Live Calcium Imaging of Virus-Infected Human Intestinal Organoid Monolayers Using Genetically Encoded Calcium Indicators

Summary

This protocol describes an approach for performing calcium imaging in virus-infected human intestinal organoids and offers an approach to analysis.

Abstract

Calcium signaling is an integral regulator of nearly every tissue. Within the intestinal epithelium, calcium is involved in the regulation of secretory activity, actin dynamics, inflammatory responses, stem cell proliferation, and many other uncharacterized cellular functions. As such, mapping calcium signaling dynamics within the intestinal epithelium can provide insight into homeostatic cellular processes and unveil unique responses to various stimuli. Human intestinal organoids (HIOs) are a high-throughput, human-derived model to study the intestinal epithelium and thus represent a useful system to investigate calcium dynamics. This paper describes a protocol to stably transduce HIOs with genetically encoded calcium indicators (GECIs), perform live fluorescence microscopy, and analyze imaging data to meaningfully characterize calcium signals. As a representative example, 3-dimensional HIOs were transduced with lentivirus to stably express GCaMP6s, a green fluorescent protein-based cytosolic GECI. The engineered HIOs were then dispersed into a single-cell suspension and seeded as monolayers. After differentiation, the HIO monolayers were infected with rotavirus and/or treated with drugs known to stimulate a calcium response. An epifluorescence microscope fitted with a temperature-controlled, humidified live-imaging chamber allowed for long-term imaging of infected or drug-treated monolayers. Following imaging, acquired images were analyzed using the freely available analysis software, ImageJ. Overall, this work establishes an adaptable pipeline for characterizing cellular signaling in HIOs.

Introduction

Calcium is a widely conserved second messenger that plays a critical role in regulating cellular physiology¹. Given its strong charge, small size, and high solubility in physiological conditions, calcium is an ideal manipulator of protein conformation. This makes calcium a powerful means to transduce electrochemical signals into enzymatic, transcriptional, or post-transcriptional alterations. The strict calcium concentration gradients across the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and plasma membranes create a high driving force that allows for rapid changes in cytosolic calcium concentration. Multiple mechanisms, including both buffering and active tra....

Protocol

All of the human intestinal organoids (HIOs) used in this protocol and the representative experiments were derived from human tissue obtained and maintained by the Texas Medical Center Digestive Diseases Enteroid Core. All samples were collected in accordance with a protocol approved by the Institutional Review Board at Baylor College of Medicine.

1. Preparation of materials and reagents

1. For organoid maintenance, gather cell-culture treated 24-well plates, basement.......

Discussion

Alterations in cytosolic Ca²⁺ levels can be both a cause and effect of pathologies within the epithelium^10,16,17. Increases in cytosolic calcium can directly drive secretion via activation of the calcium-dependent chloride channel TMEM16A^18,19. Activation of TMEM16A in response to Ca²⁺ allows for the apical efflux of chloride, establishing an osmoti.......

Materials

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
Advanced DMEM F12	Gibco	12634028
[Leu15]-Gastrin I	Sigma-Aldrich	G9145
0.05% Trypsin EDTA	Gibco	25300054
0.05% Trypsin EDTA	Gibco	25300054
1.5mL microcentrifuge tubes	Fisherbrand	5408137
15mL conical tubes	Thermofisher Scientific	0553859A
16% formaldehyde	Thermofisher Scientific	28906
1M HEPES	Gibco	15630080
1M HEPES	Gibco	15630080
1X PBS	Corning	21-040-CV
25 gauge needle	Thermofisher Scientific	1482113D
A-83-01	Tocris	2939
ADP	Sigma-Aldrich	A2754
Advanced DMEM F12	Gibco	12634028
Antibiotic-antimycocytic	Gibco	15240062
Antibiotic-antimycotic	Gibco	15240062
B27 Supplement	Gibco	17504-044
Bovine serum albumin	FisherScientific	BP1600100
CellView Cell Culture Slide, PS, 75/25 MM, Glass Bottom, 10 compartments	Greiner	543979
Collagen IV	Sigma Aldrich	C5533
DAPI	Thermofisher Scientific	D1306
EDTA	Corning	46-034-CI
Fetal bovine serum	Corning	35010CV
Fetal bovine serum	Corning	35010CV
Fluorobrite	Gibco	A1896701
GlutaMAX	Gibco	35050079
GlutaMAX	Gibco	35050079
Human epidermal growth factor	ProteinTech	HZ-1326
Lentivirus	VectorBuilder	(variable)
Matrigel	BD Biosceicen	356231/CB40230C
N2 Supplement	Gibco	17502-048
N-acetylcysteine	Sigma-Aldrich	A9165-5G
NH4Cl	Sigma-Aldrich	A9434
Nicotinamide	Sigma-Aldrich	N0636
Nunc Cell Culture Treated 24-well Plates	Thermofisher Scientific	142475
Polybrene	MilliporeSigma	TR1003G
SB202190	Sigma-Aldrich	S70767
Triton X-100	Fisher BioReagents	BP151100
TrypLE Express Enzyme, no phenol red	Thermofisher Scientific	12604013
Trypsin	Worthington Biochemical	NC9811754
Y-27632	Tocris	1254