Originally published as JHC exPRESS on May 3, 2007. doi:10.1369/jhc.7A7226.2007
Volume 55 (9): 925-930, 2007 Copyright ©The Histochemical Society, Inc. An Improved Method for Three-dimensional Reconstruction of Protein Expression Patterns in Intact Mouse and Chicken Embryos and Organs
Department of Developmental Biology, Hagedorn Research Institute, Gentofte, Denmark Correspondence to: Jacob-Hecksher Sørensen, Department of Developmental Biology, Hagedorn Research Institute, Niels Steensens Vej 6, 2820 Gentofte, Denmark. E-mail: jhes{at}hagedorn.dk
We have developed a wholemount immunofluorescence protocol for the simultaneous detection of up to three proteins in mouse and chicken embryos. Combined with Murray's clearing reagent (BABB) and microscope objectives with long working ranges and high numerical apertures mounted on a confocal microscope, cellular resolution can be obtained in depths offering the possibility of examining expression patterns in entire organs or embryos. Three-dimensional projections of the optical confocal sections can be computed with computer software allowing rotation around any axis. The protocol is robust and we find that most antibodies working on tissue sections also work with this protocol. This manuscript contains online supplemental material at http://www.jhc.org. Please visit this article online to view these materials. (J Histochem Cytochem 55:925–930, 2007)
Key Words: wholemount immunofluorescence confocal pancreas three-dimensional imaging
SPECIFICATION OF CELL TYPES during embryonic development relies on the highly orchestrated expression of mRNAs and their encoded products in time and space. Histochemical staining protocols allowing one to study the expression patterns of mRNAs and proteins in intact embryos and tissues are therefore valuable for investigating the biology of a particular cell or tissue type in a broader developmental context. Traditional protocols have been based on the catalyzed deposition of chromogenic substrates that can be visualized with light microscopy. These include the alkaline phosphatase substrate BCIP/NBT (5-bromo-4-chloro-3-indolyl phosphate/nitroblue tetrazolium), which produces a purple precipitate and is used extensively in wholemount mRNA in situ hybridization protocols, and the peroxidase substrate DAB that produces a brown precipitate stable in organic solvents and is often used in wholemount immunohistochemical applications (Klymkowsky and Hanken 1991
Confocal laser microscopy is widely used to detect fluorescent signals in small transparent embryos and organs such as the fruit fly, zebrafish, early-stage avian embryos, and mouse inner ears [for recent examples see Denkers et al. (2004) Here we report a detailed stepwise protocol for immunofluorescent detection of up to three proteins in wholemount preparations that, after clearing in Murray's clearing reagent, can be used to examine global expression patterns in mouse embryos up to embryonic day 10.5 (e10.5), chicken embryos up to e4, and whole dissected organs at later stages of development with cellular resolution using a standard confocal microscope with standard optics.
Reagents The following reagents were used: dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO, cat. #52,796-3; Sigma-Aldrich, Brondby, Denmark), methanol (MeOH, cat. #34,860; Sigma-Aldrich), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2, cat. #UN2014; Merck, Glostrup, Denmark), benzyl benzoate (cat. #B6630; Sigma-Aldrich), benzyl alcohol (cat. #10,800-6; Sigma-Aldrich), Cy3 TSA kit (cat. #NEL704A, includes the TNB blocking reagent; PerkinElmer, Hvidovre, Denmark), Histostain kit (cat. #95-6143B, includes ready-to-use PO-streptavidin; Zymed, Aarhus, Denmark), Dulbecco's PBS without Ca2+/Mg2+ (cat. #14,190; Invitrogen, Taastrup, Denmark), and Lilly's fixative (cat. #LAB00220.1000; Bie and Berntsen, Rodovre, Denmark).
Wholemount Immunofluorescence
To fix embryos or tissue, we used Lilly's fixative (4% phosphate-buffered formaldehyde, pH 7.2; see list of reagents) or 4% PFA in PBS overnight at 4C. Transfer embryos or tissues to absolute MeOH and let equilibrate for 1 hr on ice. Embryos or tissues can be stored in MeOH for extended periods at –20C. The following steps are done: (1) Incubate tissue in Dent's bleach (MeOH:DMSO:H2O2, 4:1:1) (Dent et al. 1989
Tyramide Signal Amplification (TSA) All animal experiments were performed according to Danish National Research Council guidelines.
General Considerations on Antibodies We have used the highly cross-absorbed series of secondary antibodies from Jackson ImmunoResearch Laboratories (Suffolk, UK) to detect primary antibodies raised in the following species: mouse, rabbit, goat, rat, and guinea pig in various combinations (this study and data not shown). We find that primary antibodies from all these hosts can be mixed and specifically recognized without cross-reactivity. However, proper controls should always be carried out testing each primary antibody followed by a mixture of the secondary antibodies to secure that the primary antibody in question is detected only by the corresponding secondary antibody. Uncharacterized antibodies can be tested for specificity by standard preabsorption studies.
Primary Antibodies
Secondary Antibodies
Clearing With BABB and Mounting Immerse the tissue in BABB in a glass dish and let it equilibrate for 10 min (BABB is a 1:2 mixture of benzyl alcohol to benzyl benzoate). Mount the specimen in BABB in a concavity slide with appropriate thickness (cat. #71,878; Electron Microscopy Sciences, Hatfield, PA) and cover with a coverslip.
Imaging
List of Objectives
We have tested a range of objectives for the purpose of laser-scanning confocal microscopy of specimens immunofluorescently labeled in wholemount. We find that optics with long working ranges and high numerical apertures perform well and, for higher magnification (x20 and x40), water-immersion objectives perform better than dry objectives with similar working ranges and numerical apertures. In our setting, most antibodies working on sections also work in the wholemount procedure. Due to improved sensitivity we generally dilute the primary antibodies 2- to 5-fold more than the dilutions used on sections. All projections were done using unfiltered optical confocal sections, and the only image manipulation done was brightness/contrast enhancement.
The developing pancreas was used as an example of what the method can be used for. Figure 1
illustrates the performance of the protocol and the optics. Briefly, the pancreas develops from dorsal and ventral anlagen in the endodermal epithelium, which during development fuse (between e11.5 and e12.5 in the mouse) and form the adult organ. One of the earliest pancreas markers known is Pdx1, the expression of which is initiated at e8.5 in the mouse embryo and labels progenitor cells of all the epithelial lineages of the mature organ (Gu et al. 2003
Figure 1 shows a selected set of immunofluorescent stainings that illustrate aspects of pancreas development. An e15.5 dissected mouse stomach with proximal duodenum and pancreas stained with antibodies specific for Pdx1 in green, CD31/Pecam1 in blue, and Neurog3 in red (Cy3 TSA amplified) is shown in Figures 1A–1D. Pdx1 labels the entire pancreatic and duodenal epithelium, whereas CD31/Pecam1 marks endothelial cells of the vasculature, and Neurog3 the endocrine progenitor cells. At low magnification, it is easily seen how the dorsal pancreas lies adjacent to the stomach and the ventral pancreas in the duodenal loop (Figure 1A; Plan-Neofluar 2.5x/0.07). 3D imaging can be obtained at higher magnification (Figure 1B) by collapsing individual optical sections exemplified in Figure 1C (Plan-Apochromat 10x/0.45). At this level, it is possible to observe how the Neurog3-positive cells lie in the central part of the pancreas epithelium, and the common bile duct that connects the pancreas to the duodenum is also visible (arrows in Figures 1B and 1C). Optical sections at 20x provide single-cell resolution (Figure 1D; LD Plan-Neofluar 20x/0.4). Scattered Neurog3-positive nuclei lie within the Pdx1-positive epithelium, and it is seen how blood vessels project into the mesenchymal part of the intestinal villi. For intact embryos, this method allows reconstruction of 3D expression patterns in mouse embryos until e10.5 (Figures 1E, 1F, and 1H and Supplemental Movies 1 and 2; Plan-Apochromat 10x/0.45) and e4 in chicken embryos (Figure 1K; Achroplan 20x/0.5 W Ph2). In e10.5 mouse embryos, Pdx1 (green) labels the dorsal and ventral pancreas buds as well as the lateral intestinal epithelium between the buds at lower levels. Neurog3 immunoreactivity (red) is seen in the dorsal pancreas bud and in the ventral spinal cord. CD31/Pecam1 (blue) highlights the vasculature and the dorsal aorta, and its projection along the neural tube is readily seen (Figures 1E and 1F and Supplemental Movies 1 and 2). A common problem we observe using monoclonal antibodies derived from mouse and rat is unspecific staining in the lumen of the gut (asterisk in Figure 1E) of mouse embryos. The image shown in Figure 1E was obtained by projecting the 48 optical sections spanning 357.2 µm shown in Figure 1F. A 360° rotation on the y-axis of the projection can be seen as Supplemental Movie 1 and the individual sections can be seen in high resolution in Supplemental Movie 2. For single-cell resolution and coexpression studies, very thin optical sections can be obtained using a 40x objective as exemplified in Figure 1G (Achroplan 40x/0.8 W). Here an e8.75 mouse embryo stained for Pdx1 (blue), E-cadherin (red), and Hlxb9 (green) is shown. Pdx1 is expressed in the dorsal and ventral pancreas anlagen, Hlxb9 is only expressed in the dorsal endoderm, and E-cadherin is present in the membrane of all epithelial cells of the endoderm. Foxa2 labels the entire endodermal epithelium and the floor plate of the spinal cord (Figures 1H and 1I; Plan-Neofluar 10x/0.3). Whereas the entire gut of an e10.5 mouse embryo can be contained within the field of view of the 10x objective (Figure 1H), the gut of an e5 chicken embryo is too large. The image in Figure 1I was therefore generated by joining three projections in a composite image. The flanks of the embryo and the liver were dissected away prior to staining.
Figures 1J and 1K (Achroplan 20x/0.5 W Ph2) show the development of the chicken pancreas marked by Nkx6-1 expression from HH stage 15 to e4 (HH stage 21) (Hamburger and Hamilton 1951
Our results demonstrate how confocal laser-scanning microscopy can be used to generate detailed expression data in high resolution from any desired depth of organogenic stage mouse and chicken embryos. Larger tissues such as e15.5 dissected mouse gut preparations can also be effectively immunolabeled with this protocol and, although large specimens exceed the field of view in optics with confocal properties, overlapping z-stacks and derived 3D projections can be used to generate composite images showing entire organs or embryos. Rotation of 3D projections can give additional information with the limitation that any angle deviating from the plane of the optical section will become progressively blurred until 90° from the original plane of section. This is in contrast to 3D tomographic reconstructions calculated using back-projection algorithms from parallel projection datasets such as optical projection tomography, which have equal resolution in any given angle (Sharpe et al. 2002 Analysis of intact mouse and chicken embryos and isolated organs in combination with the high resolution offered by this technique facilitates accurate morphometric measurements. Consequently, the method described here provides a powerful tool for analyzing global gene expression as well as phenotypes resulting from perturbations of the normal development.
O.D.M. and P.S. were supported by NIH Grants 5U19 DK-42502-15 and 1U19 DK-61244-4 through the Beta Cell Biology Consortium and by the EU 6th framework program. We thank Malene Jørgensen, Hanne Duus Laustsen, and Karsten Skole Marckstrøm for technical support. We are grateful to Mike S. German, Chris V.E. Wright, Jens Juul Holst, and Thomas Jessell for providing reagents.
Received for publication March 5, 2007; accepted April 17, 2007
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