The research leading to these results has received funding from the European Union Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under grant agreement n&#176; 323267, from Electricit&#233; de France (EDF) and from l&#8217;Agence Nationale de la Recherche &#8211; Sant&#233;-Environnement et Sant&#233;-Travail (ANR-SEST, Neurorad).

1. Animal Procedures
This protocol has been designed in compliance with the European Communities Council Directive of November 24, 1986 (86/609/EEC) and has been approved by our institutional committee on animal welfare (CETEA-CEA DSV IdF).
<ol>
	<li>Injections with EdU/BrdU and irradiation of E14.5 pregnant mice (Figure 2A).
	<ol>
		<li>Prepare a solution of EdU at 1 mg/ml&#160;and BrdU at 5 mg/ml&#160;in PBS. Perform an intra-peritoneal injection (IP) of 100 &#181;l of EdU...

<ol>
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The authors have no conflict of interest.

The experimental design described here based on incorporation of EdU 1.5 hr before irradiation and incorporation of BrdU immediately after irradiation allowed the demonstration that NSPCs are able to activate S and G2/M checkpoints but not the G1/S checkpoint during the 1st hr after a genotoxic stress in the fetal mouse brain. We performed other experiments in which EdU has been injected at different times after irradiation and BrdU, just 1 hr before mice sacrifices, allowing us to specifically appreciate the ...

During embryonic brain development, projection neurons of the cerebral cortex are generated in the ventricular zone, a pseudostratified epithelium composed of different types of neural stem and progenitor cells (NSPC) that lines the lateral ventricles. Among NSPC, the radial glial cells (RGC), which serve as neural stem cells, undergo interkinetic nuclear migration (INM): they perform mitosis at the surface of the ventricle and S-phase at the basal limit of the ventricular zone (VZ)1,2,3. They can divide either symmetrically to generate two RGC or asymmetrically to generate one RGC and one neuron or an intermediate progenitor cell (IPC)4,5. IPC migrate to an overlying proliferating layer called the subventricular zone (SVZ), where after one last symmetric division they generate two immature projection neurons6-8. Contrary to RGC, IPC do not undergo INM (reviewed in 9). Newly generated neurons migrate radially along the radial fibers through the intermediate zone (IZ) to reach their final destination in the cortical plate (CP)10,8. The perfect timing of all these events is essential for a correct cortical development. For instance the switch from proliferation to differentiation of neural progenitor populations is controlled by the G1 phase duration11,12. The lengthening of the G1 phase correlates thus with cell differentiation.
Genotoxic stress, such as ionizing radiation, severely impair brain development (reviewed in 13). We and others have shown that NSPC are highly prone to radiation-induced apoptosis14,15,16. Ionizing radiations induce DNA double strand breaks that are the most severe damage to proliferating cells. One essential component of DNA Damage Response (DDR) in cycling cells is the activation of cell cycle checkpoints at the G1/S or G2/M transitions or during S phase (intra-S checkpoint)17-21. They block the cell cycle progression to provide time for DNA damage repair or elimination of too damaged cells. Consequently, cell death as well as delayed cell cycle progression may alter brain development in response to ionizing radiation exposure22-24. It was thus interesting to develop a method to assess the activation of cell cycle checkpoints in NSPC in the irradiated mouse embryonic brain.
The progression of the cell cycle is routinely followed using the incorporation of a thymidine analog, 5-Bromo-2&#8217;-deoxyUridine (BrdU). BrdU is incorporated during the S phase of the cell cycle, when DNA is replicating. The use of an antibody against BrdU allows thereafter the detection of cells that were in S phase during the pulse of BrdU.
A novel thymidine analog, 5-Ethynyl-2&#8217;-deoxyUridine (EdU) is detected by a fluorescent azide. The different ways to detect EdU and BrdU do not cross-react25, enabling the simultaneous detection of both thymidine analogs, which is useful for the study of cell cycle progression. Usually cells are first pulsed with EdU and then pulsed with BrdU, where the time between both incorporations lasts couple of hours25,26. Addition of BrdU in culture media containing EdU results in preferentially incorporation of BrdU into the DNA with the exclusion of EdU, while simultaneous addition of EdU25 with equimolar or half equimolar BrdU to the media results in only BrdU incorporation27. This simplifies the dual labeling protocol by eliminating the wash steps that are normally required to remove the first label from the culture media prior to addition of the second label. This also is of a particular interest for in vivo study, where the washing steps are not possible, to determine the precise timing of S phase entry or exit of cell population.
Recently, a method of dual-pulse labeling in embryonic mouse brain using EdU and BrdU23,24,22 has been developed to analyze cell cycle progression and INM of NSPC after in utero irradiation. Moreover it has been demonstrated that, during S phase, mouse cells replicate first the euchromatin regions and then the pericentric heterochromatin28,29,30. Interestingly, pericentric heterochromatin of different chromosomes clustered in interphasic nuclei to form heterochromatic foci also known as chromocenters and easily detectable by DAPI staining as bright foci. Therefore, the differential EdU and BrdU stainings of euchromatin and chromocenters helped us to analyze more precisely S phase progression of NSPC.
This method allowed the demonstration of the apparent lack of G1/S checkpoint in NSCP22-24, which is quite surprising since this checkpoint is supposed to be critical for genome stability.&#160; Several experimental designs based on various combinations of EdU and BrdU pulses have been used to analyze cell cycle progression in the ventral and dorsal telencephalon. Here, we give an example of protocols allowing the study of the acute DNA damage of NSPC within the first 4 hr&#160;following in utero irradiation of E14.5 mouse embryos.

<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="727">
	<tbody>
		<tr height="40">
			<td height="40" style="height:40px;width:228px;">EdU</td>
			<td style="width:212px;">Life Technologies</td>
			<td style="width:125px;">A10044</td>
			<td style="width:163px;">1 mg/ml</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="37">
			<td height="37" style="height:37px;width:228px;">BrdU</td>
			<td style="width:212px;">Life Technologies</td>
			<td style="width:125px;">B5002</td>
			<td style="width:163px;">5 mg/ml</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="38">
			<td height="38" style="height:38px;width:228px;">IBL 637</td>
			<td style="width:212px;">CIS BIO International</td>
			<td style="width:125px;"></td>
			<td style="width:163px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="37">
			<td height="37" style="height:37px;width:228px;">Tissu Tek VIP</td>
			<td style="width:212px;">Leica</td>
			<td style="width:125px;"></td>
			<td style="width:163px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="43">
			<td height="43" style="height:43px;width:228px;">Microtome</td>
			<td style="width:212px;">Leica</td>
			<td style="width:125px;">RM 2125 RT</td>
			<td style="width:163px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="43">
			<td height="43" style="height:43px;width:228px;">Triton X-100</td>
			<td style="width:212px;">Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td align="right" style="width:125px;">93443</td>
			<td style="width:163px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="46">
			<td height="46" style="height:46px;width:228px;">Click-iT EdU Alexa 488 imaging kit</td>
			<td style="width:212px;">Life Technologies</td>
			<td style="width:125px;">C10083</td>
			<td style="width:163px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="47">
			<td height="47" style="height:47px;width:228px;">Anti-BrdU</td>
			<td style="width:212px;">GE Healthcare</td>
			<td style="width:125px;">RPN202</td>
			<td style="width:163px;">1/300</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="41">
			<td height="41" style="height:41px;width:228px;">Goat anti mouse-Alex594</td>
			<td style="width:212px;">Life Technologies</td>
			<td style="width:125px;">A11001</td>
			<td style="width:163px;">1/400</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="43">
			<td height="43" style="height:43px;width:228px;">Fluoromount</td>
			<td style="width:212px;">SouthernBiotech</td>
			<td style="width:125px;">0100-01</td>
			<td style="width:163px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="30">
			<td height="30" style="height:30px;width:228px;">Polysine slide</td>
			<td style="width:212px;">Thermo scientific</td>
			<td style="width:125px;">J2800AMNZ</td>
			<td style="width:163px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="35">
			<td height="35" style="height:35px;width:228px;">Paraformaldehyde</td>
			<td style="width:212px;">Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td style="width:125px;">P6148</td>
			<td style="width:163px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="32">
			<td height="32" style="height:32px;width:228px;">PBS</td>
			<td style="width:212px;">Life Technologies</td>
			<td style="width:125px;">20012-068</td>
			<td style="width:163px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="29">
			<td height="29" style="height:29px;width:228px;">DAPI</td>
			<td style="width:212px;">Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td style="width:125px;">D9542</td>
			<td style="width:163px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="37">
			<td height="37" style="height:37px;width:228px;">Microscope BX51</td>
			<td style="width:212px;">Olympus</td>
			<td style="width:125px;"></td>
			<td style="width:163px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="30">
			<td height="30" style="height:30px;width:228px;">Confocal microscope SPE</td>
			<td style="width:212px;">Leica</td>
			<td style="width:125px;"></td>
			<td style="width:163px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="43">
			<td height="43" style="height:43px;width:228px;">Prism software</td>
			<td style="width:212px;">Graphpad</td>
			<td style="width:125px;"></td>
			<td style="width:163px;">Version 5.0c</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="35">
			<td height="35" style="height:35px;width:228px;">Photoshop software</td>
			<td style="width:212px;">Adobe</td>
			<td style="width:125px;"></td>
			<td style="width:163px;"></td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

assessing cell cycle progression of neural stem and progenitor cells in the mouse developing brain after genotoxic stress

Neurons of the cerebral cortex are generated during brain development from different types of neural stem and progenitor cells (NSPC), which form a pseudostratified epithelium lining the lateral ventricles of the embryonic brain. Genotoxic stresses, such as ionizing radiation, have highly deleterious effects on the developing brain related to the high sensitivity of NSPC. Elucidation of the cellular and molecular mechanisms involved depends on the characterization of the DNA damage response of these particular types of cells, which requires an accurate method to determine NSPC progression through the cell cycle in the damaged tissue. Here is shown a method based on successive intraperitoneal injections of EdU and BrdU in pregnant mice and further detection of these two thymidine analogues in coronal sections of the embryonic brain. EdU and BrdU are both incorporated in DNA of replicating cells during S phase and are detected by two different techniques (azide or a specific antibody, respectively), which facilitate their simultaneous detection. EdU and BrdU staining are then determined for each NSPC nucleus in function of its distance from the ventricular margin in a standard region of the dorsal telencephalon. Thus this dual labeling technique allows distinguishing cells that progressed through the cell cycle from those that have activated a cell cycle checkpoint leading to cell cycle arrest in response to DNA damage.
An example of experiment is presented, in which EdU was injected before irradiation and BrdU immediately after and analyzes performed within the 4 hr&#160;following irradiation. This protocol provides an accurate analysis of the acute DNA damage response of NSPC in function of the phase of the cell cycle at which they have been irradiated. This method is easily transposable to many other systems in order to determine the impact of a particular treatment on cell cycle progression in living tissues.

In the experiment described in Figure 2, EdU was administered 1.5 hr&#160;before irradiation and BrdU just after irradiation. Four types of cells were then distinguished in the cortical slices prepared at 1 or 4 hr post-irradiation, according to the incorporation of either EdU or BrdU, both or none (Figures 2A and 2B). Importantly, neither EdU nor BrdU incorporation changed the level of radiation-induced apoptosis (data not shown). Moreover, the staining methods allow on...

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Assessing Cell Cycle Progression of Neural Stem and Progenitor Cells in the Mouse Developing Brain after Genotoxic Stress

Administration of two analogs of thymidine, EdU and BrdU, in pregnant mice allows the analysis of cell cycle progression in neural and progenitor cells in the embryonic mouse brain. This method is useful to determine the effects of genotoxic stress, including ionizing radiation, during brain development.

Neurons of the cerebral cortex are generated during brain development from different types of neural stem and progenitor cells (NSPC), which form a ...

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15.2K visualizações.  CEA DSV iRCM SCSR.  A administração de dois análogos de timidina, EdU e BrdU, em ratinhas grávidas permite a análise da progressão do ciclo celular em células progenitoras neurais e no cérebro do rato embrionário. Este método é útil para determinar os efeitos do stress genotóxico, incluindo a radiação ionizante, durante o desenvolvimento do cérebro. 