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Method Article
* These authors contributed equally
Here, we describe a protocol for detection and localization of Drosophila embryo protein and RNA from collection to pre-embedding and embedding, immunostaining, and mRNA in situ hybridization.
Calcium induced calcium release signaling (CICR) plays a critical role in many biological processes. Every cellular activity from cell proliferation and apoptosis, development and ageing, to neuronal synaptic plasticity and regeneration have been associated with Ryanodine receptors (RyRs). Despite the importance of calcium signaling, the exact mechanism of its function in early development is unclear. As an organism with a short gestational period, the embryos of Drosophila melanogaster are prime study subjects for investigating the distribution and localization of CICR associated proteins and their regulators during development. However, because of their lipid-rich embryos and chitin-rich chorion, their utility is limited by the difficulty of mounting embryos on glass surfaces. In this work, we introduce a practical protocol that significantly enhances the attachment of Drosophila embryo onto slides and detail methods for successful histochemistry, immunohistochemistry, and in-situ hybridization. The chrome alum gelatin slide-coating method and embryo pre-embedding method dramatically increases the yield in studying Drosophila embryo protein and RNA expression. To demonstrate this approach, we studied DmFKBP12/Calstabin, a well-known regulator of RyR during early embryonic development of Drosophila melanogaster. We identified DmFKBP12 in as early as the syncytial blastoderm stage and report the dynamic expression pattern of DmFKBP12 during development: initially as an evenly distributed protein in the syncytial blastoderm, then preliminarily localizing to the basement layer of the cortex during cellular blastoderm, before distributing in the primitive neuronal and digestion architecture during the three-gem layer phase in early gastrulation. This distribution may explain the critical role RyR plays in the vital organ systems that originate in from these layers: the suboesophageal and supraesophageal ganglion, ventral nervous system, and musculoskeletal system.
Calcium induced calcium release signaling (CICR) plays critical role in many biological processes, such as skeletal/smooth muscle and cardiac vascular function, cell proliferation and apoptosis, development, aging, neuronal synaptic plasticity, and regeneration1,2,3,4,5,6. Ryanodine receptors (RyRs) and inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptors (IP3Rs) are major players in the calcium signaling pathway controlled by their regulators protein kinase A (PKA), Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII), FK506 binding proteins (FKBPs), calsequestrin (CSQ), triadin, and junctin1,2,3,4,5,6. Abnormal human expression and mutations in these proteins can lead to pathological physiology such as arrhythmias7 and oncogenic proliferation8,9.
FKBPs regulate the calcium release from the endoplasmic reticular (ER) by RyRs. This process is essential for the mechanism of contraction, and thus responsible for all mechanical movement generated by myosin-actin contraction through calcium-induced calcium release along with embryonic RyRs1,2. In mouse models, the lack of RyR2 and its regulator FKBP12/Calstabin is invariably lethal, either during embryonic development or in the early postnatal period10,11,12. FKBP12/Calstabin knockout mice exhibit critical cardiac defects with irregular excitation- contraction coupling (EC) and cerebral edema during embryonic development. This indicates that FKBP12/Calstabin plays an essential role in regulating RyR2 channel expression, which is important both to cardiac and cerebral development10.
RyR conducted calcium sparks were initially discovered in the zygote formation phase of fertilized Medaka eggs13,14. However, few investigations have been performed on the function of calcium signaling in early embryonic development. In Drosophila melanogaster, results obtained from DmFKBP12 S107 mutants provide strong evidence supporting the importance of this gene for larval development and a healthy life span, which is attributed to its function against oxidative stress15,16. Recently, we identified the dynamic localization of FKBP12/Calstabin protein and messenger RNA during early Drosophila melanogaster development17. Using the approaches described in this methodology, we were able to track the expression of FKBP12/Calstabin in D. melanogaster during the syncytial blastoderm (0-2 h), cellular blastoderm (2-3 h), early gastrula (3-12 h), and late gastrula (12-24 h). In this paper, we present the detailed protocols of every approach in the previous study, including pre-embryo embedding for classic paraffin sectioning, pre-coating slide treatment for embryonic sections, histo-chemistry staining and immunostaining, and mRNA in-situ hybridization for identification of gene expression.
1. Preparation of grape juice agar plates
2. Coating slides
3. Drosophila embryo embedding
4. Hematoxylin-eosin staining
5. Periodic acid-silver methenamine staining
6. Immunohistochemistry
7. In-situ hybridization
NOTE: Drosophila embryo sections were prepared with 0.01% diethyl pyrocarbonate (DEPC) treated water. All accessories used for in situ hybridization apply DEPC overnight treatment in advance.
The figures describe protocols used to overcome the challenge of attaching high lipid and chitin-containing chorion Drosophila embryos (Table 1) to the glass slide surface for examination and experimentation. Utilizing the chrome alum gelatin slide-coating method shown in Figure 1, we enhanced the attachment of Drosophila embryos onto the surface of slides while the embryo pre-embedding method shown in Figure 2 allows for effic...
RyRs and IP3Rs mediated calcium signaling is a fundamental pathway in many physiological and pathological process of both vertebrate and invertebrate animals1,2,3,4. In humans, point mutations, such as CPVT-associated R4496C mutation, in the RyR2 gene lead to calcium leakage from the sarcoplasmic reticulum of cardiomyocyte, resulting in cardiac dysfunction. These mutations present as arrhythmia...
The authors have nothing to disclose.
This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (#31771377/ 31571273/31371256), the Foreign Distinguished Scientist Program from the National Department of Education (#MS2014SXSF038), the National Department of Education Central Universities Research Fund (#GK201301001/201701005/GERP-17-45), and XZ is supported by Outstanding Doctoral Thesis Fund (#2019TS082 /2019TS079), Key Program of Shaanxi Provincial Education Department (#20JS138), the Natural Science Basic Research Program Youth Project of Shaanxi Provincial Science and Technology Department (#2020JQ-885).
Name | Company | Catalog Number | Comments |
-20°C Refrigerator | Meiling Biology &Medical | DW-YL270 | Used for regent storage |
-80°C Ultra low temperature refrigerator | Thermo | Forma 90 Series | Used for regent storage |
Agar | Sigma-Aldrich | WXBB6360V | Preparation of grape juice agar plates |
Anti-Digoxigenin-AP, Fab fragments | Roche | 11093274910 | For the detection of digoxigenin-labeled compound |
Biochemical incubator | Shanghai Bluepard Instruments | LRH-250 | In-situ Hybridization |
Bouin's solution | Sinopharm Chemical Reagent at Beijing | 69945460 | Drosophila Embryo Embedding |
Centrifuge | Eppendorf | 540BH07808 | In-situ Hybridization |
Centrifuge tube | Denville | C-2170 | Drosophila Embryo Collection |
Chrome Alum | Sinopharm Chemical Reagent at Beijing | 10001018 | Coating Slides |
Constant temperature water bath | Jintan Henfeng Instruments | KW-1000DC | Hematoxylin-Eosin Staining, Immunohistochemistry, In-situ Hybridization and Periodic Acid-Silver Methenamine Staining |
Dako REAL EnVision Detection System | Dako | K5007 | In immunohistochemical reaction or in situ hybridization reaction, it binds to the primary antigen antibody, and the target is labeled by staining. |
DEPC | Sigma-Aldrich | D5758 | In-situ Hybridization |
DIG RNA Labeling Kit | Roche | 11093274910 | RNA labeling with diagoxigenin-UTP by in vitro transcription with SP6 and T7 RNA polymerase |
Drosophila melanogaster | Bloomington Stock Center | BDSC_16799, BDSC_19894, BDSC_11664 | The stocks of Drosophila melanogaster mutant |
Electric blast drying oven | Tianjin Taiste Instruments | 101-0AB | For coating slides and paraffin embedding |
Eosin | Sigma-Aldrich | 230251 | Hematoxylin-Eosin Staining |
Ethanol | Sinopharm Chemical Reagent at Beijing | 100092680 | Paraffin Embedding, Hematoxylin-Eosin Staining, Immunohistochemistry, In-situ Hybridization and Periodic Acid-Silver Methenamine Staining |
Gelatin | Sinopharm Chemical Reagent at Beijing | 10010328 | Coating Slides |
Gold chloride | Sigma-Aldrich | 379948 | Periodic Acid-Silver Methenamine Staining |
Hematoxylin | Sigma-Aldrich | H3136 | Hematoxylin-Eosin Staining |
High Pure PCR Product Purification Kit | Roche | 11732668001 | For purification of PCR products |
Intelligent constant temperature and humidity box | Ningbo Jiangnan Instruments | HWS | For fly maintenance |
LE Agarose | HyAgarose | 14190108029 | Pre-embedding |
Methanol | Sinopharm Chemical Reagent at Beijing | 10014108 | Drosophila Embryo Collection |
Microscope | ZEISS | Observer.A1 | Hematoxylin-Eosin Staining, Immunohistochemistry, In-situ Hybridization and Periodic Acid-Silver Methenamine Staining |
Microscope Slides | MeVid Labware Manufacturing | P105-2001 | Coating Slides |
Neutral Gum | Sinopharm Chemical Reagent at Beijing | 10004160 | Hematoxylin-Eosin Staining |
N-heptane | Sinopharm Chemical Reagent at Beijing | 40026768 | Drosophila Embryo Collection |
Paraffin slicer | Huahai science instrument | HH-2508III | In-situ Hybridization |
Paraffin | Sinopharm Chemical Reagent at Beijing | 69019461 | Paraffin Embedding |
pH/mV Meter | Sartorius | PB-10 | For determing the pH value of a solution |
Silver nitrate | Sinopharm Chemical Reagent at Beijing | 10018461 | Periodic Acid-Silver Methenamine Staining |
Ultrapure water meter | Thermo | AFXI-0501-P | In-situ Hybridization |
Xylene | Sinopharm Chemical Reagent at Beijing | 10023418 | Paraffin Embedding |
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