Electroretinogram Analysis of the Visual Response in Zebrafish Larvae

Summary

We present a method for the electroretinographic (ERG) analysis of zebrafish larvae utilizing micromanipulation and electroretinography techniques. This is a simple and straightforward method for assaying visual function of zebrafish larvae in vivo.

Abstract

The electroretinogram (ERG) is a noninvasive electrophysiological method for determining retinal function. Through the placement of an electrode on the surface of the cornea, electrical activity generated in response to light can be measured and used to assess the activity of retinal cells in vivo. This manuscript describes the use of the ERG to measure visual function in zebrafish. Zebrafish have long been utilized as a model for vertebrate development due to the ease of gene suppression by morpholino oligonucleotides and pharmacological manipulation. At 5-10 dpf, only cones are functional in the larval retina. Therefore, the zebrafish, unlike other animals, is a powerful model system for the study of cone visual function in vivo. This protocol uses standard anesthesia, micromanipulation and stereomicroscopy protocols that are common in laboratories that perform zebrafish research. The outlined methods make use of standard electrophysiology equipment and a low light camera to guide the placement of the recording microelectrode onto the larval cornea. Finally, we demonstrate how a commercially available ERG stimulator/recorder originally designed for use with mice can easily be adapted for use with zebrafish. ERG of larval zebrafish provides an excellent method of assaying cone visual function in animals that have been modified by morpholino oligonucleotide injection as well as newer genome engineering techniques such as Zinc Finger Nucleases (ZFNs), Transcription Activator-Like Effector Nucleases (TALENs), and Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR)/Cas9, all of which have greatly increased the efficiency and efficacy of gene targeting in zebrafish. In addition, we take advantage of the ability of pharmacological agents to penetrate zebrafish larvae to evaluate the molecular components that contribute to the photoresponse. This protocol outlines a setup that can be modified and used by researchers with various experimental goals.

Introduction

The electroretinogram (ERG) is a noninvasive electrophysiological method that has been used extensively in the clinic for determining the function of the retina in humans. The electrical activity in response to a light stimulus is measured by placing recording electrodes on the outer surface of the cornea. The characteristics of the stimulus paradigm and the response waveform define the retinal neurons contributing to the response. This method has been adapted for use with a number of animal models including mice and zebrafish. The typical vertebrate ERG response has four principal components: the a-wave, which is a cornea-negative potential derived from photoreceptor....

Protocol

Animal upkeep and experimental protocols were approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committees of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and meet all requirements of the NIH Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare and the Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care International.
NOTE: To obtain larvae for ERG analysis, published protocols for standard zebrafish husbandry and maintenance were employed¹⁸. Larvae are obtained through natural breeding and housed under a 14 hr light/10 hr dark cycle. This protocol has been optimized for larvae at 5-7 days post-fertilization (dpf), but could ideally be performed on older fish with s....

Results

Typically, ERGs are recorded from zebrafish larvae at 5 dpf, since a number of studies have published ERG recordings at this stage^9,16,20. Larval responses were measured under dark-adapted conditions with no background illumination using a 20 msec stimulus of white LED light. We utilized a commercially available ERG system consisting of a Ganzfeld light stimulator and computer controller/recorder. The stimulator uses a tightly controlled proprietary pulse width modulation (PWM) system to control the.......

Discussion

In this protocol a simple procedure for ERG recordings of larval zebrafish is detailed. This procedure allows for a quick and comprehensive assay of visual function.There are several critical steps throughout the procedure that should be kept in mind. The zebrafish larvae should be healthy before the experiment to prevent death during potential drug treatments and ensure prolonged livelihood during the ERG recordings. In addition, it is important that the larvae utilized in experiments are closely age-matched. This is du.......

Materials

List of materials used in this article

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
Faraday cage	80/20 Inc	custom	Custom designed aluminum "Industrial Erector Set" for Cage framework
PVA sponge	Amazon	B000ZOWG1C	Provides a soft, moist platform for placement of zebrafish larvae
150 ml Sterile Filter systems	Corning	431154	Filtering solutions to prevent small articulates from blocking micropipettes
Espion E2	Diagnosys, LLC	contact	Modular electrophysiology system capable of generating visual stimuli for any stimulator and digital recording and analysis of responses using propietary software, more information at http://www.diagnosysllc.com
Colordome	Diagnosys, LLC	contact	Light stimulator with RGB LED and Xenon light sources for Ganzfeld ERG, more information at http://www.diagnosysllc.com
Micromanipulator	Drummond	3-000-024-R	Holding and positioning the recording microelectrode
Magnetic ring stand	Drummond	3-000-025-MB	Holding and positioning of the camera and refrence electrode
Lead extensions	Grass Technologies	F-LX	Spare female to male 1.5 mm lead cables for connecting electrodes
Male Pin to Female SAFELEAD Adaptor	Grass Technologies	DF-215/10	Connecting 2 mm pins to 1.5 headboard pins
Window screen frame (metal) and spline	Lowes or Home Depot	various	For attaching copper mesh to Faraday cage framework
Steriflip 50 ml filters	Millipore	SCGP00525	Filtering solutions to prevent small articulates from blocking micropipettes
BNC adaptor	Monoprice	4127	Connecting camera to BNC cable
BNC cable	Monoprice	626	Connecting camera to video adaptor
Camera lens	Navitar	1582232	Visualizing the positioning of the recording microelectrode onto the larval cornea
Camera coupler	Navitar	1501149	Visualizing the positioning of the recording microelectrode onto the larval cornea
Luna BNC to VGA + HDMI Converter	Sewell	SW-29297-PRO	BNC to VGA adaptor allowing camera image to project on computer monitor
APB	Sigma	A1910	mGluR6 agonist, blocks b-wave allowing analysis of the isolated cone mass receptor potential
Borosilicate glass	Sutter	BF-150-86-10	Fire- polished borosilicate glass (metling temperature = 821°C) with filament and dimensions of 1.5mm x 0.86 mm (outer diameter by inner diameter)
P97 Flaming/Brown puller	Sutter	P97	For pulling glass micropipettes
Sorbothane sheet	Thorlabs	SB12A	Synthetic viscoelastic urethane polymer, placed under Passive Isolation Mounts and ERG platform to absorb shock and prevent slipping, can be cut to size
Breadboard	Thorlabs	B2436F	Vibration isolation platfrom for ERG stimulator and zebrafish specimen
Passive Isolation Mounts	Thorlabs	PWA074	Provides vibration isolation to breadboard
Copper mesh	TWP	022X022C0150W36T	To line Faraday Cage
Pipette pump	VWR	53502-233	Used with Pasteur pipettes to carefully transfer zebrafish larvae
Pasteur pipettes	VWR	14672-608	Used with Pipette pump to carefully transfer zebrafish larvae
Camera	Watec	WAT-902B	Visualizing the positioning of the recording microelectrode onto the larval cornea
Tricaine (MS-222)	Western Chemical	Tricaine-S	Pharmaceutical-grade anesthetic,
Micro-fil	WPI	MF28G-5	Filling microelectrode holder and microelectrode glass
Microelectrode holder	WPI	MEH2SW15	Holds glass microelectrode, connects to ERG equipment
Reference Electrode	WPI	DRIREF-5SH	Carefully break off last centimeter of casing to drain electrolyte and expose sintered Ag/AgCl pellet electrode
Reference Electrode (alternative)	WPI	EP1	Alternative to DRIREF-5SH. Ag/AgCl electrode that must be wired/soldered to connecting lead
Low-noise cable for Microelectrode holder	WPI	13620	Connecting recording microelctrode holder to adaptor/headboard