. In this protocol, we describe a set of procedures that have been optimized over many years of measuring longevity in Drosophila using laboratory vials. We also describe the use of the dLife software, which was developed by our laboratory and is available for download (<a href="http://sitemaker.umich.edu/pletcherlab/software">http://sitemaker.umich.edu/pletcherlab/software</a>). dLife accelerates throughput and promotes good practices by incorporating optimal experimental design, simplifying fly handling and data collection, and standardizing data analysis. We will also discuss the many potential pitfalls in the design, collection, and interpretation of lifespan data, and we provide steps to avoid these dangers.

Measurement of Lifespan in Drosophila melanogaster

Drosophila melanogaster is a powerful model organism for exploring the molecular basis of longevity regulation. This protocol will discuss the steps involved in generating a reproducible, population-based measurement of longevity as well as potential pitfalls and how to avoid them.

Aging is a phenomenon that results in steady physiological deterioration in nearly all organisms in which it has been examined, leading to reduced ...

Use of the Ramsay Assay to Measure Fluid Secretion and Ion Flux Rates in the Drosophila melanogaster Malpighian Tubule

Modulation of renal epithelial ion transport allows organisms to maintain ionic and osmotic homeostasis in the face of varying external conditions. The Drosophila&#160;melanogaster Malpighian (renal) tubule offers an unparalleled opportunity to study the molecular mechanisms of epithelial ion transport, due to the powerful genetics of this organism and the accessibility of its renal tubules to physiological study. Here, we describe the use of the Ramsay assay to measure fluid secretion rates from isolated fly renal tubules, with the use of ion-specific electrodes to measure sodium and potassium concentrations in the secreted fluid. This assay allows study of transepithelial fluid and ion fluxes of ~20 tubules at a time, without the need to transfer the secreted fluid to a separate apparatus to measure ion concentrations. Genetically distinct tubules can be analyzed to assess the role of specific genes in transport processes. Additionally, the bathing saline can be modified to examine the effects of its chemical characteristics, or drugs or hormones added. In summary, this technique allows the molecular characterization of basic mechanisms of epithelial ion transport in the Drosophila tubule, as well as regulation of these transport mechanisms.

Use of the Ramsay Assay to Measure Fluid Secretion and Ion Flux Rates in the Drosophila melanogaster Malpighian Tubule

This protocol describes the use of the Ramsay assay to measure fluid secretion rates from isolated Malpighian (renal) tubules from Drosophila melanogaster. In addition, the use of ion-specific electrodes to measure sodium and potassium concentrations in the secreted fluid, allowing calculation of transepithelial ion flux, is described.

Modulation of renal epithelial ion transport allows organisms to maintain ionic and osmotic homeostasis in the face of varying external conditions. The ...

Glucose Uptake Measurement and Response to Insulin Stimulation in In Vitro Cultured Human Primary Myotubes

Skeletal muscle is the largest glucose deposit in mammals and largely contributes to glucose homeostasis. Assessment of insulin sensitivity of muscle cells is of major relevance for all studies dedicated to exploring muscle glucose metabolism and characterizing metabolic alterations. In muscle cells, glucose transporter type 4 (GLUT4) proteins translocate to the plasma membrane in response to insulin, thus allowing massive entry of glucose into the cell. The ability of muscle cells to respond to insulin by increasing the rate of glucose uptake is one of the standard readouts to quantify muscle cell sensitivity to insulin. Human primary myotubes are a suitable in vitro model, as the cells maintain many features of the donor phenotype, including insulin sensitivity. This in vitro model is also suitable for the test of any compounds that could impact insulin responsiveness. Measurements of the glucose uptake rate in differentiated myotubes reflect insulin sensitivity.
In this method, human primary muscle cells are cultured in vitro to obtain differentiated myotubes, and glucose uptake rates with and without insulin stimulation are measured. We provide a detailed protocol to quantify passive and active glucose transport rates using radiolabeled [3H] 2-deoxy-D-Glucose ([3H]2dG). Calculation methods are provided to quantify active basal and insulin-stimulated rates, as well as stimulation fold.

Glucose Uptake Measurement and Response to Insulin Stimulation in In Vitro Cultured Human Primary Myotubes

In this method, human primary muscle cells are cultured in vitro to obtain differentiated myotubes and glucose uptake rates are measured. We provide a detailed protocol to quantify rates in basal and insulin-stimulated states using radiolabeled [3H] 2-deoxy-D-Glucose.

Skeletal muscle is the largest glucose deposit in mammals and largely contributes to glucose homeostasis. Assessment of insulin sensitivity of muscle ...

Confocal Imaging of Neuropeptide Y-pHluorin: A Technique to Visualize Insulin Granule Exocytosis in Intact Murine and Human Islets

Insulin secretion plays a central role in glucose homeostasis under normal physiological conditions as well as in disease. Current approaches to study insulin granule exocytosis either use electrophysiology or microscopy coupled to the expression of fluorescent reporters. However most of these techniques have been optimized for clonal cell lines or require dissociating pancreatic islets. In contrast, the method presented here allows for real time visualization of insulin granule exocytosis in intact pancreatic islets. In this protocol, we first describe the viral infection of isolated pancreatic islets with adenovirus that encodes a pH-sensitive green fluorescent protein (GFP), pHluorin, coupled to neuropeptide Y (NPY). Second, we describe the confocal imaging of islets five days after viral infection and how to monitor the insulin granule secretion. Briefly, the infected islets are placed on a coverslip on an imaging chamber and imaged under an upright laser-scanning confocal microscope while being continuously perfused with extracellular solution containing various stimuli. Confocal images spanning 50 &#181;m of the islet are acquired as time-lapse recordings using a fast-resonant scanner. The fusion of insulin granules with the plasma membrane can be followed over time. This procedure also allows for testing a battery of stimuli in a single experiment, is compatible with both mouse and human islets, and can be combined with various dyes for functional imaging (e.g., membrane potential or cytosolic calcium dyes).

We describe a protocol for visualization of insulin exocytosis in intact islets using pHluorin, a pH-sensitive green fluorescent protein. Isolated islets are infected with adenovirus encoding pHluorin coupled to the vesicle cargo neuropeptide Y. This allows for the detection of insulin granule fusion events by confocal microscopy.

Insulin secretion plays a central role in glucose homeostasis under normal physiological conditions as well as in disease. Current approaches to study ...

Optical Cross-Sectional Muscle Area Determination of Drosophila Melanogaster Adult Indirect Flight Muscles

Muscle mass wasting, known as muscle atrophy, is a common phenotype in Drosophila models of neuromuscular diseases. We have used the indirect flight muscles (IFMs) of flies, specifically the dorso-longitudinal muscles (DLM), as the experimental subject to measure the atrophic phenotype brought about by different genetic causes. In this protocol, we describe how to embed fly thorax muscles for semi thin sectioning, how to obtain a good contrast between muscle and the surrounding tissue, and how to process optical microscope images for semiautomatic acquisition of quantifiable data and analysis. We describe three specific applications of the methodological pipeline. First, we show how the method can be applied to quantify muscle degeneration in a myotonic dystrophy fly model; second, measurement of muscle cross-sectional area can help to identify genes that either promote or prevent muscle atrophy and/or muscle degeneration; third, this protocol can be applied to determine whether a candidate compound is able to significantly modify a given atrophic phenotype induced by a disease-causing mutation or by an environmental trigger.

Optical Cross-Sectional Muscle Area Determination of Drosophila Melanogaster Adult Indirect Flight Muscles

We report a method to quantify muscle area, which is an indirect method to determine muscle mass in Drosophila adults. We demonstrate the application of our methodology by analyzing the indirect flight muscles in a Drosophila model of Myotonic Dystrophy disease.

Muscle mass wasting, known as muscle atrophy, is a common phenotype in Drosophila models of neuromuscular diseases. We have used the indirect flight ...

Oral Bacterial Infection and Shedding in Drosophila melanogaster

The fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster is one of the best developed model systems of infection and innate immunity. While most work has focused on systemic infections, there has been a recent increase of interest in the mechanisms of gut immunocompetence to pathogens, which require methods to orally infect flies. Here we present a protocol to orally expose individual flies to an opportunistic bacterial pathogen (Pseudomonas aeruginosa) and a natural bacterial pathogen of D. melanogaster (Pseudomonas entomophila). The goal of this protocol is to provide a robust method to expose male and female flies to these pathogens. We provide representative results showing survival phenotypes, microbe loads, and bacterial shedding, which is relevant for the study of heterogeneity in pathogen transmission. Finally, we confirm that Dcy mutants (lacking the protective peritrophic matrix in the gut epithelium) and Relish mutants (lacking a functional immune deficiency (IMD) pathway), show increased susceptibility to bacterial oral infection. This protocol, therefore, describes a robust method to infect flies using the oral route of infection, which can be extended to the study of a variety genetic and environmental sources of variation in gut infection outcomes and bacterial transmission.

Oral Bacterial Infection and Shedding in Drosophila melanogaster

This protocol describes methods to orally expose and infect the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster with bacterial pathogens, and to measure the number of infectious bacteria shed following gut infection. We further describe the effect of immune mutants on fly survival following oral bacterial infection.

The fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster is one of the best developed model systems of infection and innate immunity. While most work has focused on systemic ...

Insulin Injection and Hemolymph Extraction to Measure Insulin Sensitivity in Adult Drosophila melanogaster

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Oral Bacterial Infection and Shedding in Drosophila melanogaster