Retrograde Neuroanatomical Tracing of Phrenic Motor Neurons in Mice

Summary

Here, we describe a protocol for identifying phrenic motor neurons in mice after intrapleural delivery of fluorophore conjugated cholera toxin subunit beta. Two techniques are compared to inject the pleural cavity: transdiaphragmatic versus transthoracic approaches.

Abstract

Phrenic motor neurons are cervical motor neurons originating from C3 to C6 levels in most mammalian species. Axonal projections converge into phrenic nerves innervating the respiratory diaphragm. In spinal cord slices, phrenic motor neurons cannot be identified from other motor neurons on morphological or biochemical criteria. We provide the description of procedures for visualizing phrenic motor neuron cell bodies in mice, following intrapleural injections of cholera toxin subunit beta (CTB) conjugated to a fluorophore. This fluorescent neuroanatomical tracer has the ability to be caught up at the diaphragm neuromuscular junction, be carried retrogradely along the phrenic axons and reach the phrenic cell bodies. Two methodological approaches of intrapleural CTB delivery are compared: transdiaphragmatic versus transthoracic injections. Both approaches are successful and result in similar number of CTB-labeled phrenic motor neurons. In conclusion, these techniques can be applied to visualize or quantify the phrenic motor neurons in various experimental studies such as those focused on the diaphragm-phrenic circuitry.

Introduction

The aim of the study is to present a reliable method to identify phrenic motor neurons (PhMN) on mouse spinal cord sections. Injection of a fluorescent neuroanatomical tracer in the pleural cavity was chosen as the delivery method to reach the phrenic neuromuscular projections onto the diaphragm and use retrograde transport along the phrenic axons to label phrenic cell bodies. Two techniques of intrapleural delivery are described: transdiaphragmatic versus transthoracic.

Phrenic motor neurons are spinal relay cells whose axons converge into phrenic nerves, which ultimately innervate the diaphragm. These are lower motor neurons receiving the....

Protocol

The experimental protocol was conducted in compliance with the European Communities Council Directives for Animal Experiment (2010/63/EU, 86/609/EEC and 87-848/EEC) and was approved by the Animal Ethics Committee of University of Namur (ethic project n°17-284). Figure 1 depicts the two respective approaches: transdiaphragmatic or transthoracic injections. Use male C57bl/6J mice (n=18), aged from 3 to 4 months in the study.

1. Preparation of CTB Solution

1. For transdiaphragmatic injections:
   1. Dissolve the CTB power in sterile water to the concentration of 0.2% (w/v).
   2. Load 7.5 ....

Results

Male C57bl/6J mice (n=18), aged from 3 to 4 months were included in the study. At day 0 of the experiment, 8 mice underwent a unilateral C4 contusion, right-sided, according to published protocol^7,18. As sham procedure, 10 mice underwent a laminectomy on top of C4 without contusion. At day 3, mice were prepared for the intrapleural injections of CTB-fluorophore according to the two different procedures described above. At day 7, a.......

Discussion

The protocol described herein can be applied to any strain of adult mice or to any experimental paradigm in which the integrity of the diaphragm-PhMN circuitry should be evaluated. For instance, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and cervical spinal cord injury (cSCI) are conditions associated with PhMN loss, anterograde degeneration of phrenic axons and subsequent respiratory compromise. Animal models of ALS or cSCI mimic histopathological and functional respiratory deficits observed in human diseases. In these models,.......

Materials

List of materials used in this article

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
Glass-bead sterilizer Steri 250	Keller	31-101
Small scissors	F.S.T.	14058-00
Soft tweezers	F.S.T.	11042-08
Scalpel blades	Swann Morton	No.11 or 15
Cholera toxin subunit beta conjugated to Alexa Fluor 555	Life Technologies	C22843	Bring at room temperature before use
10ul Hamilton syringue, removable needle	Sigma-Aldrich	701RN
33-gauge needle for Hamilton syringue, 20mm length, point style 4	Filter Service	7803-05
500ul insulin syringue MyJector, 27-gauge	Terumo	BS05M2713
Orientable LED lamp	V.W.R.	631-0995
Resorbable 4/0 sutures	S.M.I. AG	15151519
Needle holder	F.S.T.	12002-14
9mm autoclips	Bioseb	205016
Autoclip 9mm applier	Bioseb	MikRon 9mm