Grafting of Beads into Developing Chicken Embryo Limbs to Identify Signal Transduction Pathways Affecting Gene Expression

Summary

By grafting beads soaked in growth factors or specific inhibitors of signaling pathways into developing embryos it is possible to directly test their effects in vivo. In this protocol beads are grafted into the limb bud to determine the effects of these molecules on gene expression and signal transduction.

Abstract

Using chicken embryos it is possible to test directly the effects of either growth factors or specific inhibitors of signaling pathways on gene expression and activation of signal transduction pathways. This technique allows the delivery of signaling molecules at precisely defined developmental stages for specific times. After this embryos can be harvested and gene expression examined, for example by in situ hybridization, or activation of signal transduction pathways observed with immunostaining.

In this video heparin beads soaked in FGF18 or AG 1-X2 beads soaked in U0126, a MEK inhibitor, are grafted into the limb bud in ovo. This shows that FGF18 induces expression of MyoD and ERK phosphorylation and both endogenous and FGF18 induced MyoD expression is inhibited by U0126. Beads soaked in a retinoic acid antagonist can potentiate premature MyoD induction by FGF18.

This approach can be used with a wide range of different growth factors and inhibitors and is easily adapted to other tissues in the developing embryo.

Introduction

Avian embryos have provided a powerful tool for the study of development for many years¹. One of their most useful characteristics is that they are relatively easy to manipulate. External development makes it possible to open the egg to access the embryo and perform various micromanipulations including examples such as the classic quail-chick chimera system for studying cell fate^2,3, the injection of retroviruses for overexpression in specific tissues during development^4,5 and explant culture to identify developmental signaling sources⁶. More recently chimeras generated between unlabeled hosts with grafts from a transgenic c....

Protocol

Ethics Statement: All these experiments follow the animal care and ethical guidelines of the University of Nottingham.

1. Preparation of Heparin Beads for Grafting

1. Wash heparin beads thoroughly in PBS before use. Note: Beads can be stored at 4 °C as a slurry in PBS.
   1. Select beads for grafting by removing them from the stock with a 20 µl pipette into a 1 ml drop of PBS. Then use a micropipette set to 2 µl to transfer beads into a 20 µl drop of PBS in a 3 cm petri dish. Choose beads based on size and, using a stereo dissecting microscope, transfer selected beads with a P2 pipette tip....

Results

At HH stage 21 MyoD is not expressed in developing limb myoblasts although staining can be seen in the myotome of the developing somites (Figure 1A). Figure 1B shows in situ hybridization for MyoD 6 hr following an FGF18 bead graft. MyoD is induced in myoblasts close to the bead while there is no expression in the contralateral limb. Co-grafting a bead soaked in U0126, a specific inhibitor of MEK, blocks FGF18 induction of MyoD (Figure 1C). Similarly grafting a .......

Discussion

The use of bead grafts applied directly to developing tissues in ovo is a powerful tool to dissect the role of growth factor signaling during development giving unparalleled control over the developmental stage at which they are applied and the duration of exposure.

The choice of bead for each type of molecule is important. Small hydrophobic molecules, such as the inhibitors described here and retinoic acid, usually bind well to derivatized AG 1-X2 beads although it is necessary to test the ef.......

Materials

List of materials used in this article

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
Heparin acrylic beads	Sigma	H5263	The acrylic-heparin beads used have been discontinued. However a replacement product is available, Heparin agarose beads, cat no H6508. These are transparent so harder to work with but can be stained with phenol red in the same way as AG 1-X2 beads,
AG 1-X2 beads	Bio-Rad	140-1231
Affi Gel blue beads	Bio-Rad	153-7301; 153-7302	These beads have been used with a range of growth factors including Shh and FGFs and can be used to replace heparin beads
FGF18	Peprotech	100-28	Resuspend in PBS with 0/1% BSA, prepare single use aliquots of 0.5-1ul and store at -80°C. Batches and suppliers can vary so different concentrations should be tested to determine an effective dose.
U0126	Cell Signalling	9903	Make to 20mM stock in DMSO and store in single use aliquots at -80°C. Protect from light.
BMS-493	Tocris Biosciences	3509	Resuspend in DMSO and store in single use aliquots at -80°C. Protect from light.
Black Indian ink	Windsor and Newton	5012572003384 (30 ml)	While alternatives to this product are available care should be taken as some inks are toxic to embryos
Tungsten wire, 0.1 mm dia. 99.95%	Alfa Aesar	10404
Penicillin / streptomycin	Sigma	P0781	Dilute 100X in PBS/ink and PBS/FCS