Live-cell Imaging of Single-Cell Arrays (LISCA) - a Versatile Technique to Quantify Cellular Kinetics

Summary

We present a method for the acquisition of fluorescence reporter time courses from single cells using micropatterned arrays. The protocol describes the preparation of single-cell arrays, the setup and operation of live-cell scanning time-lapse microscopy and an open-source image analysis tool for automated preselection, visual control and tracking of cell-integrated fluorescence time courses per adhesion site.

Abstract

Live-cell Imaging of Single-Cell Arrays (LISCA) is a versatile method to collect time courses of fluorescence signals from individual cells in high throughput. In general, the acquisition of single-cell time courses from cultured cells is hampered by cell motility and diversity of cell shapes. Adhesive micro-arrays standardize single-cell conditions and facilitate image analysis. LISCA combines single-cell microarrays with scanning time-lapse microscopy and automated image processing. Here, we describe the experimental steps of taking single-cell fluorescence time courses in a LISCA format. We transfect cells adherent to a micropatterned array using mRNA encoding for enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP) and monitor the eGFP expression kinetics of hundreds of cells in parallel via scanning time-lapse microscopy. The image data stacks are automatically processed by newly developed software that integrates fluorescence intensity over selected cell contours to generate single-cell fluorescence time courses. We demonstrate that eGFP expression time courses after mRNA transfection are well described by a simple kinetic translation model that reveals expression and degradation rates of mRNA. Further applications of LISCA for event time correlations of multiple markers in the context of signaling apoptosis are discussed.

Introduction

In recent years, the importance of single-cell experiments has become apparent. Data from single cells allow the investigation of cell-to-cell variability, the resolution of intracellular parameter correlations and the detection of cellular kinetics that remain hidden in ensemble measurements^1,2,3. In order to investigate cellular kinetics of thousands of single cells in parallel, new approaches are needed that enable monitoring the cells under standardized conditions over a time period of several hours up to several days followed by a quantitative data analysis

Protocol

Figure 2: Data acquisition combining single-cell microarrays (A) with scanning time-lapse microscopy (B). As preparation of the time-lapse experiment, a single-cell array with a 2D micropattern of adhesion squares is prepared (1), followed by cell seeding and the alignment of the cells on the micropattern (2) as well as the connection of a perfusion system to the six-channel slide,.......

Discussion

Here we described LISCA as a versatile technique to follow cellular kinetics of intracellular fluorescent labels at the single-cell level. In order to perform a successful LISCA experiment, each of the described steps of the protocol section must be established individually and then all steps must be combined. Each of the three major aspects of LISCA feature crucial steps.

Single-cell microarray fabrication
The quality of the microarray is crucial as the cellular alignment on th.......

Materials

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
Adtech Polymer Engineering PTFE Microtubing	Fisher Scientific	10178071
baking oven	Binder	9010-0190
CFI Plan Fluor DL 10x	Nikon	MRH20100
Desiccator	Roth	NX07.1
Eclipse Ti-E	Nikon
eGFP mRNA	Trilink	L-7601
Female Luer to Tube Connector	MEDNET	FTL210-6005
Fetal bovine serum	Thermo Fisher	10270106
Fibronectin	Yo Proteins	663
Filter set eGFP	AHF	F46-002
Fisherbrand Translucent Platinum-Cured Silicone Tubing	Fisher Scientific	11768088
HEPES (1 M)	Thermo Fisher	15630080
Incubation Box	Okolab	OKO-H201
incubator	Binder	9040-0012
L-15 without phenol red	Thermo Fisher	21083027
Lipofectamine 2000	Thermo Fisher	11668027
Male Luer			in-house fabricated consisting of teflon
Male Luer to Tube Connector	MEDNET	MTLS210-6005	alternative to in-house fabricated male luers
NaCl (5 M)	Thermo Fisher	AM9760G
Needleless Valve to Male Luer Connector	MEDNET	NVFMLLPC
NIS Elements	Nikon		Imaging software Version 5.02.00
NOA81	Thorlabs	NOA81	Fast Curing Optical Adhesive for tube system assembly
Opti-MEM	Thermo Fisher	31985062
PCO edge 4.2 M-USB-HQ-PCO	pco
Phosphate buffered saline (PBS)			in-house prepared
Plasma Cleaner	Diener Femto	Pico-BRS
PLL(20 kDa)-g[3.5]-PEG(2 kDa)	SuSoS AG
silicon wafer mit mircorstructures			in-house fabricated
Sola Light Engine	Lumencor
sticky slide VI 0.4	ibidi	80608
Sylgard 184 Silicone Elastomer Kit	Dow Corning	1673921
Tango 2	Märzhäuser	00-24-626-0000
Ultrapure water			in-house prepared
uncoated coverslips	ibidi	10813
Injekt-F Solo, 1 mL	Omilab	9166017V	with replacement sporn