To begin, inject the mouse with AAV-associated vectors into the mouse brain. After three to four weeks of virus injection, shave the ventral and back areas of the neck of an anesthetized mouse. Clean the shaved areas using three iodine scrubs in rotation with 70%ethanol solution.
Make a ventral incision in the skin between the shoulder blades. Afterward, place surgical gauze over the incision and position the animal in a supine state, with its head facing toward the surgeon. Then make a small vertical incision on the right side of the neck, above the clavicle, to expose the right carotid artery and jugular vein.
After separating the subcutaneous tissue, expose the right external jugular vein and place the suture under the vein. Tie off the distal end of the jugular vein to halt the blood flow. Using micro forceps and scissors, make a small incision in the collapsed vein.
Now, insert the venous catheter with the bevel facing downward, and move it proximally towards the superior vena cava until it reaches the right atrium. Using a 7-0 silk suture, secure the catheter to the vessel. Dissect the connective tissues to expose the right common carotid artery.
Proximally, pre-place two 7-0 silk sutures'suture loops that remain unfastened at the level where the internal and external carotid arteries divide. To stop the blood flow temporarily, pull a pre-placed suture loop. Then, using micro scissors or a 27-gauge needle, create a small opening on the vessel wall.
Insert the arterial catheter proximally while releasing the suture loop, and advance the catheter to reach the aorta arch, without touching the aortic valve. Use the two pre-placed sutures to fasten the catheter to the vessel. Tunnel all catheters subcutaneously, exteriorize them at the back of the neck via the pre-cut incision, and close the ventral incision.
Join the catheters to the venous or arterial ports of the silicone-coated tubing connector made from 25-gauge needle tubing. After closing the ventral incision, secure the connector subcutaneously when the back skin is sealed with sutures. Using stainless steel surgical wires, fill the catheters with heparinized saline and tightly plug the ends of the catheters.
To attach the animal on an automated blood collection system 24 hours postsurgery, connect the tether hook to the metal ring on the back of the neck and connect the arterial line. Once the arterial catheter is connected to the injection line, attach the venous catheters to the sampling lines. Set the injection time and dose at 0.5 milligrams per kilogram at 500 microliters per minute.
Set the blood sampling time and frequency, including the sample dilution with saline. The system will automatically replenish an equal amount of saline to replace the sampled blood. Perform automated pre-injection.
Next, perform an automated intravenous injection of the drug clozapine N-oxide at an injection rate of 500 microliters per minute. Then perform post-injection blood sampling. Luteinizing hormone patterns in adult Kiss1-EYFP females that received a unilateral stereotaxic injection of AAV-hM3Dq-mCherry in the arcuate nucleus are presented.
Diestrus luteinizing hormone levels are generally low, but variations are usually observed because of its pulsatile release. A sharp rise in luteinizing hormone levels occurs in response to clozapine N-oxide injection. Most mCherry neurons co-localized with Kiss1-EYFP demonstrated that the viral and neuronal activation is specific to the targeted population.
A luteinizing hormone pulsatile pattern of release in diestrus wild-type mice, followed by the response to an IP injection of Kisspeptin-10, is shown. Clear luteinizing hormone pulses, typical for a female in diestrus, were observed, showing low basal luteinizing hormone levels. An immediate and robust increase in luteinizing hormone was detected in response to Kisspeptin administration.
