Name: live imaging of cell motility and actin cytoskeleton of individual neurons and neural crest cells in zebrafish embryos
Uploaded: 2010-02-03T16:25:00
Description: Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Live Imaging of Cell Motility and Actin Cytoskeleton of Individual Neurons and Neural Crest Cells in Zebrafish Embryos at JoVE.com

This work was supported by NIH R01 NS042228 to M.C.H. The Olympus FV1000 confocal was acquired with an NIH shared instrumentation grant S10RR023717 to the UW Zoology Department (PI Bill Bement).
Erica Andersen, Namrata Asuri, and Matthew Clay contributed equally to this paper.

1. Assembly of injection slides and imaging slides
Injection slides:
<ol>
	<li>Prepare Sylgard silicone elastomer according to manufacturer's instructions.</li>
<li>Use the Sylgard to bond three standard glass microscope slides together by stacking one slide on top of the intersection of the other two slides, which are arranged side-by-side at the long edges. The top slide creates a right-angled corner or "wall" between the top and bottom slides.</li>
<li>Let Sylgard set overnight. These s...

<ol>
	<li>Burkel, B. M., von Dassow, G., Bement, W. M. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Versatile+fluorescent+probes+for+actin+filaments+based+on+the+actin-binding+domain+of+utrophin.">Versatile fluorescent probes for actin filaments based on the actin-binding domain of utrophin.</a> Cell motility and the cytoskeleton. 64, 822-832 (2007).</li><li>Blader, P., Plessy, C., Strahle, U. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Multiple+regulatory+elements+with+spatially+and+temporally+distinct+activities+control+neurogenin1+expression+in+primary+neurons+of+the+zebrafish+embryo.">Multiple regulatory elements with spatially and temporally distinct activities control neurogenin1 expression in primary neurons of the zebrafish embryo.</a> Mech Dev. 120, 211-218 (2003).</li><li>Wada, N., Javidan, Y., Nelson, S., Carney, T. J., Kelsh, R. N., Schilling, T. F. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Hedgehog+signaling+is+required+for+cranial+neural+crest+morphogenesis+and+chondrogenesis+at+the+midline+in+the+zebrafish+skull.">Hedgehog signaling is required for cranial neural crest morphogenesis and chondrogenesis at the midline in the zebrafish skull.</a> Development. 132, 3977-3988 (2005).</li><li>Cheo, D. L., Titus, S. A., Byrd, D. R., Hartley, J. L., Temple, G. F., Brasch, M. A. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Concerted+assembly+and+cloning+of+multiple+DNA+segments+using+in+vitro+site-specific+recombination:+functional+analysis+of+multi-segment+expression+clones.">Concerted assembly and cloning of multiple DNA segments using in vitro site-specific recombination: functional analysis of multi-segment expression clones.</a> Genome Res. 14, 2111-2120 (2004).</li><li>Kwan, K. M., Fujimoto, E., Grabher, C., Mangum, B. D., Hardy, M. E., Campbell, D. S., Parant, J. M., Yost, H. J., Kanki, J. P., Chien, C. B. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=The+Tol2kit:+a+multisite+gateway-based+construction+kit+for+Tol2+transposon+transgenesis+constructs.">The Tol2kit: a multisite gateway-based construction kit for Tol2 transposon transgenesis constructs.</a> Dev Dyn. 236, 3088-3099 (2007).</li><li>O'Brien, G. S., Rieger, S., Martin, S. M., Cavanaugh, A. M., Portera-Cailliau, C., Sagasti, A. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Two-photon+axotomy+and+time-lapse+confocal+imaging+in+live+zebrafish+embryos.">Two-photon axotomy and time-lapse confocal imaging in live zebrafish embryos.</a> J Vis Exp. 24, (2009).</li><li>Berndt, J. D., Clay, M. R., Langenberg, T., Halloran, M. C. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Rho-kinase+and+myosin+II+affect+dynamic+neural+crest+cell+behaviors+during+epithelial+to+mesenchymal+transition+in+vivo.">Rho-kinase and myosin II affect dynamic neural crest cell behaviors during epithelial to mesenchymal transition in vivo.</a> Dev Biol. 324, 236-244 (2008).</li></ol>

The optimal concentration of injected DNA will vary depending on size and strength of the promoter construct and should be determined empirically. Injection of too much DNA can lead to unhealthy embryos with extensive cell death, while too little will result in a very small proportion of injected embryos expressing the transgene. The DNA expression level correlates with the strength of the fluorophore signal, which varies from cell to cell. While sorting embryos under epifluorescence, exclude those with extremely high le...

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		<th>Catalogue Number</th>
		<th>Comment</th>
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<tr>
<td>Tricaine (Ethyl 3-aminobenzoate methanesulfonate)</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<td>Sigma</td>
<td>A5040-250G</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<tr>
<td>Sylgard Silicone Elastomer Kit</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<td>Dow Corning Corporation</td>
<td>184</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<tr>
<td>QIAfilter Plasmid Midi Kit</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<td>Qiagen Inc.</td>
<td>12243</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<tr>
<td>Low melting point agarose</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<td>Invitrogen</td>
<td>15517-014</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<tr>
<td>Picospritzer</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<td>Parker Instrumentation, General Valve Division</td>
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live imaging of cell motility and actin cytoskeleton of individual neurons and neural crest cells in zebrafish embryos

The zebrafish is an ideal model for imaging cell behaviors during development in vivo. Zebrafish embryos are externally fertilized and thus easily accessible at all stages of development. Moreover, their optical clarity allows high resolution imaging of cell and molecular dynamics in the natural environment of the intact embryo. We are using a live imaging approach to analyze cell behaviors during neural crest cell migration and the outgrowth and guidance of neuronal axons.
Live imaging is particularly useful for understanding mechanisms that regulate cell motility processes. To visualize details of cell motility, such as protrusive activity and molecular dynamics, it is advantageous to label individual cells. In zebrafish, plasmid DNA injection yields a transient mosaic expression pattern and offers distinct benefits over other cell labeling methods. For example, transgenic lines often label entire cell populations and thus may obscure visualization of the fine protrusions (or changes in molecular distribution) in a single cell. In addition, injection of DNA at the one-cell stage is less invasive and more precise than dye injections at later stages.
Here we describe a method for labeling individual developing neurons or neural crest cells and imaging their behavior in vivo. We inject plasmid DNA into 1-cell stage embryos, which results in mosaic transgene expression. The vectors contain cell-specific promoters that drive expression of a gene of interest in a subset of sensory neurons or neural crest cells. We provide examples of cells labeled with membrane targeted GFP or with a biosensor probe that allows visualization of F-actin in living cells1.
Erica Andersen, Namrata Asuri, and Matthew Clay contributed equally to this work.

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Live Imaging of Cell Motility and Actin Cytoskeleton of Individual Neurons and Neural Crest Cells in Zebrafish Embryos at JoVE.com

Live Imaging of Cell Motility and Actin Cytoskeleton of Individual Neurons and Neural Crest Cells in Zebrafish Embryos

This protocol describes imaging of individual neurons or neural crest cells in living zebrafish embryos. This method is used to examine cellular behaviors and actin localization using fluorescence confocal time-lapse microscopy.

The zebrafish is an ideal model for imaging cell behaviors during development in vivo. Zebrafish embryos are externally fertilized and thus easily ...

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