Visualizing and Tracking Endogenous mRNAs in Live Drosophila melanogaster Egg Chambers

Summary

Here, we present a protocol for the visualization, detection, analysis and tracking of endogenous mRNA trafficking in live Drosophila melanogaster egg chamber using molecular beacons, spinning disc confocal microscopy, and open-source analysis software.

Abstract

Fluorescence-based imaging techniques, in combination with developments in light microscopy, have revolutionized how cell biologists conduct live cell imaging studies. Methods for detecting RNAs have expanded greatly since seminal studies linked site-specific mRNA localization to gene expression regulation. Dynamic mRNA processes can now be visualized via approaches that detect mRNAs, coupled with microscopy set-ups that are fast enough to capture the dynamic range of molecular behavior. The molecular beacon technology is a hybridization-based approach capable of direct detection of endogenous transcripts in living cells. Molecular beacons are hairpin-shaped, internally quenched, single-nucleotide discriminating nucleic acid probes, which fluoresce only upon hybridization to a unique target sequence. When coupled with advanced fluorescence microscopy and high-resolution imaging, they enable one to perform spatial and temporal tracking of intracellular movement of mRNAs. Although this technology is the only method capable of detecting endogenous transcripts, cell biologists have not yet fully embraced this technology due to difficulties in designing such probes for live cell imaging. A new software application, PinMol, allows for enhanced and rapid design of probes best suited to efficiently hybridize to mRNA target regions within a living cell. In addition, high-resolution, real-time image acquisition and current, open source image analysis software allow for a refined data output, leading to a finer evaluation of the complexity underlying the dynamic processes involved in the mRNA's life cycle.

Here we present a comprehensive protocol for designing and delivering molecular beacons into Drosophila melanogaster egg chambers. Direct and highly specific detection and visualization of endogenous maternal mRNAs is performed via spinning disc confocal microscopy. Imaging data is processed and analyzed using object detection and tracking in Icy software to obtain details about the dynamic movement of mRNAs, which are transported and localized to specialized regions within the oocyte.

Introduction

Cell biology studies that visualize dynamic events with spatial and temporal resolution have been made possible by the development of fluorescence-based live cell imaging techniques. Presently, in vivo mRNA visualization is achieved via technologies that are based on RNA aptamer-protein interactions, RNA aptamer-induced fluorescence of organic dyes and nucleic acid probe annealing^1,2,3. They all offer high specificity, sensitivity and signal-to-background ratio. However, RNA aptamer-centered approaches require extensive genetic manipulation, where a transgene is engi....

Protocol

1. Design of MBs for Live Cell Imaging

1. Fold the target RNA sequence to predict the mRNA target’s secondary structure using the “RNA form” from the mfold server (http://unafold.rna.albany.edu/?q=mfold/RNA-Folding-Form).
   1. Paste/upload the target sequence in FASTA format, select 5 or 10% sub-optimality (structures with a free energy of folding within 5 or 10% of the MFE value, respectively), and adjust the maximum number of computed foldings accordingly (e.g.......

Discussion

Live visualization of endogenous mRNA trafficking in Drosophila egg chambers relies on the use of specific, efficient, and nuclease-resistant MBs, which can now be easily designed with PinMol software. MBs are specific probes designed to detect unique sequences within a target mRNA (preferably regions free of secondary structure), making possible highly resolved detection of a transcript. The only limitation when adopting this technique/protocol for other tissues/cell types is the efficiency of MB deliv.......

Materials

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
Spectrofluorometer	Fluoromax-4 Horiba-Jobin Yvon	n/a	Photon counting spectrofluorometer
Quartz cuvette	Fireflysci (former Precision Cells Inc.)	701MFL
Dumont #5 tweezer	World Precision Instruments	501985	Thin tweezers are very important to separate out the individual egg chambers
Halocarbon oil 700	Sigma-Aldrich	H8898
Cover slip No.1 22 x 40mm	VWR	48393-048
Dissecting microscope	Leica MZ6 Leica Microsystems Inc.	n/a
CO2 fruit fly anesthesia pad	Genesee Scienific	59-114
Tris-HCL pH7.5	Sigma-Aldrich	1185-53-1
Magnesium chloride	Sigma-Aldrich	7791-18-6
NaCl	Sigma-Aldrich	7647-14-5
Spinning disc confocal microscope	Leica DMI-4000B inverted microscope equipped with Yokogawa CSU 10 spinning disc Leica Microsystems Inc.	n/a
Hamamatsu C9100-13 ImagEM EMCCD camera	Hamamatsu	n/a
PatchMan NP 2 Micromanipulator	Eppendorf Inc.	920000037
FemtoJet Microinjector	Eppendorf Inc.	920010504
Injection needle: Femtotips II	Eppendorf Inc.	930000043
Loading tip: 20ul Microloader	Eppendorf Inc.	930001007
Micro Cover glasses no. 1 or 1.5, 22x40mm	VWR	48393-026; 48393-172
Dry yeast	Any grocery store	n/a
Computer, > 20 GB RAM			Although processing can be carried out on most computers, higher capabilities will increase the speed of the processing