Name: light-sheet fluorescence microscopy for the study of the murine heart
Uploaded: 2018-09-15T14:00:00
Description: Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Light-sheet Fluorescence Microscopy for the Study of the Murine Heart at JoVE.com

The authors would like to express gratitude to Thao Nguyen and Atsushi Nakano from UCLA for providing the mice sample to image. This study was supported by grants NIH HL118650 (to Tzung K. Hsiai), HL083015 (to Tzung K. Hsiai), HD069305 (to N. C. Chi and Tzung K. Hsiai.), HL111437 (to Tzung K. Hsiai and N. C. Chi), HL129727 (to Tzung K. Hsiai), and University of Texas System STARS funding (to Juhyun Lee).

All the procedures involving the use of animals have been approved by the Institutional Review Committees (IACUC) at the University of California, Los Angeles, California.
1. Imaging System Setup
Note: See Figure 1 and Figure 2.
<ol>
	<li>Retrieve a continuous wave (CW) laser with 3 wavelengths: 405 nm, 473 nm, and 532 nm. Place 2 mirrors (M1 and M2) 150 mm apart and align them with their mirror planes at...

<ol>
	<li>Richardson, D. S., Lichtman, J. W. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Clarifying+tissue+clearing.">Clarifying tissue clearing.</a> Cell. 162 (2), 246-257 (2015).</li><li>Lee, J., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=4-Dimensional+light-sheet+microscopy+to+elucidate+shear+stress+modulation+of+cardiac+trabeculation.">4-Dimensional light-sheet microscopy to elucidate shear stress modulation of cardiac trabeculation.</a> Journal of Clinical Investigation. 126 (5), 1679-1690 (2016).</li><li>Huisken, J., Swoger, J., Del Bene, F., Wittbrodt, J., Stelzer, E. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Optical+sectioning+deep+inside+live+embryos+by+selective+plane+illumination+microscopy.">Optical sectioning deep inside live embryos by selective plane illumination microscopy.</a> Science. 305 (5686), 1007-1009 (2004).</li><li>Huisken, J., Stainier, D. Y. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Selective+plane+illumination+microscopy+techniques+in+developmental+biology.">Selective plane illumination microscopy techniques in developmental biology.</a> Development. 136 (12), 1963-1975 (2009).</li><li>Bakkers, J. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Zebrafish+as+a+model+to+study+cardiac+development+and+human+cardiac+disease.">Zebrafish as a model to study cardiac development and human cardiac disease.</a> Cardiovascular Research. 91 (2), 279-288 (2011).</li><li>High, F. A., Epstein, J. A. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=The+multifaceted+role+of+Notch+in+cardiac+development+and+disease.">The multifaceted role of Notch in cardiac development and disease.</a> Nature Reviews Genetics. 9 (1), 49-61 (2008).</li><li>Sachinidis, A. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Cardiac+specific+differentiation+of+mouse+embryonic+stem+cells.">Cardiac specific differentiation of mouse embryonic stem cells.</a> Cardiovascular Research. 58 (2), 278-291 (2003).</li><li>Ding, Y., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Light-sheet+fluorescence+imaging+to+localize+cardiac+lineage+and+protein+distribution.">Light-sheet fluorescence imaging to localize cardiac lineage and protein distribution.</a> Scientific Reports. 7, 42209 (2017).</li><li>Tomer, R., Ye, L., Hsueh, B., Deisseroth, K. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Advanced+CLARITY+for+rapid+and+high-resolution+imaging+of+intact+tissues.">Advanced CLARITY for rapid and high-resolution imaging of intact tissues.</a> Nature Protocols. 9 (7), 1682-1697 (2014).</li><li>Robbins, N., Thompson, A., Mann, A., Blomkalns, A. L. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Isolation+and+excision+of+murine+aorta;+a+versatile+technique+in+the+study+of+cardiovascular+disease.">Isolation and excision of murine aorta; a versatile technique in the study of cardiovascular disease.</a> Journal of Visualized Experiments. (93), e52172 (2014).</li><li>National Heart, L., Blood Institute, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=.">.</a> Standard Operating Procedures (SOP's) for Duchenne Animal Models. , (2015).</li><li>Sung, K., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Simplified+three-dimensional+tissue+clearing+and+incorporation+of+colorimetric+phenotyping.">Simplified three-dimensional tissue clearing and incorporation of colorimetric phenotyping.</a> Scientific Reports. 6, 30736 (2016).</li><li>Yuan, Z., Qiao, C., Hu, P., Li, J., Xiao, X. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=A+versatile+adeno-associated+virus+vector+producer+cell+line+method+for+scalable+vector+production+of+different+serotypes.">A versatile adeno-associated virus vector producer cell line method for scalable vector production of different serotypes.</a> Human Gene Therapy. 22 (5), 613-624 (2011).</li><li>FEI, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=.">.</a> Amira User's Guide. , 59-138 (2017).</li><li>Gao, L., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Noninvasive+imaging+of+3D+dynamics+in+thickly+fluorescent+specimens+beyond+the+diffraction+limit.">Noninvasive imaging of 3D dynamics in thickly fluorescent specimens beyond the diffraction limit.</a> Cell. 151 (6), 1370-1385 (2012).</li><li>Truong, T. V., Supatto, W., Koos, D. S., Choi, J. M., Fraser, S. E. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Deep+and+fast+live+imaging+with+two-photon+scanned+light-sheet+microscopy.">Deep and fast live imaging with two-photon scanned light-sheet microscopy.</a> Nature Methods. 8 (9), 757-760 (2011).</li><li>Ding, Y., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Integrating+light-sheet+imaging+with+virtual+reality+to+recapitulate+developmental+cardiac+mechanics.">Integrating light-sheet imaging with virtual reality to recapitulate developmental cardiac mechanics.</a> JCI Insight. 2 (22), (2017).</li></ol>

The LSFM system and technique described here utilizes a dual-sided illumination beam combined with an optical clearing to image the mouse heart at post-natal and adult stages of its development. A traditional single illumination beam suffers from photon scattering and absorption through thicker and larger tissue samples1,3. The dual-sided beams provide a more even illumination of the sample, thereby minimizing the effect of striping and other artifacts that are o...

Light-sheet fluorescence microscopy was a technique first developed in 1903 and is used today as a method to study gene expression and also to produce 3-D or 4-D models of tissue samples1,2,3. This imaging method uses a thin sheet of light to illuminate a single plane of a sample so that only that plane is captured by the detector. The sample can then be moved in the axial-direction to capture each layer, one section at a time, and render a 3-D model after the post-processing of the acquired images4. However, due to the absorption and scattering of photons, LSFM has been limited to samples that are either a few microns thick or are optically transparent1.
The limitations of LSFM have led to extensive studies of organisms that have tissues that are optically transparent, such as the zebrafish. Studies involving cardiac development and differentiation are often conducted on zebrafish since there are conserved genes between humans and zebrafish5,6. Although these studies have led to advances in cardiac research related to cardiomyopathies6,7, there is still a need to conduct similar research on higher-level organisms such as mammals.
Mammalian cardiac tissue presents a challenge due to the thickness and opacity of the tissue, the absorption due to hemoglobin in red blood cells, and the striping that occurs due to single-sided illumination of the sample under traditional LSFM methods1,8. To compensate for these limitations, we proposed to use dual-sided illumination and a simplified version of the CLARITY technique9 combined with a refractive index matching solution (RIMS). Therefore, this system allows for the imaging of a sample that is greater than 10 x 10 x 10 mm3 while maintaining a good quality resolution in the axial and lateral planes8.
This system was first calibrated using fluorescent beads arranged in different configurations within the glass tubing. Then, the system was used to image post-natal and adult murine hearts. First, the post-natal mouse heart was imaged at 7 days (P7) to reveal the ventricular cavity, the thickness of the ventricular wall, the valve structures, and the presence of trabeculation. Secondly, a study was conducted to identify cells that would differentiate into cardiomyocytes by using a post-natal mouse heart at 1 day (P1) with Cre-labeled cardiomyocytes and yellow fluorescent protein (YFP). Finally, adult mice at 7.5 months were imaged to observe the presence of renal outer medullary potassium (ROMK) channels after gene therapy8.

<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="width:967px;" width="967">
	<tbody>
		<tr height="40">
			<td height="40" style="height:40px;width:247px;">CW Laser</td>
			<td style="width:136px;">Laserglow Technologies</td>
			<td style="width:393px;">LMM-GBV1-PF3-00300-05</td>
			<td style="width:191px;">Excitation of fluorophores</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="40">
			<td height="40" style="height:40px;width:247px;">Neutral density filter</td>
			<td style="width:136px;">Thorlabs</td>
			<td style="width:393px;">NDC-50C-4M</td>
			<td style="width:191px;">Controls amount of light entering system</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="40">
			<td height="40" style="height:40px;width:247px;">Achromatic beam expander</td>
			<td style="width:136px;">Thorlabs</td>
			<td style="width:393px;">GBE05-A</td>
			<td style="width:191px;">Expands the beam of light</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="40">
			<td height="40" style="height:40px;width:247px;">Mechanical slit</td>
			<td style="width:136px;">Thorlabs</td>
			<td style="width:393px;">VA100C</td>
			<td style="width:191px;">Controls width of beam</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="40">
			<td height="40" style="height:40px;width:247px;">Beam splitter</td>
			<td style="width:136px;">Thorlabs</td>
			<td style="width:393px;">BS013</td>
			<td style="width:191px;">Forms dual-illumination beam</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="40">
			<td height="40" style="height:40px;width:247px;">Stereo microscope with 1X objective lense</td>
			<td style="width:136px;">Olympus</td>
			<td style="width:393px;">MVX10</td>
			<td style="width:191px;">Used for observation of sample</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="40">
			<td height="40" style="height:40px;width:247px;">ORCA-Flash4.0 LT sCMOS camera</td>
			<td style="width:136px;">Hamamatsu Photonics</td>
			<td style="width:393px;">C11440-42U</td>
			<td style="width:191px;">Used to capture Images</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="40">
			<td height="40" style="height:40px;width:247px;">Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS)</td>
			<td style="width:136px;">Stratasys</td>
			<td style="width:393px;">uPrint</td>
			<td style="width:191px;">Material used to 3-D print a sample holder</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="40">
			<td height="40" style="height:40px;width:247px;">Fluorescent polystyrene beads</td>
			<td style="width:136px;">Spherotech Inc</td>
			<td style="width:393px;">PP-05-10</td>
			<td style="width:191px;">Used for imaging system calibration</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="40">
			<td height="40" style="height:40px;width:247px;">Borosilicate glass tubing</td>
			<td style="width:136px;">Corning</td>
			<td style="width:393px;">Pyrex 7740</td>
			<td style="width:191px;">Tubing for sample embedding</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="40">
			<td height="40" style="height:40px;width:247px;">Glycerol</td>
			<td style="width:136px;">Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td style="width:393px;">BP229-4</td>
			<td style="width:191px;">Fill for sample chamber</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="40">
			<td height="40" style="height:40px;width:247px;">Phosphate-buffered saline</td>
			<td style="width:136px;">Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td style="width:393px;">BP39920</td>
			<td style="width:191px;">Rinse solution for mouse hearts</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="40">
			<td height="40" style="height:40px;width:247px;">Paraformaldehyde</td>
			<td style="width:136px;">Electron microscopy sciences</td>
			<td style="width:393px;">RT-15700</td>
			<td style="width:191px;">First incubation solution</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="80">
			<td height="80" style="height:80px;width:247px;">Acrylamide</td>
			<td style="width:136px;">Wako Chemicals</td>
			<td style="width:393px;">AAL-107</td>
			<td style="width:191px;">Mixed with 2,2&#39;-Azobis dihydrochloride for second incubation solution for mouse hearts</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="60">
			<td height="60" style="height:60px;width:247px;">2,2&#39;-Azobis dihydrochloride</td>
			<td style="width:136px;">Wako Chemicals</td>
			<td style="width:393px;">VA-044</td>
			<td style="width:191px;">Mixed with Acrylamide for second incubation solution for mouse hearts</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="60">
			<td height="60" style="height:60px;width:247px;">Sodium dodecyl sulfate&#160;</td>
			<td style="width:136px;">Sigma Aldrich</td>
			<td style="width:393px;">71725</td>
			<td style="width:191px;">Mixed with Boric acid for third incubtion solution for mouse hearts</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="60">
			<td height="60" style="height:60px;width:247px;">Boric acid</td>
			<td style="width:136px;">Fischer Scientific</td>
			<td style="width:393px;">A74-1</td>
			<td style="width:191px;">Mixed with Sodium dodecyl sulfate for third incubtion solution for mouse hearts</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="80">
			<td height="80" style="height:80px;width:247px;">Sigma D2158</td>
			<td style="width:136px;">Sigma Aldrich</td>
			<td style="width:393px;">D2158</td>
			<td style="width:191px;">Mixed with PB, Tween-20, and Sodium azide as a refractive index matching solution</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="80">
			<td height="80" style="height:80px;width:247px;">Tween-20</td>
			<td style="width:136px;">Sigma Aldrich</td>
			<td>11332465001</td>
			<td style="width:191px;">Mixed with Sigma D2158, PB, and Sodium azide as a refractive index matching solution</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="60">
			<td height="60" style="height:60px;width:247px;">Sodium azide</td>
			<td style="width:136px;">Sigma Aldrich</td>
			<td>S2002</td>
			<td style="width:191px;">Mixed with Sigma D2158, PB, and Tween-20 as a refractive index matching solution</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="60">
			<td height="60" style="height:60px;width:247px;">Adeno-associated virus vector 9 with a cardiac-specific Troponin T promoter tagged with GFP</td>
			<td style="width:136px;">Vector Biolabs</td>
			<td style="width:393px;">VB2045</td>
			<td style="width:191px;">Expresses GFP when bound to ROMK</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="60">
			<td height="60" style="height:60px;width:247px;">DC Servo Motor Actuator</td>
			<td style="width:136px;">Thorlabs</td>
			<td style="width:393px;">Z825B</td>
			<td style="width:191px;">Used for movement of sample in axial direction within light sheet</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="60">
			<td height="60" style="height:60px;width:247px;">K-Cube Brushed DC Servo Motor Controller</td>
			<td style="width:136px;">Thorlabs</td>
			<td style="width:393px;">KDC101</td>
			<td style="width:191px;">Connects to motor actuator and controls movement of the actuator</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="60">
			<td height="60" style="height:60px;width:247px;">Amira</td>
			<td style="width:136px;">FEI Software</td>
			<td style="width:393px;">N/A</td>
			<td style="width:191px;">Visualization software for producing 2-D and 3-D images</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

light-sheet fluorescence microscopy for the study of the murine heart

Light-sheet fluorescence microscopy has been widely used for rapid image acquisition with a high axial resolution from micrometer to millimeter scale. Traditional light-sheet techniques involve the use of a single illumination beam directed orthogonally at sample tissue. Images of large samples that are produced using a single illumination beam contain stripes or artifacts and suffer from a reduced resolution due to the scattering and absorption of light by the tissue. This study uses a dual-sided illumination beam and a simplified CLARITY optical clearing technique for the murine heart. These techniques allow for deeper imaging by removing lipids from the heart and produce a large field of imaging, greater than 10 x 10 x 10 mm3. As a result, this strategy enables us to quantify the ventricular dimensions, track the cardiac lineage, and localize the spatial distribution of cardiac-specific proteins and ion-channels from the post-natal to adult mouse hearts with sufficient contrast and resolution.

The technique described here used a dual-sided illumination beam combined with an optical clearing of mouse heart tissue samples to achieve a deeper imaging depth and a larger imaging volume with sufficient imaging resolution (Figure 1). To calibrate the system, fluorescent beads were placed inside the glass tubing and within the imaging system. The beads were then imaged and visualized in the x-y plane, y-z plane, and in the x-z plane, to obtain the point sp...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Light-sheet Fluorescence Microscopy for the Study of the Murine Heart at JoVE.com

Light-sheet Fluorescence Microscopy for the Study of the Murine Heart

This study uses a dual-sided illumination light-sheet fluorescence microscopy (LSFM) technique combined with optical clearing to study the murine heart.

Light-sheet fluorescence microscopy has been widely used for rapid image acquisition with a high axial resolution from micrometer to millimeter scale. ...

Research

JoVE Journal

Bioengineering

Design of a Cyclic Pressure Bioreactor for the Ex Vivo Study of Aortic Heart Valves

Design of a Cyclic Pressure Bioreactor for the Ex Vivo Study of Aortic Heart Valves

The aortic valve, located between the left ventricle and the aorta, allows for unidirectional blood flow, preventing backflow into the ventricle. Aortic ...

Patient-specific Modeling of the Heart: Estimation of Ventricular Fiber Orientations

Patient-specific  simulations of heart (dys)function aimed at personalizing cardiac therapy are hampered  by the absence of in vivo imaging technology for ...

Creating Adhesive and Soluble Gradients for Imaging Cell Migration with Fluorescence Microscopy

Cells can sense and migrate towards higher concentrations of adhesive cues such as the glycoproteins of the extracellular matrix and soluble cues such as ...

3D Orbital Tracking in a Modified Two-photon Microscope: An Application to the Tracking of Intracellular Vesicles

The objective of this video protocol is to discuss how to perform and analyze a three-dimensional fluorescent orbital particle tracking experiment using a ...

Light-sheet Fluorescence Microscopy to Capture 4-Dimensional Images of the Effects of Modulating Shear Stress on the Developing Zebrafish Heart

The hemodynamic forces experienced by the heart influence cardiac development, especially trabeculation, which forms a network of branching outgrowths ...

Visualizing Adhesion Formation in Cells by Means of Advanced Spinning Disk-Total Internal Reflection Fluorescence Microscopy

In living cells, processes such as adhesion formation involve extensive structural changes in the plasma membrane and the cell interior. In order to ...

Intra-cardiac Side-Firing Light Catheter for Monitoring Cellular Metabolism using Transmural Absorbance Spectroscopy of Perfused Mammalian Hearts

Absorbance spectroscopy of cardiac muscle provides non-destructive assessment of cytosolic and mitochondrial oxygenation via myoglobin and cytochrome ...

Biaxial Mechanical Characterizations of Atrioventricular Heart Valves

Extensive biaxial mechanical testing of the atrioventricular heart valve leaflets can be utilized to derive&#160;optimal parameters used in constitutive ...

A Quantitative Fluorescence Microscopy-based Single Liposome Assay for Detecting the Compositional Inhomogeneity Between Individual Liposomes

Most research employing liposomes as membrane model systems or drug delivery carriers relies on bulk read-out techniques and thus intrinsically assumes ...

Transplantation of a 3D Bioprinted Patch in a Murine Model of Myocardial Infarction

Testing regenerative properties of 3D bioprinted cardiac patches in vivo using murine models of heart failure via permanent left anterior descending (LAD) ...