Name: purkinje cell survival in organotypic cerebellar slice cultures
Uploaded: 2019-12-18T12:00:00
Description: Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Purkinje Cell Survival in Organotypic Cerebellar Slice Cultures at JoVE.com

Imaging work was performed at the Northwestern University Center for Advanced Microscopy generously supported by NCI CCSG P30 CA060553 awarded to the Robert H Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center. We thank Sean McDermott for his technical assistance and support, and Maya Epstein for the hand-drawn illustrations shown in Figure 1.

All experiments involving animals were performed in accordance with Northwestern University Animal Studies committee.
1. Preparation prior to organotypic cerebellar slice cultures
<ol>
	<li>In a cell culture hood sprayed with 70% ethanol beforehand, prepare 200 mL of culture medium in a 250 mL bottle-top vacuum filter attached to a sterile bottle receiver. Add 100 mL of Basal Medium Eagle (BME), 50 mL of Hanks&#39; Balanced Salt Solution (HBSS), 50 mL of heat-inactivated horse serum, 1 mL of...

<ol>
	<li>Humpel, C. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Organotypic+brain+slice+cultures:+A+review.">Organotypic brain slice cultures: A review.</a> Neuroscience. 305, 86-98 (2015).</li><li>Gahwiler, B. H. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Organotypic+monolayer+cultures+of+nervous+tissue.">Organotypic monolayer cultures of nervous tissue.</a> Journal of Neuroscience Methods. 4 (4), 329-342 (1981).</li><li>Yamamoto, N., Kurotani, T., Toyama, K. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Neural+connections+between+the+lateral+geniculate+nucleus+and+visual+cortex+in+vitro.">Neural connections between the lateral geniculate nucleus and visual cortex in vitro.</a> Science. 245 (4914), 192-194 (1989).</li><li>Dusart, I., Airaksinen, M. S., Sotelo, C. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Purkinje+cell+survival+and+axonal+regeneration+are+age+dependent:+an+in+vitro+study.">Purkinje cell survival and axonal regeneration are age dependent: an in vitro study.</a> Journal of Neuroscience. 17 (10), 3710-3726 (1997).</li><li>Wiegreffe, C., Feldmann, S., Gaessler, S., Britsch, S. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Time-lapse+Confocal+Imaging+of+Migrating+Neurons+in+Organotypic+Slice+Culture+of+Embryonic+Mouse+Brain+Using+In+Utero+Electroporation.">Time-lapse Confocal Imaging of Migrating Neurons in Organotypic Slice Culture of Embryonic Mouse Brain Using In Utero Electroporation.</a> Journal of Visualized Experiments. 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M., 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=Mifepristone+(RU486)+protects+Purkinje+cells+from+cell+death+in+organotypic+slice+cultures+of+postnatal+rat+and+mouse+cerebellum.">Mifepristone (RU486) protects Purkinje cells from cell death in organotypic slice cultures of postnatal rat and mouse cerebellum.</a> Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 100 (13), 7953-7958 (2003).</li><li>Labombarda, F., 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=Neuroprotection+by+steroids+after+neurotrauma+in+organotypic+spinal+cord+cultures:+a+key+role+for+progesterone+receptors+and+steroidal+modulators+of+GABA(A)+receptors.">Neuroprotection by steroids after neurotrauma in organotypic spinal cord cultures: a key role for progesterone receptors and steroidal modulators of GABA(A) receptors.</a> Neuropharmacology. 71, 46-55 (2013).</li><li>Gao, P., 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=P2X7+receptor-sensitivity+of+astrocytes+and+neurons+in+the+substantia+gelatinosa+of+organotypic+spinal+cord+slices+of+the+mouse+depends+on+the+length+of+the+culture+period.">P2X7 receptor-sensitivity of astrocytes and neurons in the substantia gelatinosa of organotypic spinal cord slices of the mouse depends on the length of the culture period.</a> Neuroscience. , 195-207 (2017).</li><li>Sundstrom, L., Morrison, B., Bradley, M., Pringle, A. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Organotypic+cultures+as+tools+for+functional+screening+in+the+CNS.">Organotypic cultures as tools for functional screening in the CNS.</a> Drug Discovery Today. 10 (14), 993-1000 (2005).</li><li>Jankowski, J., Miething, A., Schilling, K., Baader, S. 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I., Sotelo, C., Dusart, I. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Inhibition+of+protein+kinase+C+prevents+Purkinje+cell+death+but+does+not+affect+axonal+regeneration.">Inhibition of protein kinase C prevents Purkinje cell death but does not affect axonal regeneration.</a> Journal of Neuroscience. 22 (9), 3531-3542 (2002).</li><li>Ghoumari, A. M., 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=Neuroprotective+effect+of+mifepristone+involves+neuron+depolarization.">Neuroprotective effect of mifepristone involves neuron depolarization.</a> FASEB Journal. 20 (9), 1377-1386 (2006).</li><li>Repici, M., Wehrle, R., Antoniou, X., Borsello, T., Dusart, I. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=c-Jun+N-terminal+kinase+(JNK)+and+p38+play+different+roles+in+age-related+Purkinje+cell+death+in+murine+organotypic+culture.">c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) and p38 play different roles in age-related Purkinje cell death in murine organotypic culture.</a> Cerebellum. 10 (2), 281-290 (2011).</li><li>Rakotomamonjy, J., Ghoumari, A. M. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Brain-Derived+Neurotrophic+Factor+Is+Required+for+the+Neuroprotective+Effect+of+Mifepristone+on+Immature+Purkinje+Cells+in+Cerebellar+Slice+Culture.">Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Is Required for the Neuroprotective Effect of Mifepristone on Immature Purkinje Cells in Cerebellar Slice Culture.</a> International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 20 (2), (2019).</li><li>Stoppini, L., Buchs, P. A., Muller, D. <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+method+for+organotypic+cultures+of+nervous+tissue.">A simple method for organotypic cultures of nervous tissue.</a> Journal of Neuroscience Methods. 37 (2), 173-182 (1991).</li><li>Linkert, M., 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=Metadata+matters:+access+to+image+data+in+the+real+world.">Metadata matters: access to image data in the real world.</a> Journal of Cell Biology. 189 (5), 777-782 (2010).</li><li>Uesaka, N., 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=Organotypic+coculture+preparation+for+the+study+of+developmental+synapse+elimination+in+mammalian+brain.">Organotypic coculture preparation for the study of developmental synapse elimination in mammalian brain.</a> Journal of Neuroscience. 32 (34), 11657-11670 (2012).</li><li>Falsig, 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=Prion+pathogenesis+is+faithfully+reproduced+in+cerebellar+organotypic+slice+cultures.">Prion pathogenesis is faithfully reproduced in cerebellar organotypic slice cultures.</a> PLoS Pathogens. 8 (11), 1002985 (2012).</li><li>Bouslama-Oueghlani, L., Wehrle, R., Sotelo, C., Dusart, I. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=The+developmental+loss+of+the+ability+of+Purkinje+cells+to+regenerate+their+axons+occurs+in+the+absence+of+myelin:+an+in+vitro+model+to+prevent+myelination.">The developmental loss of the ability of Purkinje cells to regenerate their axons occurs in the absence of myelin: an in vitro model to prevent myelination.</a> Journal of Neuroscience. 23 (23), 8318-8329 (2003).</li><li>Apuschkin, M., Ougaard, M., Rekling, J. 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Cerebellar slice culture is a powerful tool to study programmed Purkinje cell death during postnatal development. This technique can be used to rapidly screen candidate molecules for their neuroprotective potential. The main advantage is that the setup is simple and very cost effective, and only requires a modest investment in equipment (a vibratome can cost up to 3 times more than a tissue chopper). Moreover, 10 to 15 healthy slices can be generated from one mouse pup, allowing for different assays to be performed in pa...

In vitro modeling is an essential tool in biomedical research. It allows investigators to study and tightly control specific mechanisms in restricted cell types, or in isolated systems/organs. Organotypic slice culture is a widely used in vitro technique, especially in the field of neuroscience1. The method was first established by G&#228;hwiler, who cultured brain slices using the roller tube technique2, and later modified by Yamamoto et al., who introduced the use of a microporous membrane to perform cortical slice cultures3. Compared to primary cell cultures, organotypic slice cultures present the advantage of preserving the cytoarchitecture of the tissue, as well as native cell-cell connections in the plane of the tissue section.
Organotypic slices have been cultured from many parts of the central nervous system, such as the hippocampus4, cortex5, striatum6, cerebellum4,7, and spinal cord8,9, among others. They have been proven to be a powerful tool in drug discovery studies10. The effects of neuroactive molecules can be assessed in many ways: survival and neurodegeneration using immunostaining and biochemistry assays, neuronal circuit formation, or disruption using electrophysiology and live-imaging.
The goal of this work is to describe a simple method to perform organotypic cerebellar slice culture, which is known to be a relevant model to mimic cerebellar development in vitro. Particularly, we focused on the study of Purkinje cell developmental death. In vivo, Purkinje cells undergo apoptosis during the first postnatal week, peaking at postnatal day 3 (P3)11. The same pattern is observed in cerebellar slice culture, with Purkinje neurons dying by apoptosis when cerebella are taken from animals between P1 and P8, with a peak at P34,12. The use of the organotypic cerebellar slice cultures has allowed to identify several neuroprotective molecules7,13, as well as understanding part of the mechanisms involved in this programmed cell death14,15,16. Here, we describe a protocol based upon the study of Stoppini et al.17 in hippocampus, and adapted to cerebellum by Dusart et al.4 It includes rapid dissection and chopping of postnatal cerebella; slicing culture onto a cell culture insert containing a microporous membrane, with or without neuroprotective treatment; and immunofluorescence staining to assess neuronal survival.

<table border="1" fo:keep-together.within-page="1" fo:keep-with-next.within-page="always">
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td>Alexa Fluor 594 Donkey anti-Mouse IgG secondary antibody</td>
			<td>ThermoFisher scientific</td>
			<td>A21203</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Basal Medium Eagle (BME)</td>
			<td>ThermoFisher scientific</td>
			<td>21010046</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Biosafety cabinet Class II, Type A2</td>
			<td>NuAire</td>
			<td>NU-540-400</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Bovine serum albumin</td>
			<td>Millipore Sigma</td>
			<td>A2153</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Brush</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>anti-Calbindin D-28K antibody (CB-955)</td>
			<td>Abcam</td>
			<td>ab82812</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>CO2 Incubator</td>
			<td>NuAire</td>
			<td>NU-5700</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Corning Costar Flat Bottom 6-well Cell Culture Plates</td>
			<td>Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>07-200-83</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Coverslips, 22 x 50 mm</td>
			<td>Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>12-545-E</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Dressing forceps, straight</td>
			<td>Harvard Apparatus</td>
			<td>72-8949</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Double edge blades</td>
			<td>Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>50949411</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Ethanol 200 proof</td>
			<td>Decon Labs, Inc</td>
			<td>2701</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Eye Scissors, straight</td>
			<td>Harvard Apparatus</td>
			<td>72-8428</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Fine forceps</td>
			<td>Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>16-100-127</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>L-Glutamine 100X</td>
			<td>ThermoFisher scientific</td>
			<td>25030149</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Glucose solution</td>
			<td>ThermoFisher scientific</td>
			<td>A2494001</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Hanks' Balanced Salt Solution</td>
			<td>ThermoFisher scientific</td>
			<td>14025092</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Hoechst 33342, Trihydrochloride, Trihydrate</td>
			<td>Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>H21492</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Horse Serum, heat inactivated, New Zealand origin</td>
			<td>ThermoFisher scientific</td>
			<td>26050088</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>ImageJ</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>McIlwain Tissue Chopper</td>
			<td>Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>NC9914528</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Microprobes</td>
			<td>Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>08-850</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Millicell Cell Culture Inserts</td>
			<td>Millipore Sigma</td>
			<td>PICM0RG50</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Nalgene Rapid-Flow Sterile Disposable Filter Units with PES Membrane, 250 mL</td>
			<td>ThermoFisher scientific</td>
			<td>168-0045</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Nikon A1R confocal laser microscope system</td>
			<td>Nikon</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>NIS-Elements Imaging Software</td>
			<td>Nikon</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Paraformaldehyde</td>
			<td>Acros Organics</td>
			<td>41678-0010</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Pasteur pipets</td>
			<td>Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>13-678-20D</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Potassium Chloride</td>
			<td>Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>BP366-500</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>ProLong Gold Antifade Mountant</td>
			<td>ThermoFisher scientific</td>
			<td>P10144</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Operating Scissors, straight</td>
			<td>Harvard Apparatus</td>
			<td>72-8403</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Orbital shaker Belly Dancer</td>
			<td>IBI Scientific</td>
			<td>BDRLS0003</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Prism 8</td>
			<td>GraphPad</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Superfrost Plus Microscope Slides</td>
			<td>Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>12-550-15</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Tissue Culture Dish, 60 mm w/ grip ring</td>
			<td>Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>FB012921</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Tissue culture plate, 24 well</td>
			<td>Falcon/Corning</td>
			<td>353047</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Transfer pipettes, sterile</td>
			<td>ThermoFisher scientific</td>
			<td>13-711-21</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Triton X-100</td>
			<td>ThermoFisher scientific</td>
			<td>BP151-500</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

purkinje cell survival in organotypic cerebellar slice cultures

Organotypic slice culture is a powerful in vitro model that mimicks in vivo conditions more closely than dissociated primary cell cultures. In early postnatal development, cerebellar Purkinje cells are known to go through a vulnerable period, during which they undergo programmed cell death. Here, we provide a detailed protocol to perform mouse organotypic cerebellar slice culture during this critical time. The slices are further labeled to assess Purkinje cell survival and the efficacy of neuroprotective treatments. This method can be extremely valuable to screen for new neuroactive molecules.

As shown in Figure 4, this protocol produces organotypic cerebellar slice cultures in which Purkinje cell survival can be assessed following the immunofluorescence and image acquisition steps. Purkinje cells were labeled with a combination of anti-Calbindin D-28K (dilution 1/200) and Alexa594 anti-mouse (dilution 1/300) antibodies. Image stitching was done automatically by the microscope acquisition software (NIS-Elements) to obtain a picture of the whole cerebellar slice. Purkinje cell numb...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Purkinje Cell Survival in Organotypic Cerebellar Slice Cultures at JoVE.com

Purkinje Cell Survival in Organotypic Cerebellar Slice Cultures

Organotypic slice cultures are a powerful tool to study neurodevelopmental or degenerative/regenerative processes. Here, we describe a protocol that models the neurodevelopmental death of Purkinje cells in mouse cerebellar slice cultures. This method may benefit research in neuroprotective drug discovery.

Organotypic slice culture is a powerful in vitro model that mimicks in vivo conditions more closely than dissociated primary cell cultures. In early ...

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Neuroscience

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 ...

Organotypic Hippocampal Slice Cultures

The hippocampus, a component of the limbic system, plays important roles in long-term memory and spatial navigation 1. Hippocampal neurons can modify the ...

Organotypic Cerebellar Cultures: Apoptotic Challenges and Detection

Organotypic cultures of neuronal tissue were first introduced by Hogue in 1947 1,2 and have constituted a major breakthrough in the field of neuroscience. ...

Whole Cell Recording from an Organotypic Slice Preparation of Neocortex

We have been studying the expression and functional roles of voltage-gated potassium channels in pyramidal neurons from rat neocortex.  Because of the ...

Organotypic Slice Cultures of Embryonic Ventral Midbrain: A System to Study Dopaminergic Neuronal Development in vitro

Organotypic Slice Cultures of Embryonic Ventral Midbrain: A System to Study Dopaminergic Neuronal Development in vitro

The  mouse is an excellent model organism to study mammalian brain development due  to the abundance of molecular and genetic data. However, the ...

The Analysis of Purkinje Cell Dendritic Morphology in Organotypic Slice Cultures

Purkinje cells are an attractive model system for studying dendritic development, because they have an impressive dendritic tree which is strictly ...

Post-embedding Immunogold Labeling of Synaptic Proteins in Hippocampal Slice Cultures

Immunoelectron microscopy is a powerful tool to study biological molecules at the subcellular level. Antibodies coupled to electron-dense markers such as ...

Organotypic Slice Cultures to Study Oligodendrocyte Dynamics and Myelination

NG2 expressing cells (polydendrocytes, oligodendrocyte precursor cells) are the fourth major glial cell population in the central nervous system. During ...

The Analysis of Neurovascular Remodeling in Entorhino-hippocampal Organotypic Slice Cultures

Ischemic brain injury is among the most common and devastating conditions compromising proper brain function and often leads to persisting functional ...

Selective Depletion of Microglia from Cerebellar Granule Cell Cultures Using L-leucine Methyl Ester

Microglia, the resident immunocompetent cells of the CNS, play multifaceted roles in modulating and controlling neuronal function, as well as mediating ...