Name: cerebellar regional dissection for molecular analysis
Uploaded: 2020-12-05T14:30:00
Description: Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Cerebellar Regional Dissection for Molecular Analysis at JoVE.com

We are grateful to Austin Ferro and Juao-Guilherme Rosa in the Cvetanovic lab for their help in troubleshooting dissections and in RNA extraction and RTqPCR. This research is funded by M. Cvetanovic, R01 NS197387; HHS | National Institutes of Health (NIH).

1. Setup
<ol>
	<li>Gather necessary equipment including decapitation scissors, blunt forceps, dissection scissors, vascular scissors, microspatula, sagittal mouse brain matrix, razor blades, 200 &#181;L&#160;pipet tips, glass petri dish, glass slide, and ice bucket. Lay out all equipment on an absorbent pad.</li>
	<li>Place petri dish, glass plate, and brain matrix on ice.</li>
	<li>Using a razor blade at a perpendicular angle, trim about 5 mm off the tip of one 200 &#181;L&#160;pipet tip. This makes t...

<ol>
	<li>Herculano-Houzel, S. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=The+glia/neuron+ratio:+How+it+varies+uniformly+across+brain+structures+and+species+and+what+that+means+for+brain+physiology+and+evolution.">The glia/neuron ratio: How it varies uniformly across brain structures and species and what that means for brain physiology and evolution.</a> Glia. 62 (9), 1377-1391 (2014).</li><li>Schmahmann, J. D., Caplan, D. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Cognition,+enotion,+and+the+cerebellum.">Cognition, enotion, and the cerebellum.</a> Brain. 129 (2), 290-292 (2006).</li><li>Badura, A., 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=Normal+cognitive+and+social+development+require+posterior+cerebellar+activity.">Normal cognitive and social development require posterior cerebellar activity.</a> eLife. 7, 36401 (2018).</li><li>Diedrichsen, J., King, M., Hernandez-Castillo, C., Sereno, M., Ivry, R. B. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Universal+Transform+or+Multiple+Functionality?+Understanding+the+Contribution+of+the+Human+Cerebellum+across+Task+Domains.">Universal Transform or Multiple Functionality? Understanding the Contribution of the Human Cerebellum across Task Domains.</a> Neuron. 102 (5), 918-928 (2019).</li><li>Strick, P. L., Dum, R. P., Fiez, 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=Cerebellum+and+Nonmotor+Function.">Cerebellum and Nonmotor Function.</a> Annual Review of Neuroscience. 32 (1), 413-434 (2009).</li><li>King, M., Hernandez-castillo, C. R., Poldrack, R. A., Ivry, R. B., Diedrichsen, J. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Functional+boundaries+in+the+human+cerebellum+revealed+by+a+multi-domain+task+battery.">Functional boundaries in the human cerebellum revealed by a multi-domain task battery.</a> Nature Neuroscience. 22, 1371-1378 (2019).</li><li>Buckner, R. L., Krienen, F. M., Castellanos, A., Diaz, J. C., Yeo, B. T. T. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=The+organization+of+the+human+cerebellum+estimated+by+intrinsic+functional+connectivity.">The organization of the human cerebellum estimated by intrinsic functional connectivity.</a> Journal of neurophysiology. 106 (5), 2322-2345 (2011).</li><li>Schmahmann, J. D. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=From+movement+to+thought:+Anatomic+substrates+of+the+cerebellar+contribution+to+cognitive+processing.">From movement to thought: Anatomic substrates of the cerebellar contribution to cognitive processing.</a> Human Brain Mapping. 4 (3), 174-198 (1996).</li><li>Kelly, R. M., Strick, P. L. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Cerebellar+Loops+with+Motor+Cortex+and+Prefrontal+Cortex+of+a+Nonhuman+Primate.">Cerebellar Loops with Motor Cortex and Prefrontal Cortex of a Nonhuman Primate.</a> The Journal of Neuroscience. 23 (23), 8432-8444 (2003).</li><li>Stoodley, C. J., Macmore, J. P., Makris, N., Sherman, J. C., Schmahmann, J. D. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Clinical+Location+of+lesion+determines+motor+vs.+cognitive+consequences+in+patients+with+cerebellar+stroke.">Clinical Location of lesion determines motor vs. cognitive consequences in patients with cerebellar stroke.</a> NeuroImage: Clinical. 12, 765-775 (2016).</li><li>Guo, C. C., Tan, R., Hodges, J. R., Hu, X., Sami, S., Hornberger, M. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Network-selective+vulnerability+of+the+human+cerebellum+to+Alzheimer's+disease+and+frontotemporal+dementia.">Network-selective vulnerability of the human cerebellum to Alzheimer's disease and frontotemporal dementia.</a> Brain. 139 (5), (2016).</li><li>Bocchetta, M., Cardoso, M. J., Cash, D. M., Ourselin, S., Warren, J. D., Rohrer, J. D. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Patterns+of+regional+cerebellar+atrophy+in+genetic+frontotemporal+dementia.">Patterns of regional cerebellar atrophy in genetic frontotemporal dementia.</a> NeuroImage: Clinical. 11, 287-290 (2016).</li><li>Sillitoe, R. V., Fu, Y., Watson, C. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Cerebellum.">Cerebellum.</a> The Mouse Nervous System. , 360-397 (2012).</li><li>Nguyen-Minh, V. T., Tran-Anh, K., Luo, Y., Sugihara, I. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Electrophysiological+Excitability+and+Parallel+Fiber+Synaptic+Properties+of+Zebrin-Positive+and+-Negative+Purkinje+Cells+in+Lobule+VIII+of+the+Mouse+Cerebellar+Slice.">Electrophysiological Excitability and Parallel Fiber Synaptic Properties of Zebrin-Positive and -Negative Purkinje Cells in Lobule VIII of the Mouse Cerebellar Slice.</a> Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience. 12, 513 (2019).</li><li>Manto, M., Oulad Ben Taib, N. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Cerebellar+nuclei:+Key+Roles+for+Strategically+Located+Structures.">Cerebellar nuclei: Key Roles for Strategically Located Structures.</a> The Cerebellum. 9 (1), 17-21 (2010).</li><li>Driessen, T. M., Lee, P. J., Lim, J. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Molecular+pathway+analysis+towards+understanding+tissue+vulnerability+in+spinocerebellar+ataxia+type+1.">Molecular pathway analysis towards understanding tissue vulnerability in spinocerebellar ataxia type 1.</a> eLife. , (2018).</li><li>Grabert, 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=Microglial+brain+region+-+dependent+diversity+and+selective+regional+sensitivities+to+aging.">Microglial brain region - dependent diversity and selective regional sensitivities to aging.</a> Nat Neurosci. 19 (3), 504 (2016).</li><li>Ingram, 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=Cerebellar+Transcriptome+Profiles+of+ATXN1+Transgenic+Mice+Reveal+SCA1+Disease+Progression+and+Protection+Pathways.">Cerebellar Transcriptome Profiles of ATXN1 Transgenic Mice Reveal SCA1 Disease Progression and Protection Pathways.</a> Neuron. 89 (6), 1194-1207 (2016).</li><li>Cendelin, J. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=.">.</a> From mice to men : lessons from mutant ataxic mice. , 1-21 (2014).</li><li>Rio, D. C., Ares, M., Hannon, G. J., Nilsen, T. W. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Purification+of+RNA+Using+TRIzol+(TRI+Reagent).">Purification of RNA Using TRIzol (TRI Reagent).</a> Cold Spring Harbor Protocols. 2010 (6), (2010).</li><li>Kim, J. H., Lukowicz, A., Qu, W., Johnson, A., Cvetanovic, M. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Astroglia+contribute+to+the+pathogenesis+of+spinocerebellar+ataxia+Type+1+(SCA1)+in+a+biphasic,+stage-of-disease+specific+manner.">Astroglia contribute to the pathogenesis of spinocerebellar ataxia Type 1 (SCA1) in a biphasic, stage-of-disease specific manner.</a> Glia. 66 (9), 1972-1987 (2018).</li><li>Chopra, R., 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=Altered+Capicua+expression+drives+regional+Purkinje+neuron+vulnerability+through+ion+channel+gene+dysregulation+in+spinocerebellar+ataxia+type+1.">Altered Capicua expression drives regional Purkinje neuron vulnerability through ion channel gene dysregulation in spinocerebellar ataxia type 1.</a> Human Molecular Genetics. , (2020).</li></ol>

The method described here makes it possible to assess the underlying gene expression and molecular mechanisms within four distinct cerebellar regions &#8211; the deep cerebellar nuclei (DCN), the anterior cerebellar cortex of the vermis (CCaV), the posterior cerebellar cortex of the vermis (CCpV), and the cerebellar cortex of the hemispheres (CCH). The ability to assess these regions separately will expand our knowledge of the heterogeneity of specific cerebellar regions and possibly shed light on their contribution to v...

The cerebellum contains over half of the neurons in the brain and has historically been referred to as a motor control and balance center in the brain1. More recently, studies have demonstrated that the cerebellum plays a key role in various other functions including cognition, reward processing, and affect2,3,4,5.
The cerebellum has well-described anatomy: the cortex region is composed of granule, Purkinje, and molecular layers. Granule cells form the granule cell layer and send input via parallel fibers to the Purkinje cell dendrites of the molecular layer which also receive input from climbing fibers that originated in the inferior olive. Purkinje cells send inhibitory projections to cells in the deep cerebellar nuclei (DCN), which serves as the main output from the cerebellum. The output of this cerebellar circuit is further modulated by the activity of the inhibitory interneurons in the cerebellar cortex, including Golgi, stellate, and basket cells4. This cerebellar functional unit is distributed throughout all the lobules of the cerebellar cortex. Despite this relatively uniform circuitry across &#160;the cerebellum, evidence from human neuroimaging literature and patient studies indicates functional heterogeneity of the cerebellum6,7.
The cerebellar cortex can be divided into two main regions: the midline-defined vermis, and the lateral hemispheres. The vermis can be further divided into anterior and posterior lobules. These distinct regions of the cerebellum have been implicated in contributing to different behaviors. Task-evoked or task-free activity patterns implicated that anterior regions of the vermis contribute more to motor function while posterior vermis contributes more to cognition6,7. The vermis is also linked with affect and emotions, while cerebellar hemispheres contribute to executive, visual-spatial, language, and other mnemonic functions8. In addition, anatomical studies provided evidence that functionally distinct cerebellar regions are connected with different cortical regions9. Lesion-symptom mapping revealed that patients with strokes affecting the anterior lobules (extending into lobule VI) had poorer performance on fine motor tasks, while patients with damage to posterior lobe regions and hemispheres exhibited cognitive deficits in the absence of cerebellar motor syndrome10. Finally, regional cerebellar pathology in disease indicates that functionally distinct cerebellar regions are also differently susceptible to disease11,12.
While much less explored, preliminary evidence demonstrates distinct gene expression signatures across cerebellar cortical regions. Purkinje cell expression of Zebrin II shows region specific patterning in the vermis such that there are more Zebrin II positive cells in the posterior lobules and fewer in the anterior lobules13. This also correlates with regionally distinct physiological function as Zebrin II negative Purkinje cells display higher frequency of tonic firing than Purkinje cells that are Zebrin II positive14.
In addition to the cerebellar cortex, the cerebellum includes the deep cerebellar nuclei (DCN) which serve as the primary output for the cerebellum. The nuclei are made up of the medial (MN), interposed (IN), and lateral nuclei (LN). Functional imaging and patient studies have demonstrated that the DCN also participate in various behaviors15, but very few studies examine gene expression change in DCN.
Advances in molecular techniques have made it possible to assess regional gene expression in the brain and have uncovered heterogeneity across and within different brain regions in both physiological and disease states16. Such studies implicate that the cerebellum is different from other brain regions. For example, the ratio of neurons to glial cells is inverted in the cerebellum&#160; compared to other brain regions1. Even in normal physiological conditions, the expression of proinflammatory genes is upregulated in the cerebellum compared to the other brain regions17. Molecular techniques have also been very useful in identifying the pathways that contribute to the pathogenesis of cerebellar diseases. For instance, RNA sequencing of the whole cerebellar extracts identified genes altered in a Purkinje cell specific transgenic mouse model of spinocerebellar ataxia type 1 (SCA1) as compared to their wild type controls. Such evidence has revealed key molecular pathways underlying pathogenesis in cerebellar Purkinje cells and has helped identify potential therapeutic targets18. However, recent studies suggest that there are differences in the vulnerability to diseases across the cerebellar regions11,12,19. This could indicate that there are key changes occurring in distinct cerebellar regions, which may be masked or undetected with whole cerebellar extracts. Thus, there is a need to develop techniques which allow researchers to examine molecular profiles in different cerebellar regions.
The technique proposed here describes a reproducible method to dissect four distinct regions of the mouse cerebellum in order to isolate RNA from those regions and explore regional differences in gene expression. The schematic of the mouse cerebellum in Figure 1A highlights the vermis in blue, and hemispheres in yellow. Specifically, this technique makes it possible to isolate four regions:&#160; deep cerebellar nuclei (DCN) (red-dotted boxes in Figure 1A), the cerebellar cortex of anterior vermis (CCaV) (dark blue in Figure 1A), the cerebellar cortex of the posterior vermis (CCpV) (light blue in Figure 1A), and the cerebellar cortex of the hemispheres (CCH) (yellow in Figure 1A). By assessing gene expression of these regions separately, it will be possible to investigate molecular mechanisms underlying discrete functions of these different regions as well as potential differences in their vulnerability in disease.

<table border="1" fo:keep-together.within-page="1" fo:keep-with-next.within-page="always">
	<tbody>
		<tr >
			<td >1.5 Microcentrifuge tubes</td>
			<td >ThermoScietific</td>
			<td >3456</td>
			<td ></td>
		</tr>
		<tr >
			<td >100% Isopropyl Alcohol</td>
			<td >VWR Life sciences</td>
			<td >1106C361</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr >
			<td >200 ul Pipet tips</td>
			<td >GeneMate</td>
			<td >P-1237-200</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr >
			<td >Adult Mouse Brain Matrix Sagittal</td>
			<td >Kent Scientific Corporation</td>
			<td >RBMA-200S</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr >
			<td >Blunt forceps</td>
			<td ></td>
			<td ></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr >
			<td >Chloroform</td>
			<td >Macron</td>
			<td >220905</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr >
			<td >Decapitation Scissors</td>
			<td ></td>
			<td ></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr >
			<td >Dissecting Scissors</td>
			<td ></td>
			<td ></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr >
			<td >Ethyl Alcohol</td>
			<td >Pharmco</td>
			<td >111000200</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr >
			<td >Glass Slide (for electrophoresis)</td>
			<td >BIORAD</td>
			<td ></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr >
			<td >Homogenizer</td>
			<td >Kimble</td>
			<td >6HAZ6</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr >
			<td >Ice Bucket</td>
			<td ></td>
			<td ></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr >
			<td >Insulin Syringe (.5ml)</td>
			<td >BD</td>
			<td >329461</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr >
			<td >iScript Adv cDNA kit for RT-qPCR</td>
			<td >BIORAD</td>
			<td >1725037</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr >
			<td >Micro Spatula</td>
			<td ></td>
			<td ></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr >
			<td >Needle Nose forceps</td>
			<td ></td>
			<td ></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr >
			<td >Petri Dish</td>
			<td >Pyrex</td>
			<td ></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr >
			<td >Primetime Primer for Aldolase C</td>
			<td >IDT</td>
			<td >Mm.PT.58&#62;43415246</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr >
			<td >Primetime Primer for Kcng4</td>
			<td >IDT</td>
			<td >Mm.PT.56a.9448518</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr >
			<td >Primetime Primer for Parvalbumin</td>
			<td >IDT</td>
			<td >Mm.PT.58.7596729</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr >
			<td >Primetime Primer Rps18&#160;</td>
			<td >IDT</td>
			<td >Mm.PT.58.12109666</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr >
			<td >Single Edge Rzor Blades</td>
			<td >Personna GEM</td>
			<td ></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr >
			<td >Sterile, sigle-use pestles</td>
			<td >FisherScientific</td>
			<td >12141364</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr >
			<td >TRIzol Reagent</td>
			<td >Ambion by Life technologies</td>
			<td >15596018</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr >
			<td >Vascular Scissors</td>
			<td ></td>
			<td ></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

cerebellar regional dissection for molecular analysis

Cerebellum plays an important role in several key functions including control of movement, balance, cognition, reward, and affect. Imaging studies indicate that distinct cerebellar regions contribute to these different functions. Molecular studies examining regional cerebellar differences are lagging as they are mostly done on whole cerebellar extracts thereby masking any distinctions across specific cerebellar regions. Here we describe a technique to reproducibly and quickly dissect four different cerebellar regions: the deep cerebellar nuclei (DCN), anterior and posterior vermal cerebellar cortex, and the cerebellar cortex of the hemispheres. Dissecting out these distinct regions allows for the exploration of molecular mechanisms that may underlie their unique contributions to balance, movement, affect and cognition. This technique may also be used to explore differences in pathological susceptibility of these specific regions across various mouse disease models.

For these experiments, four eleven-week-old female wild type C57/Black6 mice were used. One mouse was used to conduct a full cerebellar dissection which is referred to as &#39;bulk cerebellum&#39; and allowed for the comparison of RNA levels in dissected regions to a full dissection. The other three mice were used to conduct the cerebellar dissection described in this protocol. Using three mice makes it possible to ensure that the trends detected in the levels of RNA are reproducible acro...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Cerebellar Regional Dissection for Molecular Analysis at JoVE.com

Cerebellar Regional Dissection for Molecular Analysis

Different cerebellar regions have been implicated to play a role in distinct behavioral outputs, yet the underlying molecular mechanisms remain unknown. This work describes a method to reproducibly and quickly dissect cerebellar cortex of the hemispheres, anterior and posterior regions of the vermis, and the deep cerebellar nuclei in order to probe for molecular differences by isolating RNA and testing for differences in gene expression.&#160;

Cerebellum plays an important role in several key functions including control of movement, balance, cognition, reward, and affect. Imaging studies ...

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