Visualizing the Developing Brain in Living Zebrafish using Brainbow and Time-lapse Confocal Imaging

Summary

In vivo imaging is a powerful tool that can be used to investigate the cellular mechanisms underlying nervous system development. Here we describe a technique for using time-lapse confocal microscopy to visualize large numbers of multicolor Brainbow-labeled cells in real time within the developing zebrafish nervous system.

Abstract

Development of the vertebrate nervous system requires a precise coordination of complex cellular behaviors and interactions. The use of high resolution in vivo imaging techniques can provide a clear window into these processes in the living organism. For example, dividing cells and their progeny can be followed in real time as the nervous system forms. In recent years, technical advances in multicolor techniques have expanded the types of questions that can be investigated. The multicolor Brainbow approach can be used to not only distinguish among like cells, but also to color-code multiple different clones of related cells that each derive from one progenitor cell. This allows for a multiplex lineage analysis of many different clones and their behaviors simultaneously during development. Here we describe a technique for using time-lapse confocal microscopy to visualize large numbers of multicolor Brainbow-labeled cells over real time within the developing zebrafish nervous system. This is particularly useful for following cellular interactions among like cells, which are difficult to label differentially using traditional promoter-driven colors. Our approach can be used for tracking lineage relationships among multiple different clones simultaneously. The large datasets generated using this technique provide rich information that can be compared quantitatively across genetic or pharmacological manipulations. Ultimately the results generated can help to answer systematic questions about how the nervous system develops.

Introduction

In the early phases of development, pools of specialized progenitor cells divide repeatedly in proliferative zones, producing diverse arrays of daughter cells. The cells born during this developmental period will then differentiate and travel to form the nascent organs. In the nervous system, progenitors such as radial glia give rise to immature neurons in ventricular zones. As neurons migrate away from ventricles and mature, the expanding tissue eventually forms the highly complex structures of the brain^1,2,3,4,....

Protocol

Procedures involving animal subjects have been approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) at Lewis & Clark College.

1. Microinjection of Zebrafish Embryos

1. Set up wild type, adult zebrafish in sex-segregated mating tanks the afternoon prior to performing microinjections^39,40.
2. Prepare the DNA solution in the morning of the microinjections. Dilute hsp:Zebrabow¹¹ plasmid DNA to a concentration of ~10 ng/μL in 0.1 mM KCl, along with 2.5% phenol red and 3.75U Cre recombinase enzyme.
3. Perform ....

Results

This section illustrates examples of results that can be obtained using the in vivo multicolor time-lapse imaging approach described here. We show that Brainbow color-coded clones of cells in the proliferative ventricular zone of the developing zebrafish hindbrain¹⁴ (Figure 1).

Typically, when Brainbow-labeled cells were arranged along a particular radial fiber, they shared the same color (Figure 1D), which cou.......

Discussion

This protocol describes a method to visualize clones of progenitor cells and neurons in the developing zebrafish hindbrain and follow them in vivo using Brainbow and time-lapse confocal microscopy¹¹. The major advantage of this protocol in comparison to in vitro or ex vivo studies is the ability to directly observe the proliferative zone of the vertebrate brain in its natural milieu over time. This technique builds on previous studies that labeled a single clone using retroviral vectors. In c.......

Materials

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
1.5mL transfer pipet	Globe Scientific, Inc.	134020
1-phenyl-2-thiourea (PTU)	Alfa Aesar	L06690	Diluted to 0.2 mM in E3 to prevent embryo pigmentation
50ml conical tubes	Corning	352070	For heat shocking embryos
6 lb nylon fishing line	SecureLine	NMT250	For making embryo manipulators
7.5mL transfer pipet	Globe Scientific, Inc.	135010
CaCl2	Sigma	C3881	For E3
Cotton swabs	Puritan	867-WC NO GLUE	For making embryo manipulators
Cre recombinase	New England Biolabs	M0298M
Digital dry bath	Genemate	490016-616	Used to store LMA at 40°C
Epifluorescence dissection scope
Glass capillary tubes	World Precision Instruments	TW100F-4
Incubator	Forma Scientific	3158	To maintain embryos at 28°C
Injection plate molds	Adaptive Science Tools	TU-1
Isotemp water bath	Fisher Scientific	2320	For heat shocking embryos
KCl	AMRESCO	0395	For E3 and for DNA solution for injections
Laser-scanning confocal microscope	Zeiss	LSM710
LE agarose	Genemate	E3120	To create agarose injection plates
Low-melt agarose (LMA)	AMRESCO	J234
Mating tanks	Aquaneering, Inc.	ZHCT100
Methylene blue	Sigma	M9140	For E3
MgSO4	Sigma	9397	For E3
Micromanipulator	World Precision Instruments	M3301
Micropipette Puller	Sutter Instrument Co.	P-97
MS-222 Tricaine-S	Western Chemical, Inc.		Stock made at 4 mg/mL in reverse osmosis (RO) water, then added dropwise to E3 to final concentration of 0.2 mM to anesthetize embryos
NaCl	J.T. Baker	4058-01	For E3
Petri dishes (90 mm, 60 mm)	Genesee Scientific	32-107G	To house embryos and create imaging chamber (60 mm)
Phenol red	Sigma	P0290
Soft stitch ring markers	Clover Needlecraft, Inc.	354	For creating imaging chamber with Petri dish
Super glue (Ultra gel control)	Loctite	1363589	For making embryo manipulators
Syringe needles	Beckton Dickinson	BD329412	For dechorionating embryos