Assay for Blood-brain Barrier Integrity in Drosophila melanogaster

Summary

Blood-brain barrier integrity is critical for nervous system function. In Drosophila melanogaster, the blood-brain barrier is formed by glial cells during late embryogenesis. This protocol describes methods to assay for blood-brain barrier formation and maintenance in D. melanogaster embryos and third instar larvae.

Abstract

Proper nervous system development includes the formation of the blood-brain barrier, the diffusion barrier that tightly regulates access to the nervous system and protects neural tissue from toxins and pathogens. Defects in the formation of this barrier have been correlated with neuropathies, and the breakdown of this barrier has been observed in many neurodegenerative diseases. Therefore, it is critical to identify the genes that regulate the formation and maintenance of the blood-brain barrier to identify potential therapeutic targets. In order to understand the exact roles these genes play in neural development, it is necessary to assay the effects of altered gene expression on the integrity of the blood-brain barrier. Many of the molecules that function in the establishment of the blood-brain barrier have been found to be conserved across eukaryotic species, including the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster. Fruit flies have proven to be an excellent model system for examining the molecular mechanisms regulating nervous system development and function. This protocol describes a step-by-step procedure to assay for blood-brain barrier integrity during the embryonic and larval stages of D. melanogaster development.

Introduction

During development, cell-cell communication and interactions are critical for the establishment of tissue and organ structure and function. In some cases, these cell-cell interactions seal off organs from the surrounding environment to ensure proper organ function. This is the case for the nervous system, which is insulated by the blood-brain barrier (BBB). Dysfunction of the BBB in humans has been linked to neurological disorders including epilepsy, and breakdown of the barrier has been observed in neurodegenerative diseases including multiple sclerosis and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis¹. In mammals, the BBB is formed by tight junctions betwee....

Protocol

1. Collection of Samples

1. Embryo collection
   1. In each embryo collection cage, use a minimum of 50 virgin females with 20−25 males for collections. Incubate these flies in a bottle with cornmeal-agar food (Table of Materials) for 1−2 days before beginning collections²³.
      NOTE: More flies can be used, but the female-to-male ratio should be kept at 2:1.
   2. Pre-warm apple juice agar plates (Table.......

Discussion

This protocol provides a comprehensive description of the steps needed to assay for BBB integrity during the late embryonic and third instar larval stages of D. melanogaster development. Similar approaches have been described elsewhere to assay the integrity of the BBB during development, as well as in adult stages^5,7,29,30. However, descriptions of procedures in materials and methods .......

Materials

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
10 kDa sulforhodamine 101 acid chloride (Texas Red) Dextran	ThermoFisher Scientific	D1863	Dextran should be diluted in autoclaved ddH2O to a concentration of 25 mg/mL.
20 μL Gel-Loading Pipette Tips	Eppendorf	22351656
100% Ethanol (200 proof)	Pharmco-Aaper	11000200
Active Dry Yeast	Red Star
Agar	Fisher Scientific	BP1423
Agarose	Fisher Scientific	BP160-500
Air Compressor	DeWalt	D55140
Apple Juice	Mott's Natural Apple Juice
Bleach	Household Bleach		1-5% Hypochlorite
Borosilicate Glass Capillaries	World Precision Instruments	1B100F-4
Bottle Plugs	Fisher Scientific	AS-277
Cell Strainers	BD Falcon	352350
Confocal Microscope	Olympus	FV1000	Samples imaged using 20x objective (UPlanSApo 20x/ 0.75)
Cotton-Tipped Applicator	Puritan	19-062614
Double-Sided Tape 1/2"	Scotch
Dumont Tweezers; Pattern #5; .05 X .01mm Tip	Roboz	RS-5015
Fly Food Bottles	Fisher Scientific	AS-355
Fly Food Vials	Fisher Scientific	AS-515
Foot Pedal	Treadlite II	T-91-S
Gel Caster	Bio-Rad	1704422
Gel Tray	Bio-Rad	1704436
Glass Pipette	VWR	14673-010
Glycerol	Fisher Scientific	BP229-1
Granulated sugar			Purchased from grocery store.
Halocarbon Oil	Lab Scientific, Inc.	FLY-7000
Light Source	Schott	Ace I
Manipulator Stand	World Precision Instruments	M10
Micromanipulator	World Precision Instruments	KITE-R
Micropipette Puller	Sutter Instrument Co.	P-97
Needle Holder	World Precision Instruments	MPH310
Nightsea Filter Sets	Electron Microscopy Science	SFA-LFS-CY	For visualization of YFP
Nightsea Full Adapter System w/ Royal Blue Color Light Head	Electron Microscopy Science	SFA-RB	For visualization of GFP
Paintbrush	Simply Simmons	Chisel Blender #6
Pipetter	Fisher Scientific	13-683C
Pneumatic Pump	World Precision Instruments	PV830	This is also referred to as a microinjector or pressure regulator. Since the model used in our study is no longer available this is one alternative.
Potassium Chloride	Fisher Scientific	BP366-500
Potassium Phosphate Dibasic	Fisher Scientific	BP363-500
Small Embryo Collection Cages	Genesee Scientific	59-100
Sodium Chloride	Fisher Scientific	BP358-212
Sodium Phosphate Dibasic Anhydrous	Fisher Scientific	BP332-500
Steel Base Plate	World Precision Instruments	5052
Stereomicroscope	Carl Zeiss	Stemi 2000	Used for tissue dissection.
Stereomicroscope with transmitted light source	Baytronix		Used for injection.
Tegosept (p-hydroxybenzoic acid, methyl ester)	Genesee Scientific	20-258
Triton X-100	Fisher Scientific	BP151-500	Nonionic surfactant
Vial Plugs	Fisher Scientific	AS-273