Identification of Orexin and Endocannabinoid Receptors in Adult Zebrafish Using Immunoperoxidase and Immunofluorescence Methods

Summary

Presented here are protocols for immunohistochemical characterization and localization of orexin peptide, orexin receptors, and endocannabinoid receptors in the gut and brains of normal and diet-induced obesity (DIO) adult zebrafish models using immunoperixidase and double immunofluorescence methods.

Abstract

Immunohistochemistry (IHC) is a highly sensitive and specific technique involved in the detection of target antigens in tissue sections with labeled antibodies. It is a multistep process in which the optimization of each step is crucial to obtain the optimum specific signal. Through IHC, the distribution and localization of specific biomarkers can be detected, revealing information on evolutionary conservation. Moreover, IHC allows for the understanding of expression and distribution changes of biomarkers in pathological conditions, such as obesity. IHC, mainly the immunofluorescence technique, can be used in adult zebrafish to detect the organization and distribution of phylogenetically conserved molecules, but a standard IHC protocol is not estasblished. Orexin and endocannabinoid are two highly conserved systems involved in the control of food intake and obesity pathology. Reported here are protocols used to obtain information about orexin peptide (OXA), orexin receptor (OX-2R), and cannabinoid receptor (CB1R) localization and distribution in the gut and brain of normal and diet-induced obese (DIO) adult zebrafish models. Also described are methods for immunoperoxidase and double immunofluorescence, as well as preparation of reagents, fixation, paraffin-embedding, and cryoprotection of zebrafish tissue and preparation for an endogenous activity-blocking step and background counterstaining. The complete set of parameters is obtained from previous IHC experiments, through which we have shown how immunofluorescence can help with the understanding of OXs, OX-2R, and CB1R distribution, localization, and conservation of expression in adult zebrafish tissues. The resulting images with highly specific signal intensity led to the confirmation that zebrafish are suitable animal models for immunohistochemical studies of distribution, localization, and evolutionary conservation of specific biomarkers in physiological and pathological conditions. The protocols presented here are recommended for IHC experiments in adult zebrafish.

Introduction

Immunohistochemistry (IHC) is a well-established classic technique used to identify cellular or tissue components (antigens) by antigen-antibody interaction^1,2. It can be used to identify the localization and distribution of target biomolecules within a tissue. IHC uses immunological and chemical reactions to detect antigens in tissue sections³. The main markers used for the visualization of antigen-antibody interactions include fluorescent dyes (immunofluorescence) and enzyme-substrate color reactions (immunoperoxidase), both conjugated to antibodies⁴. Using mic....

Protocol

1. Immunoperoxidase protocol

NOTE: The zebrafish were obtained by Prof. Omid Safari (Department of Fisheries, Faculty of Natural Resources and Environment, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran)¹⁰.

1. Tissue dissection
   1. Sacrifice the zebrafish by submersion in ice water (5 parts ice/1 part water, 4 °C); leave them until cessation of all movement to ensure death by hypoxia.
   2. Quickly remove the gut and brain with the following dissection method:
      1. Dry the fish on a paper towel and place it sagittally on a dissecting mat, blocking the ventral part o....

Results

Representative data for the immunoperoxidase staining are shown in Figure 1 and Figure 2. Immunohistochemical analysis of OX-A and OX-2R distribution in the gut of adult zebrafish showed different localization sites of OX-A and OX-2R and their increases in expression in the intestinal cells of DIO zebrafish. An intense brown staining for OX-A was observed in the cells of the medial and anterior intestine (Figure 1A, A₁). .......

Discussion

Sample preparation

Sample preparation is the first critical step in IHC. A reliable protocol allows for maintenance of cell morphology, tissue architecture, and antigenicity. This step requires correct tissue collection, fixation, and sectioning^22,23. The purpose of fixation is to preserve tissue and reduce the action of tissue enzymes or microorganisms. In particular, the fixation step preserves cellular compon.......

Materials

List of materials used in this article

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
Anti CB1	Abcam	ab23703
Anti OX-2R	Santa Cruz	sc-8074
Anti-OXA	Santa Cruz	sc8070
Aquatex	Merck	1,085,620,050
Biotinylated rabbit anti-goat	Vector Lab	BA-5000
citric acid	Sigma Aldrich	251275
Confocal microscope	Nikon	Nikon Eclipse Ti2
Cryostat	Leica Biosystem	CM3050S
DAPI	Sigma Aldrich	32670
Digital Camera	Leica Biosystem	DFC320
Digital Camera for confocal microscope	Nikon	DS-Qi2
Donkey anti goat Alexa fluor 488-conjugated secondary antibodies	Thermo Fisher	A11055
Donkey anti goat Alexa fluor 594-conjugated secondary antibodies	Thermo Fisher	A11058
Donkey anti rabbit Alexa fluor 488-conjugated secondary antibodies	Thermo Fisher	A21206
Donkey anti rabbit Alexa fluor 594-conjugated secondary antibodies	Thermo Fisher	A21207
Ethanol absolute	VWR	20,821,330
Frozen section compound	Leica Biosystem	FSC 22 Frozen Section Media
H2O2	Sigma Aldrich	31642
HCl	VWR	20,252,290
ImmPACT DAB	Vector lab	SK4105
Microscope	Leica Biosystem	DMI6000
Microtome	Leica Biosystem	RM2125RT
Na2HPO4	Sigma Aldrich	S9763
NaCl	Sigma Aldrich	S7653
NaH2PO4H2O	Sigma Aldrich	S9638
NaOH	Sigma Aldrich	S8045
Normal Donkey Serum	Sigma Aldrich	D9663
Normal Rabbit Serum	Vector lab	S-5000
paraffin wax	Carlo Erba	46793801
Paraphormaldeyde	Sigma Aldrich	P6148
sodium citrate dihydrate	Sigma Aldrich	W302600
Triton X-100	Fluka Analytical	93420
Trizma	Sigma Aldrich	T1503
VectaStain Elite ABC Kit	Vector lab	PK6100
Xylene Pure	Carlo Erba	392603