<em>Drosophila</em> Preparation and Longitudinal Imaging of Heart Function <em>In Vivo</em> Using Optical Coherence Microscopy (OCM)

Jing Men; Jason Jerwick; Penghe Wu; Mingming Chen; Aneesh Alex; Yutao Ma; Rudolph E. Tanzi; Airong Li; Chao Zhou

doi:10.3791/55002

Drosophila Preparation and Longitudinal Imaging of Heart Function In Vivo Using...

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Drosophila Preparation and Longitudinal Imaging of Heart Function In Vivo Using Optical Coherence Microscopy (OCM)

Drosophila Preparation and Longitudinal Imaging of Heart Function In Vivo Using Optical Coherence Microscopy (OCM)

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10:13 min

December 12, 2016

DOI: 10.3791/55002-v

Jing Men^1,2, Jason Jerwick^2,3, Penghe Wu^1,2, Mingming Chen^3,4, Aneesh Alex^2,3, Yutao Ma⁴, Rudolph E. Tanzi⁵, Airong Li⁵, Chao Zhou^1,2,3

¹Bioengineering Program,Lehigh University, ²Center for Photonics and Nanoelectronics,Lehigh University, ³Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering,Lehigh University, ⁴State Key Laboratory of Software Engineering,Wuhan University, ⁵Genetics and Aging Research Unit, Department of Neurology,Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School

Overview

This article describes protocols for preparing Drosophila at various developmental stages and conducting longitudinal optical imaging of heartbeats using a custom optical coherence microscopy (OCM) system. The study quantitatively characterizes cardiac morphological and dynamical changes through analysis of heart structural and functional parameters from OCM images.

Key Study Components

Area of Science

Neuroscience
Cardiac imaging
Developmental biology

Background

Drosophila serves as a model organism for studying cardiac development.
Optical coherence microscopy allows noninvasive imaging of small animal hearts.
The technique provides high spatial and temporal resolution.
Understanding Drosophila cardiac function may reveal insights into human cardiac diseases.

Purpose of Study

To image Drosophila heart function longitudinally in vivo.
To provide metrics on cardiac diameter, heart rate, and activity during metamorphosis.
To explore genetic similarities between Drosophila and vertebrates in cardiac development.

Methods Used

Preparation of Drosophila at different developmental stages.
Longitudinal imaging using a custom optical coherence microscopy system.
Analysis of heart structural and functional parameters from OCM images.
Application of the technique to other systems, such as optogenetic pacing.

Main Results

Quantitative characterization of cardiac morphological changes.
Assessment of heart rate and activity period during metamorphosis.
Revealing mechanisms of cardiac development and disease.
Potential applications in studying weakened pacemaker function.

Conclusions

The OCM technique is effective for noninvasive imaging of Drosophila hearts.
Findings may contribute to understanding human cardiac diseases.
This method can be adapted for various experimental setups.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the main advantage of using OCM?

OCM allows for noninvasive imaging with high spatial and temporal resolution.

How does Drosophila serve as a model for cardiac studies?

Drosophila shares genetic similarities with vertebrates, making it relevant for studying cardiac development.

What metrics can be obtained from this imaging technique?

Metrics include changes in cardiac diameter, heart rate, and activity period during metamorphosis.

Can this method be applied to other systems?

Yes, it can be adapted for optogenetic pacing and other experimental models.

What stages of Drosophila are used in this study?

The study involves Drosophila at different developmental stages.

What are the implications of this research?

The findings may help reveal mechanisms of human cardiac disease.

Here, the experimental protocols are described for preparing Drosophila at different developmental stages and performing longitudinal optical imaging of Drosophila heartbeats using a custom optical coherence microscopy (OCM) system. The cardiac morphological and dynamical changes can be quantitatively characterized by analyzing the heart structural and functional parameters from OCM images.

The overall goal of this procedure is to image the heart function of Drosophila longitudinally in vivo using an optical coherence microscopy technique. This method can help answer key questions in the field of Drosophila cardiac structural and functional development by providing metrics, such as changes in cardiac diameter, heart rate, and the cardiac activity period during Drosophila metamorphosis. The main advantage of this technique is that the optical coherence microscopy is capable of imaging small animal hearts noninvasively with high spatial and temporal resolution.

This technique may help reveal the mechanisms of human cardiac disease and the relation to cardiac development due to the genetic similarities that exist between Drosophila and vertebrates. This method can also be applied to other systems, such as optogenetic pacing for studying or treating weakened pacemaker function in animal models. When producing the flies for this experiment, allow reproductive parental flies to mate and lay eggs in a fresh vial for eight hours.

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