Visualization of the Axonal Projection Pattern of Embryonic Motor Neurons in Drosophila

Summary

This work details a standard immunohistochemistry method to visualize motor neuron projections of late stage-16 Drosophila melanogaster embryos. The filleted preparation of fixed embryos stained with FasII antibody provides a powerful tool to characterize the genes required for motor axon pathfinding and target recognition during neural development.

Abstract

The establishment of functional neuromuscular circuits relies on precise connections between developing motor axons and target muscles. Motor neurons extend growth cones to navigate along specific pathways by responding to a large number of axon guidance cues that emanate from the surrounding extracellular environment. Growth cone target recognition also plays a critical role in neuromuscular specificity. This work presents a standard immunohistochemistry protocol to visualize motor neuron projections of late stage-16 Drosophila melanogaster embryos. This protocol includes a few key steps, including a genotyping procedure, to sort the desired mutant embryos; an immunostaining procedure, to tag embryos with fasciclin II (FasII) antibody; and a dissection procedure, to generate filleted preparations from fixed embryos. Motor axon projections and muscle patterns in the periphery are much better visualized in flat preparations of filleted embryos than in whole-mount embryos. Therefore, the filleted preparation of fixed embryos stained with FasII antibody provides a powerful tool to characterize the genes required for motor axon pathfinding and target recognition, and it can also be applied to both loss-of-function and gain-of-function genetic screens.

Introduction

Precise and selective connections between motor axons and target muscles during embryonic development are essential for normal locomotion in Drosophila larvae. The embryonic patterning of 30 muscle fibers in each of the abdominal hemisegments A2-A7 is established by stage 16¹. The 36 motor neurons that are generated in the ventral nerve cord extend their axons into the periphery to innervate specific target muscles². Motor axon pathfinding and target recognition can be visualized by immunohistochemistry with an antibody (mouse monoclonal antibody 1D4)^3,4....

Protocol

1. Preparation

1. Prepare 500 mL of phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) with t-Octylphenoxypolyethoxyethanol (PBT) solution by adding 0.5 g of bovine serum albumin (BSA) and 0.5 mL of t-Octylphenoxypolyethoxyethanol (see the Table of Materials) to 500 mL of 1X PBS and stirring for at least 30 min. Store at 4 °C. Use when relatively fresh and store the solution in a clean bottle.
2. Make 10 mL of 4% paraformaldehyde by adding 2.5 mL of 16% stock paraformaldehyde solution and 1 mL of 10x PBS to 6.5 mL of deionized water. Store at 4 °C and use within one week.
   CAUTION: Avoid skin contact with paraformaldehyde solution because it is highly tox....

Results

Precise connections between motor axons and target muscles during neural development depend on selective axon-axon repulsion and target recognition at specific choice points⁴. In Drosophila, selective repulsion between motor axons is in part regulated by the combined action of class 1 and 2 semaphorins (Semas), including Sema-1a, Sema-2a, and Sema-2b^{8,14,15,<.......}

Discussion

The details of motor axon guidance defects are scored faster and with better accuracy by the filleted preparation of DAB-stained embryos than by laser scanning confocal microscopy of fluorescently labeled ones. Therefore, the filleted preparation of fixed and 1D4-stained embryos is best suited for the functional characterization of guidance cue molecules. Four major classes of guidance cues, including netrins, Slits, semaphorins (Semas), and ephrins, and their cognate receptors have evolutionarily conserved roles across .......

Materials

List of materials used in this article

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
Bovine Serum Albumin	Sigma-Aldrich	A7906
Triton X-100	Sigma-Aldrich	X100	t-Octylphenoxypolyethoxyethanol
16% Paraformaldehyde Solution	Ted Pella	18505
Sodium Chloride	Sigma-Aldrich	S5886
Potassium Chloride	Sigma-Aldrich	P5405
Sodium Phosphate Dibasic	Sigma-Aldrich	30435
Sodium Phosphate Monobasic	Sigma-Aldrich	71500
X-Gal Substrate	US Biological	X1000	X-Gal (5-Bromo-4-chloro-3-indolyl-b-D-galactoside galactopyranoside)
Dimethyl Sulfxide	Sigma-Aldrich	D4540
Magnesium Chloride	Sigma-Aldrich	M8266
Potassium hexacyanoferrate(II) trihydrate	Sigma-Aldrich	P9387
Potassium hexacyanoferrate(III)	Sigma-Aldrich	244023
Hydrogen Peroxide	Sigma-Aldrich	216763
3,3'-diaminobenzidine Tetrahydrochloride	Sigma-Aldrich	D5905
Agar	US Biological	A0930
Sucrose	Fisher Scientific	S5-3
Tegosept (Methy 4-Hydroxybenzoate)	Sigma-Aldrich	H5501
Culture Dish (60 mm)	Corning	430166
Tricon Beaker	Simport	B700-100	This is used to make a plastic beaker cage for embryo collection.
Yeast	Societe Industrielle Lesaffre	Saf Instant Yeast Red
Cotton Swab (Wooden Single Tip Cotton PK100)	VWR	14220-263
Eppendorf Tube (1.5 ml)	Sarstedt	#72.690
Bleach	The Clorox Company	Clorox
Heptane	Sigma-Aldrich	246654
Methanol	J.T. Baker	UN1230
Normal Goat Serum	Life Technologies	16210-064
Anti-FasciculinII Antibody	Developmental Studies Hybridoma Bank	1D4 anti-Fasciclin II
Goat Anti-mouse-HRP Antibody	Jackson Immunoresearch	115-006-068	AffiniPure F(ab')2 Fragment Goat Anti-Mouse IgG+IgM (H+L) (min X Hu, Bov, Hrs Sr Prot
Glycerol	Sigma-Aldrich	G9012
Slide Glass	Duran Group	235501403
Coverslip	Duran Group	235503104	18 x 18 mm
1 ml Syringe	Becton Dickinson Medical(s)	301321
Tungsten Needle	Ted Pella	#27-11	Tungsten Wire, ø0.13mm/6.1m (ø.005"/20 ft.)
Nutator (Mini twister)	Korean Science	KO.VS-96TWS	Alternatively, BD Clay Adams Brand Nutator (BD 421125)