Understanding Early Organogenesis Using a Simplified In Situ Hybridization Protocol in Xenopus

Summary

The Xenopus laevis embryo continues to be exceptionally useful in the study of early development due to its large size and ease of manipulation. A simplified protocol for whole mount in situ hybridization protocol is provided that can be used in the identification of specific organs in this model system.

Abstract

Organogenesis is the study of how organs are specified and then acquire their specific shape and functions during development. The Xenopuslaevis embryo is very useful for studying organogenesis because their large size makes them very suitable for identifying organs at the earliest steps in organogenesis. At this time, the primary method used for identifying a specific organ or primordium is whole mount in situ hybridization with labeled antisense RNA probes specific to a gene that is expressed in the organ of interest. In addition, it is relatively easy to manipulate genes or signaling pathways in Xenopus and in situ hybridization allows one to then assay for changes in the presence or morphology of a target organ. Whole mount in situ hybridization is a multi-day protocol with many steps involved. Here we provide a simplified protocol with reduced numbers of steps and reagents used that works well for routine assays. In situ hybridization robots have greatly facilitated the process and we detail how and when we utilize that technology in the process. Once an in situ hybridization is complete, capturing the best image of the result can be frustrating. We provide advice on how to optimize imaging of in situ hybridization results. Although the protocol describes assessing organogenesis in Xenopus laevis, the same basic protocol can almost certainly be adapted to Xenopus tropicalis and other model systems.

Introduction

The expression pattern of a specific gene is an important piece of information in determining the potential role for that gene in the development of a specific organ or cell type. Simply put, if it is not expressed at the right time and place it is unlikely to play a key role. In Xenopus, as in most early embryos, the most commonly used assay for detecting the expression of a gene is whole mount in situ hybridization using labeled antisense RNA probes. The use of antibody staining to assess expression of a gene in Xenopus is becoming more common as researchers discover antibodies, usually raised against mammalian proteins, that cross rea....

Protocol

1. Embryo Preparation

1. If not done routinely as part of embryo culture, de-jelly the embryos using 2.5% cysteine, pH 8.0 prior to fixation ⁸. Although it is not absolutely necessary, it is useful to then manually remove the fertilization envelope prior to fixation using fine forceps.
   1. Use glass Pasteur pipettes to transfer the embryos. The pipette is not wide enough to transfer embryos so use a diamond pen to cut the glass pipette at a point wide enough to pick up an embryo. Eliminate the sharp edges of the pipettes after cutting by quickly passing the cut tip through the flame of a Bunsen burner to melt the sharp edges.
      NOTE: ....

Results

The use of tissue specific probes can provide outstanding information in regards to the state of development for specific organs. In the following examples, the stage of the embryo is based on the Nieuwkoop and Faber staging table ¹¹. If one uses probes form genes expressed after differentiation, cardiac troponin I at stage 28-30, for example (Figure 1C), the presence or size of a differentiated organ can be assessed at any stage post differentiation. Years ago, embryologists were abl.......

Discussion

The ability to use in situ hybridization to visualize the expression pattern of specific genes remains the most commonly used method to identify specific organs or cell types in the Xenopus embryo. This is because of several advantages offered by this technique. The expression of a gene can identify specific structures well before any histological sign of differentiation such as the case for nkx2.5 expression in the heart progenitors prior to any clear demarcation of those cells ¹⁸. .......

Materials

List of materials used in this article

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
Labguake Tube Shakers	VWR	17-08-2011
VWR Vials	VWR	10-07-2012
L-Cysteine	BioShop	CYS342.500
Ribonucleoside Triphosphate Set, 100mM	Roche	11277057001
Digoxigenin-11-UTP	Roche	11209256910
Rnase inhibator (Rnase OUT)	Invitrogen	10777-019
T7 RNA Polymerase	Fermentas	EPO111
T3 RNA Polymerase	Fermentas	EPO101
SP6 RNA Polymerase	Fermentas	EPO131
Dnase 1	Invitrogen	18047-019
Sheep Serum	Wisent	31150
Blocking reagent	Roche	11096176001
BM purple Ap Substrate	Roche	11442094001
Anti-Digoxigenin-Ap Feb fragments	Roche	11093274910
Methanol	VWR	CAMX0485-7
NaCl	BioShop	SOD002.10
SDS	EM	7910
EDTA	BioShop	EDT001.500
Tris	BioShop	TRS003.5
Tween-20	EM	9480
MgSO4	Sigma	M-2643
Mops	BioShop	MOP001.250
EGTA	Sigma	E-3889-25G
Paraformaldehyde	BioShop	PAR070.500
Formamide	VWR	CAFX0420-4
RNA	Roche	10109223001
Maleic Acid	VWR	CAMX0100-3
tri-Sodium Citrate	BioShop	CIT001
Hydrogen Peroxide (30% Solution)	EM	HX0635-2
BSA	BioShop	ALB001.100
PVP-40	ICN	195451
Ficoll 400	GE Healthcare	17-0300-10
Benzyl Alcohol	Sigma	B-1042
Benzyl Benzoate	Sigma	B-6630
UltraPure Agarose	Invitrogen	16500-500