Authors would like to thank Charisse Montgomery for her editing service. A. Alomran&#8217;s work partially fulfills the requirements for a master&#8217;s degree in Pharmacology.This work is funded by The University of Toledo&#8217;s intramural startup fund for W.A.A and NIH grant (DK080640) for S.M.N.

The procedures for animal use were approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) of The University of Toledo in accordance with the guidelines of the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee at the National Institutes of Health and the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals.
1. Brain Extraction, Sectioning and Tissue Preparation
<ol>
	<li>Sacrifice wild-type mouse strain C57BL/6 by deeply euthanizing with CO2 asphyxiation for 5 min. Assure death ...

<ol>
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Described here is a protocol for the preparation of mouse brain tissue for both live-imaging and fluorescence microscopy that provides a rapid and sensitive close observation of the ependymal cilia within the brain ventricles. This technique is not restricted to the lateral ventricle only; it could be utilized to observe the cilia in other brain ventricles. This imaging technique provides a live stream that resembles the movement of the CSF by ciliary beating in an ex vivo setting. Moreover, it enables analysis ...

Cilia are sensory microtubule-based organelles that extend from the cell surface to the extracellular environment. Depending on their microtubule organization, cilia can be categorized into two types - &#8220;9+0&#8221; or &#8220;9+2&#8221;. Functionally, based on their motility, these can be classed as motile or non-motile cilia 1. Primary cilia is a term commonly used to denote &#8220;9+0&#8221; non-motile cilia. These have nine parallel doublet microtubules (denoted by &#8216;9&#8217;) and a central pair of microtubules is absent within the central sheath (denoted by &#8216;0&#8217;). However, some &#8220;9+0&#8221; cilia, such as nodal cilia, which regulate embryo laterality are motile 2. On the other hand, motile cilia are characterized, in addition to the nine parallel microtubule doublets, by an additional central pair of microtubule doublets and associated with dynein motor proteins to facilitate motility. In addition, some &#8220;9+2&#8221; cilia such as olfactory cilia are non-motile 3. Ependymal cells lining the brain ventricles and the central canal of the spinal cord are characterized by motile cilia that propel the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) along the brain ventricles 4.
The overall goal of this method is to facilitate studying the motile cilia dynamics and structural abnormalities. The brain&#8217;s health and development heavily depend on efficient circulation of CSF within the brain ventricles. For instance, normal CSF flow and fluid balance require normal beating and functional ependymal cilia 5,6, which in turn play critical roles in regulating the directional movement of neuronal cells and stem cell migration 7. As such, abnormal ependymal cilia function or structure can lead to abnormal CSF flow, which is associated with hydrocephalus, a medical condition in which there is an abnormal accumulation of CSF in the ventricles of the brain. This may consequently cause increased intracranial pressure and progressive enlargement of the head, convulsion, tunnel vision, and mental disability 8.
The advantages of this technique over existing methods is that it allowed for the first time to report three distinct ependymal cell types: I, II, and III, based on their unique ciliary beating frequency and beating angle. These ependymal cells are localized within certain regions in the brain ventricles. Furthermore, the effects of age and pharmacological agents such as alcohol and cilostazol on altering the ependymal cell types or their localizations can be demonstrated, which was not possible before this classification of ependymal cells. Cilostazol is an inhibitor of phosphodiesterase-3, an enzyme that metabolizes cAMP to AMP and it also regulates intracellular calcium 9. Using high-speed fluorescence imaging analysis allows imaging and quantifying of the unique intracellular calcium oscillation properties of the ependymal cells. For instance, both alcohol and cilostazol significantly altered the ependymal ciliary beating frequency as well as the intracellular calcium oscillations properties, which in turn, could lead to a change in the cerebrospinal fluid volume replacement by ependymal cilia 10. In summary, this technique was key to provide the first evidence of three distinct types of ependymal cells with different calcium oscillation properties.
In the following section, a detailed step-by-step overview of the procedure is provided, paying close attention to tissue preparation and handling.

<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0">
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td>DMEM/HIGH GLUCOSE</td>
			<td>Cellgro Mediatech Inc.</td>
			<td>10-013-CV</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Fetal bovine serum (FBS)</td>
			<td>Hyclone</td>
			<td>SH30088-03</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Penicillin/Streptomycin</td>
			<td>Thermo Scientific</td>
			<td>SV30010</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Phosphate buffered saline</td>
			<td>Thermo Scientific</td>
			<td>SH30256-01</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Paraformaldehyde&#160;</td>
			<td>Electron Microscopy Sciences</td>
			<td>15710-SP</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Sucrose</td>
			<td>Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td>S-2395</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Triton-X</td>
			<td>Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td>T9284</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Fluo-2&#160;</td>
			<td>TEF Labs</td>
			<td>#0200</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>DMSO</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>B27</td>
			<td>Gibco</td>
			<td>17504044</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>VECTASHIELD HardSet Mounting Medium with DAPI</td>
			<td>Vector Labs</td>
			<td>H-1500</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Anti-acetylated a-tubulin antibody</td>
			<td>Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td>T7451&#160;</td>
			<td>clone 6-11B1</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>FITC Anti-mouse antibody</td>
			<td>Vector Labs</td>
			<td>FI-2000</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Cell Culture plate</td>
			<td>VWR Vista Vision</td>
			<td>30-2041</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Cover Slip (18x18)</td>
			<td>VWR Vista Vision</td>
			<td>16004.326</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Vibratome</td>
			<td>Leica Biosystems</td>
			<td>Leica VT1200S</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Cryostat</td>
			<td>Leica Biosystems</td>
			<td>Leica CM1860</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Inverted Fluorescence Microscope</td>
			<td>Nikon&#160;</td>
			<td>Nikon TE2000</td>
			<td>60X oil&#160;</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Microscope cover glass 24x60mm</td>
			<td>VWR Vista Vision</td>
			<td>16004-312</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Mounting Medium with DAPI</td>
			<td>Vector Laboratories</td>
			<td>H-1500</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>DAPI filter cube</td>
			<td>Chroma Technology</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

live imaging of the ependymal cilia in the lateral ventricles of the mouse brain

Multiciliated ependymal cells line the ventricles in the adult brain. Abnormal function or structure of ependymal cilia is associated with various neurological deficits. The current ex vivo live imaging of motile ependymal cilia technique allows for a detailed study of ciliary dynamics following several steps. These steps include: mice euthanasia with carbon dioxide according to protocols of The University of Toledo&#8217;s Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC); craniectomy followed by brain removal and sagittal brain dissection with a vibratome or sharp blade to obtain very thin sections through the brain lateral ventricles, where the ependymal cilia can be visualized. Incubation of the brain&#8217;s slices in a customized glass-bottom plate containing Dulbecco&#8217;s Modified Eagle&#8217;s Medium (DMEM)/High-Glucose at 37 &#176;C in the presence of 95%/5% O2/CO2 mixture is essential to keep the tissue alive during the experiment. A video of the cilia beating is then recorded using a high-resolution differential interference contrast microscope. The video is then analyzed frame by frame to calculate the ciliary beating frequency. This allows distinct classification of the ependymal cells into three categories or types based on their ciliary beating frequency and angle. Furthermore, this technique allows the use of high-speed fluorescence imaging analysis to characterize the unique intracellular calcium oscillation properties of ependymal cells as well as the effect of pharmacological agents on the calcium oscillations and the ciliary beating frequency. In addition, this technique is suitable for immunofluorescence imaging for ciliary structure and ciliary protein localization studies. This is particularly important in disease diagnosis and phenotype studies. The main limitation of the technique is attributed to the decrease in live motile cilia movement as the brain tissue starts to die.

Measuring ependymal cilia function in live mouse brain
The method described in this protocol is used to monitor ependymal cilia function and structure in the fresh tissue dissected from the mouse brain as well as to monitor and study cilia beating frequency. The steps followed to accomplish a complete experiment are depicted in a schematic flowchart (Figure 1). It is highly recommended that the experiment is conducted within a short time frame in order to keep the motile cilia...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Live Imaging of the Ependymal Cilia in the Lateral Ventricles of the Mouse Brain at JoVE.com

Live Imaging of the Ependymal Cilia in the Lateral Ventricles of the Mouse Brain

Using high-resolution differential interference contrast (DIC) microscopy, an ex vivo observation of the beating of motile ependymal cilia located within the mouse brain ventricles is demonstrated by live-imaging. The technique allows a recording of the unique ciliary beating frequency and beating angle as well as their intracellular calcium oscillation pacing properties.

Multiciliated ependymal cells line the ventricles in the adult brain. Abnormal function or structure of ependymal cilia is associated with various ...

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Neuroscience

13.6K visualizações.  University of Toledo, College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences.  Usando contraste de interferência diferencial (DIC) microscopia de alta resolução, uma observação ex vivo do espancamento de cílios ependymal móveis localizados dentro dos ventrículos do cérebro do rato é demonstrado pelo live-imagiologia. A técnica permite que uma gravação da frequência de batimento ciliar ângulo único e batendo bem como as suas propriedades de estimulação do cálcio intracelular oscilação. 