Name: subcellular imaging of neuronal calcium handling in vivo
Uploaded: 2023-03-17T12:30:00
Description: Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Subcellular Imaging of Neuronal Calcium Handling In Vivo at JoVE.com

This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) (R01- NS115947 awarded to F. Hoerndli). We would also like to thank Dr. Attila Stetak for the pAS1 plasmid.

1. Creating transgenic strains
<ol>
	<li>Using a cloning method of choice8,9, clone expression vectors to contain the Pflp-18 or Prig-3 promoter (for AVA-specific signal in the ventral nerve cord), followed by the Ca2+ indicator of choice, and then a 3&#39; UTR (see the discussion for more information)10. A list of plasmids and their sources can be found in Supplemental Table 1</stron...

<ol>
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The first consideration when implementing the method described involves the selection of a Ca2+ indicator with ideal characteristics for the given research question. Cytoplasmic Ca2+ indicators typically have a high affinity for Ca2+,&#160;and the sensitivity of these indicators to Ca2+ is inversely related to the kinetics (on/off rate)16,17. This means that either Ca2+ sensitivity or kinetics will need to be...

Calcium ions (Ca2+) are highly versatile carriers of information in many cell types. In neurons, Ca2+ is responsible for the activity-dependent release of neurotransmitters, the regulation of cytoskeletal motility, the fine-tuning of metabolic processes, as well as many other mechanisms required for proper neuronal maintenance and function1,2. To ensure effective intracellular signaling, neurons must maintain low basal Ca2+ levels in their cytoplasm3. This is accomplished by cooperative Ca2+ handling mechanisms, including the uptake of Ca2+ into organelles such as the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and mitochondria. These processes, in addition to the arrangement of Ca2+-permeable ion channels in the plasma membrane, result in heterogeneous levels of cytoplasmic Ca2+ throughout the neuron.
Ca2+ heterogeneity during rest and neuronal activation allows for the diverse, location-specific regulation of Ca2+-dependent mechanisms1. One example of the concentration-specific effects of Ca2+ is the release of Ca2+ from the ER through inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (InsP3) receptors. Low Ca2+ levels in combination with InsP3 are required for the opening of the receptor&#39;s calcium-permeable pore. Alternatively, high Ca2+ levels both directly and indirectly inhibit the receptor4. The importance of Ca2+ homeostasis for proper neuronal function is supported by evidence suggesting that disrupted intracellular Ca2+ handling and signaling is an early step in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative disorders and natural aging5,6. Specifically, abnormal Ca2+ uptake and release by the ER and mitochondria are linked to the onset of neuronal dysfunction in Alzheimer&#39;s disease, Parkinson&#39;s disease, and Huntington&#39;s disease6,7.
The study of Ca2+ dyshomeostasis during natural aging or neurodegeneration requires the longitudinal observation of Ca2+ levels with subcellular resolution in a living, intact organism in which the native cellular architecture (i.e., the arrangement of synapses and distribution of ion channels) is maintained. To this end, this protocol provides guidance on the use of two readily available, genetically encoded Ca2+ sensors for recording Ca2+ dynamics in vivo with high spatial and temporal resolution. The representative results acquired using&#160;the described method in C. elegans demonstrate how the expression of Ca2+ indicators in the cytoplasm or mitochondrial matrix of single neurons can allow for the rapid acquisition of fluorescent images (up to 50 Hz) that illustrate the Ca2+ dynamics with the additional capability of discerning the Ca2+ levels within single spine-like structures and individual mitochondria.

<table border="1" fo:keep-together.within-page="1" fo:keep-with-next.within-page="always">
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td>100x/1.40 Oil objective&#160;&#160;</td>
			<td>Olympus&#160;</td>
			<td></td>
			<td>&#160;UPlanSApo</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>10x/0.40 Objective&#160;</td>
			<td>Olympus&#160;</td>
			<td></td>
			<td>&#160;UPlanSApo</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>22 mm x 22 mm Cover glass&#160;</td>
			<td>VWR&#160;</td>
			<td>48366-227&#160;</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Agarose SFR&#160;</td>
			<td>VWR&#160;</td>
			<td>J234-100G&#160;</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Beam homogenizer</td>
			<td>Andor Technologies</td>
			<td></td>
			<td>Borealis upgrade to CSU-X1</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>CleanBench laboratory table&#160;</td>
			<td>TMC&#160;</td>
			<td></td>
			<td>With vibration control</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Disposable culture tubes</td>
			<td>VWR&#160;</td>
			<td>47729-572</td>
			<td>&#160;13 mm x 100 mm</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Environmental chamber</td>
			<td>Thermo Scientific</td>
			<td>3940</td>
			<td>Set to 20 &#176;C</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Filter wheel or slider</td>
			<td>ASI</td>
			<td></td>
			<td>For 25 mm diameter filters</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>FJH 185</td>
			<td>Caenorhabditis Genetics Center&#160;</td>
			<td>FJH 185</td>
			<td>Worm strain</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>FJH 597</td>
			<td>Caenorhabditis Genetics Center</td>
			<td>FJH 597</td>
			<td>Worm strain</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>GFP bandpass emission filter&#160;</td>
			<td>Chroma&#160;</td>
			<td></td>
			<td>525 &#177; 50 nm&#160;(25 mm diameter)</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>ILE laser combiner&#160;</td>
			<td>Andor Technologies&#160;</td>
			<td></td>
			<td>4 laser lines&#160;</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>ILE solid state 488 nm laser</td>
			<td>Andor Technologies&#160;</td>
			<td></td>
			<td>50 mW</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>ImageJ</td>
			<td>National Institutes of Health</td>
			<td></td>
			<td>Version 1.52a</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>IX83 Spinning disk confocal microscope&#160;</td>
			<td>Olympus&#160;</td>
			<td></td>
			<td>With Yokogawa CSU-X1 spinning disc</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>iXon Ultra EMCCD camera&#160;</td>
			<td>Andor Technologies&#160;</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Low auto-fluorescence immersion oil&#160;</td>
			<td>Olympus&#160;</td>
			<td>Z-81226</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>MetaMorph&#160;</td>
			<td>Molecular Devices&#160;</td>
			<td></td>
			<td>Version 7.10.1&#160;</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Microscope control box</td>
			<td>Olympus</td>
			<td></td>
			<td>IX3-CBH</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Muscimol&#160;</td>
			<td>MP Biomedical&#160;/ Sigma</td>
			<td>02195336-CF&#160;</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>pAS1</td>
			<td>AddGene</td>
			<td>194970</td>
			<td>Plasmid</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>pBSKS</td>
			<td>Stratagene</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>pCT61</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td>Plasmid available from Hoerndli/Maricq lab upon request</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>pJM23</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td>Plasmid available from Hoerndli/Maricq lab upon request</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>pKK1&#160;</td>
			<td>AddGene&#160;</td>
			<td>194969</td>
			<td>Plasmid</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Polybead microspheres&#160;</td>
			<td>Polysciences Inc.&#160;</td>
			<td>00876-15</td>
			<td>&#160;0.094 &#181;m</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Stability chamber</td>
			<td>Norlake Scientific</td>
			<td>NSRI241WSW/8H</td>
			<td>Set to 15 &#176;C</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Stage controller</td>
			<td>ASI</td>
			<td></td>
			<td>With filter wheel control</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Standard microscope slide</td>
			<td>Premiere</td>
			<td>9108W-E</td>
			<td>75 mm x 25 mm x 1 mm</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Touch panel controller</td>
			<td>Olympus</td>
			<td></td>
			<td>I3-TPC</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Z-drift corrector&#160;</td>
			<td>Olympus&#160;</td>
			<td></td>
			<td>IX3-ZDC2</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

subcellular imaging of neuronal calcium handling in vivo

Calcium (Ca2+) imaging has been largely used to examine neuronal activity, but it is becoming increasingly clear that subcellular Ca2+ handling is a crucial component of intracellular signaling. The visualization of subcellular Ca2+ dynamics in vivo,&#160;where neurons can be studied in their native, intact circuitry, has proven technically challenging in complex nervous systems. The transparency and relatively simple nervous system of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans enable the cell-specific expression and in vivo visualization of fluorescent tags and indicators. Among these are fluorescent indicators that have been modified for use in the cytoplasm as well as various subcellular compartments, such as the mitochondria. This protocol enables non-ratiometric Ca2+ imaging in vivo with a subcellular resolution that permits the analysis of Ca2+ dynamics down to the level of individual dendritic spines and mitochondria. Here, two available genetically encoded indicators with different Ca2+ affinities are used to demonstrate the use of this protocol for measuring relative Ca2+ levels within the cytoplasm or mitochondrial matrix in a single pair of excitatory interneurons (AVA). Together with the genetic manipulations and longitudinal observations possible in C. elegans, this imaging protocol may be useful for answering questions regarding how Ca2+ handling regulates neuronal function and plasticity.

These two protocols enable the rapid acquisition of differential Ca2+ levels within the subcellular regions and organelles of individual neurites in vivo with high spatial resolution. The first protocol allows for the measurement of cytoplasmic Ca2+ with high temporal and spatial resolution. This is demonstrated here using the cell-specific expression of GCaMP6f in the glutamatergic AVA command interneurons15, whose neurites run the entire length of the ventral nerve...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Subcellular Imaging of Neuronal Calcium Handling In Vivo at JoVE.com

Subcellular Imaging of Neuronal Calcium Handling In Vivo

The current methods describe a non-ratiometric approach for high-resolution, sub-compartmental calcium imaging in vivo in Caenorhabditis elegans using readily available genetically encoded calcium indicators.

Subcellular Imaging of Neuronal Calcium Handling In Vivo

Calcium (Ca2+) imaging has been largely used to examine neuronal activity, but it is becoming increasingly clear that subcellular Ca2+ handling is a ...

Research

JoVE Journal

Neuroscience

In vivo Neuronal Calcium Imaging in C. elegans

In vivo Neuronal Calcium Imaging in C. elegans

The nematode worm C. elegans is an ideal model organism  for relatively simple, low cost neuronal imaging in vivo. Its small transparent body and simple, ...

Super-resolution Imaging of Neuronal Dense-core Vesicles

Detection of fluorescence provides the foundation for many widely utilized and rapidly advancing microscopy techniques employed in modern biological and ...

In Vivo Imaging of Dauer-specific Neuronal Remodeling in C. elegans

In Vivo Imaging of Dauer-specific Neuronal Remodeling in C. elegans

The mechanisms controlling stress-induced phenotypic plasticity in animals are frequently complex and difficult to study in vivo. A classic example of ...

In Vivo Functional Brain Imaging Approach Based on Bioluminescent Calcium Indicator GFP-aequorin

In Vivo Functional Brain Imaging Approach Based on Bioluminescent Calcium Indicator GFP-aequorin

Functional in vivo imaging has become a powerful approach to study the function and physiology of brain cells and structures of interest. Recently a new ...

Prolonged Incubation of Acute Neuronal Tissue for Electrophysiology and Calcium-imaging

Acute neuronal tissue preparations, brain slices and retinal wholemount, can usually only be maintained for 6 - 8 h following dissection. This limits the ...

Two-photon Calcium Imaging in Neuronal Dendrites in Brain Slices

Calcium (Ca2+) imaging is a powerful tool to investigate the spatiotemporal dynamics of intracellular Ca2+ signals in neuronal dendrites. Ca2+ ...

In Vivo Calcium Imaging of Lateral-line Hair Cells in Larval Zebrafish

Sensory hair cells are mechanoreceptors found in the inner ear that are required for hearing and balance. Hair cells are activated in response to sensory ...

In Vivo Optical Calcium Imaging of Learning-Induced Synaptic Plasticity in Drosophila melanogaster

In Vivo Optical Calcium Imaging of Learning-Induced Synaptic Plasticity in Drosophila melanogaster

Decades of research in many model organisms have led to the current concept of synaptic plasticity underlying learning and memory formation. ...

In Vitro Wedge Slice Preparation for Mimicking In Vivo Neuronal Circuit Connectivity

In vitro slice electrophysiology techniques measure single-cell activity with precise electrical and temporal resolution. Brain slices must be relatively ...