Name: in vivo monitoring of circadian clock gene expression in the mouse suprachiasmatic nucleus using fluorescence reporters
Uploaded: 2018-07-04T12:30:00
Description: Watch this Scientific Journal Video about In Vivo Monitoring of Circadian Clock Gene Expression in the Mouse Suprachiasmatic Nucleus Using Fluorescence Reporters at JoVE.com

We thank members in the Zhang lab for providing stimulating discussions and members in the Zhan lab for providing technical assistance. This research was supported by grants 31500860 (to C.Z.) of the NSFC, 2012CB837700 (to E.E.Z. and C.Z.) of the 973 Program from the M.O.S.T. of China, and by funding from the Beijing Municipal Government. E.E.Z. was supported by the Chinese &#34;Recruitment Program of Global Youth Experts&#34;.

All procedures in this protocol were conducted with the approval of the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) of the National Institute of Biological Sciences, Beijing, in accordance with the governmental regulations of China.
1. Construction of the Cry1 Fluorescence Reporter
Note: Previous circadian studies using the bioluminescence system2,12,13 fuse ...

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In contrast to ex vivo methods, such as slice culture4,5, RT-PCR16, and in situ hybridization17, which require that animals be killed, the in vivo recording method allows investigators to study circadian gene expression in a living animal. As such, this technology provides the ability to evaluate the effect of different physical perturbations (e.g., sleep deprivation, stress, food...

In mammals, the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) governs the whole body&#39;s circadian rhythm to coordinate an individual&#39;s response to exogenous environmental changes (e.g., light, temperature, stress, etc.)1. Core clock components consist of Per1-3, Cry1-2, Clock, and Bmal1, and play a central role in regulating the circadian clock of each cell. Each cell in the SCN contains the transcriptional activator, CLOCK/BMAL1, which acts as a heterodimer to induce the expression of PER and CRY. The PER/CRY complex then inhibits the function of CLOCK/BMAL1 to form a transcription-translation feedback loop that takes about 24 h to complete2,3.
Previous studies on the SCN have mainly employed the ex vivo SCN slice culture method4,5,6 and, while this approach has provided valuable information, its limitations have inhibited our ability to obtain data regarding the influence of other brain nuclei on the SCN, as well as the effect of exogenous stimuli (e.g., light) on cells residing in this critical region. In 2001, Hitoshi Okamura&#39;s group was the first to use the bioluminescence system to in vivo monitor circadian clock gene expression in the SCN in freely moving mice7. Ken-ichi Honma&#39;s group has spent the past few years further developing the bioluminescence in vivo recording system in the SCN8,9,10. Together, these studies have provided researchers with the ability to monitor the circadian clock in constant darkness or after a light pulse. However, because bioluminescence is too dim to allow for continuous monitoring during the light/dark cycle, coupled with the fact that light is the predominant signal required for the SCN-mediated entrainment of circadian clocks11, there is increasing demand for the development of experimental methods which overcome the limitations associated with bioluminescence recording. The current report describes a fluorescence-based system which was constructed to monitor the circadian clock of the SCN in vivo in freely moving mice. This easy-to-use method permits continuous monitoring during the light/dark cycle and allows for the long-term observation of the transcription of circadian clock genes in the SCN in real-time and at high temporal resolution.

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in vivo monitoring of circadian clock gene expression in the mouse suprachiasmatic nucleus using fluorescence reporters

This technique combines optical fiber mediated fluorescence recordings with the precise delivery of recombinant adeno-associated virus based gene reporters. This new and easy to use in vivo fluorescence monitoring system was developed to record the transcriptional rhythm of the clock gene, Cry1, in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) of freely moving mice. To do so, a Cry1 transcription fluorescence reporter was designed and packaged into Adeno-associated virus. Purified, concentrated virus was injected into the mouse SCN followed by the insertion of an optic fiber, which was then fixed onto the surface of the brain. The animals were returned to their home cages and allowed a 1-month post-operative recovery period to ensure sufficient reporter expression. Fluorescence was then recorded in freely moving mice via an in vivo monitoring system that was constructed at our institution. For the in vivo recording system, a 488 nm laser was coupled with a 1 &#215; 4 beam-splitter that divided the light into four laser excitation outputs of equal power. This setup enabled us to record from four animals simultaneously. Each of the emitted fluorescence signals was collected via a photomultiplier tube and a data acquisition card. In contrast to the previous bioluminescence in vivo circadian clock recording technique, this fluorescence in vivo recording system allowed the recording of circadian clock gene expression during the light cycle.

Fluorescence reporter design of Cry1 was show in Figure 1A. Using the approach detailed above, 500 nL of rAAV-P(Cry1)-intron336-Venus-NLS-D2 was successfully injected into the SCN of an adult mouse, and exhibited robust Venus expression (Figure 1B, 1C). Fluorescence signals recorded under 12h/12h light/dark (LD) and dark/dark (DD) conditions (Figure 2) yielded robus...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about In Vivo Monitoring of Circadian Clock Gene Expression in the Mouse Suprachiasmatic Nucleus Using Fluorescence Reporters at JoVE.com

In Vivo Monitoring of Circadian Clock Gene Expression in the Mouse Suprachiasmatic Nucleus Using Fluorescence Reporters

This newly developed fluorescence-based technology enables long-term monitoring of the transcription of circadian clock genes in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) of freely moving mice in real-time and at a high temporal resolution.

In Vivo Monitoring of Circadian Clock Gene Expression in the Mouse Suprachiasmatic Nucleus Using Fluorescence Reporters

This technique combines optical fiber mediated fluorescence recordings with the precise delivery of recombinant adeno-associated virus based gene ...

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