Name: organotypic slice culture of gfp-expressing mouse embryos for real-time imaging of peripheral nerve outgrowth
Uploaded: 2011-03-29T11:00:00
Description: Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Organotypic Slice Culture of GFP-expressing Mouse Embryos for Real-time Imaging of Peripheral Nerve Outgrowth at JoVE.com

The authors acknowledge the original source for the idea to perform slice culture upon mouse embryos5. We would like to acknowledge Joachim Kirsch for generous scientific support and Anna Degen for acting as our gofer during the filming. This work was funded by the German Research Foundation (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft: Sonderforschungsbereich 488, Teilprojekt B7/B9) and the University of Heidelberg (Excellence Cluster Cellular Networks).

Part 1: Preparing for slicing and culturing.
<ol>
	<li>Prepare 10-cm tissue culture plates with slicing medium (DMEM, 25% 1x HBSS, 25% fetal bovine serum, 0.5% glucose, 1 mM glutamine, 2.5 mM HEPES, pH 7.3) and 3-cm Millicell-CM 0.4-&mu;m culture membrane inserts and keep in incubator at 37&deg;C and 5% CO2.</li>
	<li>Heat up 4% low melting point agarose in PBS in the microwave and keep it on heating plate so that it stays at approximately 37&deg;C.</li>
	<li>Fill 10-cm bacteriological Petri dishes with ...

<ol>
	<li>Tucker, K. L., Meyer, M., Barde, Y. A. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Neurotrophins+are+required+for+nerve+growth+during+development.">Neurotrophins are required for nerve growth during development.</a> Nat Neurosci. 4, 29-37 (2001).</li><li>Brachmann, I., Jakubick, V. C., Shaked, M., Unsicker, K., Tucker, K. L. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=A+simple+slice+culture+system+for+the+imaging+of+nerve+development+in+embryonic+mouse.">A simple slice culture system for the imaging of nerve development in embryonic mouse.</a> Dev Dyn. 236, 3514-3523 (2007).</li><li>Collingridge, G. L. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=The+brain+slice+preparation:+a+tribute+to+the+pioneer+Henry+McIlwain.">The brain slice preparation: a tribute to the pioneer Henry McIlwain.</a> Journal of neuroscience methods. 59, 5-9 (1995).</li><li>Katz, L. C. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Local+circuitry+of+identified+projection+neurons+in+cat+visual+cortex+brain+slices.">Local circuitry of identified projection neurons in cat visual cortex brain slices.</a> J Neurosci. 7, 1223-1249 (1987).</li><li>Hotary, K. B., Landmesser, L. T., Tosney, K. W. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Embryo+slices.">Embryo slices.</a> Methods Cell Biol. 51, 109-124 (1996).</li></ol>

In an extensive comparison of methods to prepare embryonic slice cultures of mid-gestation mouse embryos (E10 - E12), we have observed that a vibratome produces without question the most reliable results with respect to both the overall viability of the cultures and the reproducibility of the nerve outgrowth patterns. In contrast, slices prepared using a McIlwain tissue chopper3 proved to be completely inviable. We originally employed a guillotine method4, in which an entire litter of embryos could ...

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		<div>
		<table border="1">
		<thead>
		<tr>
		<th>Material Name</th>
		<th>Type</th>
		<th>Company</th>
		<th>Catalogue Number</th>
		<th>Comment</th>
		</tr>
		</thead>
		<tbody>
		
<tr>
<td>HBSS 10x</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<td>GIBCO</td>
<td>14180</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<tr>
<td>Dissection tools</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<td>FST</td>
<td>various</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<tr>
<td>L.M.P. agarose</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<td>Invitrogen</td>
<td>15517-022</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<tr>
<td>Whatmann paper</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<td>Whatman Int.</td>
<td>3030917</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<tr>
<td>Shortened firepolished pipettes</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<tr>
<td>DMEM</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<td>GIBCO</td>
<td>41966</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<tr>
<td>FBS</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<td>GIBCO</td>
<td>10270-106</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<tr>
<td>Pen Strep</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<td>GIBCO</td>
<td>15140</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<tr>
<td>L-glutamine 100x</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<td>GIBCO</td>
<td>25030</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<tr>
<td>Vibratome</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<td>Microm International GmbH</td>
<td>HM 650 V</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<tr>
<td>Fluorescent microscope</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<td>Olympus</td>
<td>BX61WI</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<tr>
<td>analySIS</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<td>Soft Imaging System</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<tr>
<td>Millicell-CM inserts</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<td>Millipore</td>
<td>PICMORG 50</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<tr>
<td>10 cm culture plates</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<td>Greiner Bio-One</td>
<td>633171</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<tr>
<td>LOCTITE 406</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<td>Henkel</td>
<td>142580</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<tr>
<td>Razor blades</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<td>Thermo Fisher</td>
<td>none</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<tr>
<td>Dissecting microscope</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<td>Nikon</td>
<td>SMZ800</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<tr>
<td>HEPES</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<td>Roth</td>
<td>9105.2</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<tr>
<td>Glucose</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<td>Sigma</td>
<td>G7021</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<tr>
<td>x4 objective</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<td>Olympus</td>
<td>PL series</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<tr>
<td>x10 objective</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<td>Olympus</td>
<td>UPLFL &#x2013;PH series</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<tr>
<td>Filter</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<td>Olympus</td>
<td>U-MNIBA2</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<tr>
<td>CCD camera</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<td>Soft Imaging System</td>
<td>SIS F-View II</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<tr>
<td>Equipment for heated chamber</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
<td>Leica</td>
<td>CTI-Controller 3700 and incubator S #11531171</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>		</tbody>
		</table>
		</div>

organotypic slice culture of gfp-expressing mouse embryos for real-time imaging of peripheral nerve outgrowth

For many purposes, the cultivation of mouse embryos ex vivo as organotypic slices is desirable. For example, we employ a transgenic mouse line (tauGFP) in which the enhanced version of the green fluorescent protein (EGFP) is exclusively expressed in all neurons of the developing central and peripheral nervous system1, allowing the possibility to both film the innervation of the forelimb and to manipulate this process with pharmacological and genetic techniques2. The most critical parameter in the successful cultivation of such slice cultures is the method by which the slices are prepared. After extensive testing of a variety of methods, we have found that a vibratome is the best possible device to slice the embryos such that they routinely result in a culture that demonstrates viability over a period of several days, and most importantly, develops in an age-specific manner. For mid-gestation embryos, this includes the normal outgrowth of spinal nerves from the spinal cord and the dorsal root ganglia to their targets in the periphery and the proper determination of skeletal and muscle tissue. 
In this work, we present a method for processing whole embryos of embryonic day (E) E10 to E12 into 300 - 400 micrometer slices for cultivation in a standard tissue culture incubator, which can be studied for up to two days after slice preparation. Critical for the success of this approach is the use of a vibratome to slice each agarose-embedded embryo. This is followed by the cultivation of the slices upon Millicell culture membrane inserts placed upon a small volume of medium, resulting in an interface culture technique. One litter with an average of 7 embryos routinely produces at least 14 slices (2-3 slices of the forelimb region per embryo), which varies slightly due to the age of the embryos as well as to the thickness of the slices. About 80% of the cultured slices show nerve outgrowth, which can be measured througout the culturing period2. Representative results using the tauGFP mouse line are demonstrated.

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Organotypic Slice Culture of GFP-expressing Mouse Embryos for Real-time Imaging of Peripheral Nerve Outgrowth at JoVE.com

Organotypic Slice Culture of GFP-expressing Mouse Embryos for Real-time Imaging of Peripheral Nerve Outgrowth

We present a method to prepare organotypic slices of mid-gestation mouse embryos for the cultivation and time-lapse imaging of peripheral nerve outgrowth.

For many purposes, the cultivation of mouse embryos ex vivo as organotypic slices is desirable. For example, we employ a transgenic mouse line (tauGFP) in ...

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