scholarly journals Preparing Fresh Retinal Slices from Adult Zebrafish for Ex Vivo Imaging Experiments

10.3791/56977 ◽  
2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelle M. Giarmarco ◽  
Whitney M. Cleghorn ◽  
James B. Hurley ◽  
Susan E. Brockerhoff
Keyword(s):  
Ex Vivo ◽  
Adult Zebrafish ◽  
Retinal Slices

Abstract 403: Leveraging the Zebrafish to Overcome Barriers in Heart Transplantation

2020 ◽  
Vol 127 (Suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shannon N Tessier ◽  
Luciana Da Silveira Cavalcante ◽  
Casie A Pendexter ◽  
Stephanie E Cronin ◽  
Reinier J de Vries ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Heart Transplantation ◽  
Ischemia Reperfusion Injury ◽  
Ex Vivo ◽  
Ischemia Reperfusion ◽  
Complex Structure ◽  
Scale Up ◽  
Adult Zebrafish ◽  
Zebrafish Larvae ◽  
Preservation Method ◽  
Heart Preservation

Cardiac transplantation is the only curative therapy for patients with end-stage heart disease; however, there is a severe shortage of viable donor organs. Heart transplantation faces many interwoven challenges, including both biological factors and research limitations. For example, ischemia-reperfusion injury plays a role in early graft dysfunction and is associated with rejection episodes in heart transplantation. Moreover, experimental transplantation relies heavily on animal studies that are laborious and expensive, prohibiting the discovery of novel, bold solutions. We propose that the zebrafish, Danio rerio , would be a valuable tool for the field since it’s amenable to high-throughput screens, captures the complex structure of organs, and offers a suite of tools to monitor the biology of cardiac injury. Here, we develop a new subzero heart preservation method by strategically leveraging animal models from zebrafish to mammalian hearts. Using zebrafish larvae, we screened for agents which preserve hearts at -10°C. As a result of these screens, we identified promising preservative cocktails which restored heartbeat in 82% of larvae immediately post-recovery. Next, we excised adult zebrafish hearts and developed methods to mimic the ex vivo handling practices of hearts destined for transplant using a heart-on-a-plate assay. Using this assay, we carried forward promising agents identified in our initial zebrafish larvae screen to isolated adult zebrafish hearts that were cooled to -10°C and held for up to 24 hours. After rewarming, heart rate was restored and metabolic rate of zebrafish hearts was like time-matched controls (0.213 ± 0.047 and 0.275 ± 0.060, respectively, p = 0.200). Finally, we report our preliminary scale-up efforts whereby rodent hearts are stored for up to 24 hours at -10°C and viability were assessed by the TUNEL assay. The data shows high viability of cardiomyocytes post-preservation, as compared to controls. In summary, we present data to illustrate our efforts in leveraging the zebrafish to aid new discoveries in subzero heart preservation. Similar efforts to model heart transplantation in zebrafish may provide a different vantage point and enable us to make advances faster.

scholarly journals Investigating the utility of adult zebrafish ex vivo whole hearts to pharmacologically screen hERG channel activator compounds

2019 ◽  
Vol 317 (6) ◽  
pp. R921-R931
Author(s):  
Christina M. Hull ◽  
Christine E. Genge ◽  
Yuki Hobbs ◽  
Kaveh Rayani ◽  
Eric Lin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ex Vivo ◽  
Expression System ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Channel Blockers ◽  
Loss Of Function ◽  
Adult Zebrafish ◽  
Pharmacological Characterization ◽  
Potential Gain ◽  
Xenopus Oocyte Expression ◽  
Whole Heart

There is significant interest in the potential utility of small-molecule activator compounds to mitigate cardiac arrhythmia caused by loss of function of hERG1a voltage-gated potassium channels. Zebrafish ( Danio rerio) have been proposed as a cost-effective, high-throughput drug-screening model to identify compounds that cause hERG1a dysfunction. However, there are no reports on the effects of hERG1a activator compounds in zebrafish and consequently on the utility of the model to screen for potential gain-of-function therapeutics. Here, we examined the effects of hERG1a blocker and types 1 and 2 activator compounds on isolated zkcnh6a (zERG3) channels in the Xenopus oocyte expression system as well as action potentials recorded from ex vivo adult zebrafish whole hearts using optical mapping. Our functional data from isolated zkcnh6a channels show that under the conditions tested, these channels are blocked by hERG1a channel blockers (dofetilide and terfenadine), and activated by type 1 (RPR260243) and type 2 (NS1643, PD-118057) hERG1a activators with higher affinity than hKCNH2a channels (except NS1643), with differences accounted for by different biophysical properties in the two channels. In ex vivo zebrafish whole hearts, two of the three hERG1a activators examined caused abbreviation of the action potential duration (APD), whereas hERG1a blockers caused APD prolongation. These data represent, to our knowledge, the first pharmacological characterization of isolated zkcnh6a channels and the first assessment of hERG enhancing therapeutics in zebrafish. Our findings lead us to suggest that the zebrafish ex vivo whole heart model serves as a valuable tool in the screening of hKCNH2a blocker and activator compounds.

scholarly journals Progestin increases the expression of gonadotropins in pituitaries of male zebrafish

2016 ◽  
Vol 230 (1) ◽  
pp. 143-156 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cuili Wang ◽  
Dongteng Liu ◽  
Weiting Chen ◽  
Wei Ge ◽  
Wanshu Hong ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Time Course ◽  
Ex Vivo ◽  
Mrna Levels ◽  
Adult Zebrafish ◽  
Male Adult ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Time Course Experiment ◽  
Nuclear Progesterone Receptor

Our previous study showed that the in vivo positive effects of 17α,20β-dihydroxy-4-pregnen-3-one (DHP), the major progestin in zebrafish, on early spermatogenesis was much stronger than the ex vivo ones, which may suggest an effect of DHP on the expression of gonadotropins. In our present study, we first observed that fshb and lhb mRNA levels in the pituitary of male adult zebrafish were greatly inhibited by 3 weeks exposure to 10nM estradiol (E2). However, an additional 24h 100nM DHP exposure not only reversed the E2-induced inhibition, but also significantly increased the expression of fshb and lhb mRNA. These stimulatory effects were also observed in male adult fish without E2 pretreatment, and a time course experiment showed that it took 24h for fshb and 12h for lhb to respond significantly. Because these stimulatory activities were partially antagonized by a nuclear progesterone receptor (Pgr) antagonist mifepristone, we generated a Pgr-knockout (pgr–/–) model using the TALEN technique. With and without DHP in vivo treatment, fshb and lhb mRNA levels of pgr–/– were significantly lower than those of pgr+/+. Furthermore, ex vivo treatment of pituitary fragments of pgr–/– with DHP stimulated lhb, but not fshb mRNA expression. Results from double-colored fluorescent in situ hybridization showed that pgr mRNA was expressed only in fshb-expressing cells. Taken together, our results indicated that DHP participated in the regulation of neuroendocrine control of reproduction in male zebrafish, and exerted a Pgr-mediated direct stimulatory effect on fshb mRNA at pituitary level.

Abstract 381: Ex vivo Heart Function Analysis in Adult Zebrafish

2017 ◽  
Vol 121 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexey V Dvornikov ◽  
Hong Zhang ◽  
Xiaolei Xu
Keyword(s):  
Ex Vivo ◽  
Function Analysis ◽  
Heart Function ◽  
Heart Diseases ◽  
Genetic Modifiers ◽  
Adult Zebrafish ◽  
Inherited Cardiomyopathy ◽  
Novel Approach ◽  
Vertebrate Model

Zebrafish ( Danio rerio ) is an efficient vertebrate model of human cardiomyopathy which is amenable to the medium throughput screening approaches opening opportunities to search new genetic modifiers via mutagenesis screening and assessing compound-based therapies at larger scale. The advent of genome editing technology enables the generation of a panel of genetic models of cardiomyopathy with mutations in leading cardiomyopathy genes. However, one of the major bottlenecks for adult zebrafish as a cardiomyopathy model is the lack of appropriate cardiac functional assays. Due to small heart size, in vivo methods such as those based on echocardiography, are limited by their insufficient resolution. Here, we report the development of an ex vivo approach aimed to facilitate phenotyping in adult zebrafish. We show that our method is able to quantify parameters of pump function of the heart, including end-diastolic/systolic length/volumes, ejection and shortening fractions, and velocities of contraction/relaxation. We defined the basic parameters of these indices using different wild-type strains, age, and sex, and then demonstrated that our method can be useful in definition of progression of pathogenesis of both acquired (doxorubicin-injected) and inherited cardiomyopathy models. We conclude that our novel approach shall facilitate cardiac phenotyping in adult zebrafish models of heart diseases.

scholarly journals Oestrogen-induced androgen insufficiency results in a reduction of proliferation and differentiation of spermatogonia in the zebrafish testis

2009 ◽  
Vol 202 (2) ◽  
pp. 287-297 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul P de Waal ◽  
Marcelo C Leal ◽  
Ángel García-López ◽  
Sergio Liarte ◽  
Hugo de Jonge ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Feedback Inhibition ◽  
Ex Vivo ◽  
Inhibitory Effect ◽  
Type B ◽  
Adult Zebrafish ◽  
Androgen Synthesis ◽  
Set Up ◽  
Androgen Depletion ◽  
Spermatogonial Proliferation

Androgens can induce complete spermatogenesis in immature or prepubertal teleost fish. However, many aspects of the role of androgens in adult teleost spermatogenesis have remained elusive. Since oestrogens inhibit androgen synthesis, we used an oestrogen-induced androgen depletion model to identify androgen-dependent stages during adult zebrafish spermatogenesis. Exposure to 10 nM 17β-oestradiol (E2) in vivo at least halved the mass of differentiating germ cells (from type B spermatogonia to spermatids), while type A spermatogonia accumulated. Studies on the cellular dynamics revealed that a reduction of spermatogonial proliferation together with an inhibition of their differentiation to type B spermatogonia were the basis for the oestrogen-mediated disturbance of spermatogenesis. The capacity of the zebrafish testis to produce 11-ketotestosterone as well as the expression of steroidogenesis-related genes was markedly decreased after in vivo oestrogen exposure. Moreover, the androgen-release response to recombinant zebrafish Lh was lost after oestrogen exposure. We conclude that oestrogen exposure caused a state of androgen insufficiency in adult male zebrafish. Since the downregulation of the steroidogenic system as well as the disturbance of spermatogenesis in testicular explants exposed to E2 ex vivo was much less severe than after in vivo exposure, the main inhibitory effect appears to be exerted via feedback inhibition of gonadotropin release. This experimental set-up helped to identify spermatogonial proliferation and their differentiation as androgen targets in adult zebrafish spermatogenesis.

scholarly journals Live imaging of adult zebrafish cardiomyocyte proliferation ex vivo

Development ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hessel Honkoop ◽  
Phong D. Nguyen ◽  
Veronique E.M. van der Velden ◽  
Katharina F. Sonnen ◽  
Jeroen Bakkers
Keyword(s):  
Culture System ◽  
Ex Vivo ◽  
Live Imaging ◽  
Slice Culture ◽  
Heart Regeneration ◽  
Dependent Manner ◽  
Cardiomyocyte Proliferation ◽  
Adult Zebrafish ◽  
Cellular Mechanisms ◽  
Zebrafish Heart

Zebrafish are excellent at regenerating their heart by reinitiating proliferation in pre-existing cardiomyocytes. Studying how zebrafish achieve this holds great potential in developing new strategies to boost mammalian heart regeneration. Nevertheless, the lack of appropriate live imaging tools for the adult zebrafish heart has limited detailed studies into the dynamics underlying cardiomyocyte proliferation. Here, we address this by developing a system in which cardiac slices of the injured zebrafish heart are cultured ex vivo for several days while retaining key regenerative characteristics including cardiomyocyte proliferation. In addition, we show that the cardiac slice culture system is compatible with live timelapse imaging and allows manipulation of regenerating cardiomyocytes with drugs that normally would have toxic effects that prevent its use. Finally, we use the cardiac slices to demonstrate that adult cardiomyocytes with fully assembled sarcomeres can partially disassemble their sarcomeres in a calpain and proteasome dependent manner to progress through nuclear division and cytokinesis. In conclusion, we have developed a cardiac slice culture system, which allows imaging of native cardiomyocyte dynamics in real time to discover cellular mechanisms during heart regeneration.

scholarly journals Imaging the adult zebrafish cone mosaic using optical coherence tomography

2016 ◽  
Vol 33 ◽  
Author(s):  
ALISON L. HUCKENPAHLER ◽  
MELISSA A. WILK ◽  
ROBERT F. COOPER ◽  
FRANCIE MOEHRING ◽  
BRIAN A. LINK ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Optical Coherence Tomography ◽  
Axial Length ◽  
Ex Vivo ◽  
Fundus Photography ◽  
Mouse Retina ◽  
Retinal Layer ◽  
Optical Coherence ◽  
Adult Zebrafish ◽  
En Face

AbstractZebrafish (Danio rerio) provide many advantages as a model organism for studying ocular disease and development, and there is great interest in the ability to non-invasively assess their photoreceptor mosaic. Despite recent applications of scanning light ophthalmoscopy, fundus photography, and gonioscopy to in vivo imaging of the adult zebrafish eye, current techniques either lack accurate scaling information (limiting quantitative analyses) or require euthanizing the fish (precluding longitudinal analyses). Here we describe improved methods for imaging the adult zebrafish retina using spectral domain optical coherence tomography (OCT). Transgenic fli1:eGFP zebrafish were imaged using the Bioptigen Envisu R2200 broadband source OCT with a 12-mm telecentric probe to measure axial length and a mouse retina probe to acquire retinal volume scans subtending 1.2 × 1.2 mm nominally. En face summed volume projections were generated from the volume scans using custom software that allows the user to create contours tailored to specific retinal layer(s) of interest. Following imaging, the eyes were dissected for ex vivo fluorescence microscopy, and measurements of blood vessel branch points were compared to those made from the en face OCT images to determine the OCT lateral scale as a function of axial length. Using this scaling model, we imaged the photoreceptor layer of five wild-type zebrafish and quantified the density and packing geometry of the UV cone submosaic. Our in vivo cone density measurements agreed with measurements from previously published histology values. The method presented here allows accurate, quantitative assessment of cone structure in vivo and will be useful for longitudinal studies of the zebrafish cone mosaics.

scholarly journals Adult zebrafish ventricular electrical gradients as tissue mechanisms of ECG patterns under baseline vs. oxidative stress

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yali Zhao ◽  
Nicholas A James ◽  
Ashraf R Beshay ◽  
Eileen E Chang ◽  
Andrew Lin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Oxidative Stress ◽  
Cardiac Electrophysiology ◽  
Ex Vivo ◽  
Mechanical Efficiency ◽  
Adult Zebrafish ◽  
Qrs Complex ◽  
Electrical Stability ◽  
T Wave ◽  
Zebrafish Heart

Abstract Aims In mammalian ventricles, electrical gradients establish electrical heterogeneities as essential tissue mechanisms to optimize mechanical efficiency and safeguard electrical stability. Electrical gradients shape mammalian electrocardiographic patterns; disturbance of electrical gradients is proarrhythmic. The zebrafish heart is a popular surrogate model for human cardiac electrophysiology thanks to its remarkable recapitulation of human electrocardiogram and ventricular action potential features. Yet, zebrafish ventricular electrical gradients are largely unexplored. The goal of this study is to define the zebrafish ventricular electrical gradients that shape the QRS complex and T wave patterns at baseline and under oxidative stress. Methods and results We performed in vivo electrocardiography and ex vivo voltage-sensitive fluorescent epicardial and transmural optical mapping of adult zebrafish hearts at baseline and during acute H2O2 exposure. At baseline, apicobasal activation and basoapical repolarization gradients accounted for the polarity concordance between the QRS complex and T wave. During H2O2 exposure, differential regional impairment of activation and repolarization at the apex and base disrupted prior to baseline electrical gradients, resulting in either reversal or loss of polarity concordance between the QRS complex and T wave. KN-93, a specific calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II inhibitor (CaMKII), protected zebrafish hearts from H2O2 disruption of electrical gradients. The protection was complete if administered prior to oxidative stress exposure. Conclusions Despite remarkable apparent similarities, zebrafish and human ventricular electrocardiographic patterns are mirror images supported by opposite electrical gradients. Like mammalian ventricles, zebrafish ventricles are also susceptible to H2O2 proarrhythmic perturbation via CaMKII activation. Our findings suggest that the adult zebrafish heart may constitute a clinically relevant model to investigate ventricular arrhythmias induced by oxidative stress. However, the fundamental ventricular activation and repolarization differences between the two species that we demonstrated in this study highlight the potential limitations when extrapolating results from zebrafish experiments to human cardiac electrophysiology, arrhythmias, and drug toxicities.

Correlation of γ-radioactivity and Scanning Electron Microscopy in measurement of retention of 111Indium-labeled canine endothelial cells on synthetic vascular grafts

1989 ◽  
Vol 47 ◽  
pp. 886-887
Author(s):  
E.J. Prendiville ◽  
S. Laliberté Verdon ◽  
K. E. Gould ◽  
K. Ramberg ◽  
R. J. Connolly ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Blood Flow ◽  
Ex Vivo ◽  
Vascular Grafts ◽  
Retention Data ◽  
Vascular Prostheses ◽  
Group 4 ◽  
Human Fibronectin ◽  
Insufficient Time ◽  
Group 3 ◽  
Group 2

Endothelial cell (EC) seeding is postulated as a mechanism of improving patency in small caliber vascular grafts. However the majority of seeded EC are lost within 24 hours of restoration of blood flow in previous canine studies . We postulate that the cells have insufficient time to fully develop their attachment to the graft surface prior to exposure to hemodynamic stress. We allowed EC to incubate on fibronectin-coated ePTFE grafts for four different time periods after seeding and measured EC retention after perfusion in a canine ex vivo shunt circuit.Autologous canine EC, were enzymatically harvested, grown to confluence, and labeled with 30 μCi 111 Indium-oxine/80 cm 2 flask. Four groups of 5 cm x 4 mm ID ePTFE vascular prostheses were coated with 1.5 μg/cm.2 human fibronectin, and seeded with 1.5 x 105 EC/ cm.2. After seeding grafts in Group 1 were incubated in complete growth medium for 90 minutes, Group 2 were incubated for 24 hours, Group 3 for 72 hours and Group 4 for 6 days. Grafts were then placed in the canine ex vivo circuit, constructed between femoral artery and vein, and subjected to blood flow of 75 ml per minute for 6 hours. Continuous counting of γ-activity was made possible by placing the seeded graft inside the γ-counter detection crystal for the duration of perfusion. EC retention data after 30 minutes, 2 hours and 6 hours of flow are shown in the table.

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