We thank Kwon laboratory members for helpful discussions. This work was supported by grants from NHLBI/NIH (R01HL111198) and Maryland Stem Cell Research Fund (MSCRF).

All mice were maintained at an American Association for the Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care (AAALAC)&#8211;accredited animal facility at the Johns Hopkins University and housed in accordance with the procedures outlined in the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals. The Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) approved all experimental protocols.
1. Experimental Preparation
<ol>
	<li>Coat 12-well plate with 10% Fetal Bovine Serum (FBS) in Phosphate Buffered Solution (PBS) for 60 min.</li>
	<li>Remove coating solution and add 200 &#181;l of Serum-free Media (SFM). Twirl plate to make sure that a film of media covers the entire surface area.</li>
</ol>
2. Surgical Procedures
<ol>
	<li>Euthanize pregnant mice using the institution&#39;s animal care committee-approved protocol followed by cervical dislocation to ensure complete euthanasia.</li>
	<li>Spray and clean the belly region of the mouse with 70% ethanol. Maintain strict sterile techniques to avoid contamination.</li>
	<li>Use forceps and scissors to make a 0.5 cm2 incision at the navel region.</li>
	<li>Use fingers to pinch/grab the skin above and below the incision and gently pull the skin in opposite directions (head and tail).</li>
	<li>Use forceps and scissors to make an initial incision in the membrane at the navel region. Gently cut the membrane in V-shape from the navel to the ovaries on each side (2 x 1.5 cm2), thereby revealing the uterus.</li>
	<li>Use forceps to pinch the oviduct connecting the uterus to the ovary and scissors to pinch the oviduct on the ovary side, thus freeing the uterus from the ovary.</li>
	<li>Gently pull up the uterus by the oviduct with the forceps and cut the uterus free from the bladder region with scissors.</li>
	<li>Pull the uterus further up by the oviduct with the forceps, and cut the oviduct with scissors on the other side, thereby releasing the uterus from the mouse.</li>
	<li>Transfer the uterus to a 50 ml tube and add 20 ml of cold sterile PBS with Ca2+ and Mg2+. PBS must contain Ca2+ and Mg2+ during embryo dissection.</li>
	<li>Gently shake the tube for 10 sec to wash the uterus for blood.</li>
	<li>Transfer the uterus from the tube with forceps and place it in a 10 ml&#160;dish and add 5 ml&#160;of cold PBS on top of the uterus.</li>
	<li>Place the dish with the uterus under a stereomicroscope. 
	Note: Steps 2.13-2.19 requires a stereomicroscope.</li>
	<li>Use two pairs of forceps to gently open the uterus and dissect out amniotic sacs with embryos from the uterus one by one.
	<ol>
		<li>Use two pairs of forceps to carefully open the amniotic sac that surrounds the embryo, pinch the sac with one forceps and gently remove it from the embryo, use the other forceps to cut and release the amniotic sac from the embryo. If a specific genotype needed, keep amniotic sac for genotyping.</li>
	</ol>
	</li>
	<li>Place the embryo on the side and use forceps to cut the 1st and 2nd arch posteriorly to the heart between the arch and the pharyngeal pouch (Figure 1A&#8217;&#8217;).</li>
	<li>Gently flip the embryo to the other side and use forceps to cut the 1st and 2nd arch posteriorly to the heart between the arch and the pharyngeal pouch.</li>
	<li>Use forceps to cut the cardiac outflow tract that is still connecting the 1st and 2nd pharyngeal arches to the embryo. Remove the arches, which are still attached together in the shape of a butterfly (Figure 1B), from the embryo.</li>
	<li>Use forceps to pinch and release the 1st pharyngeal arches from the remaining cardiac outflow tract and foregut endoderm (Figure 1B&#8217;&#8217; indicated with dashed line and *).</li>
	<li>Use forceps to pinch and release the 2nd pharyngeal arches from the remaining cardiac outflow tract and foregut endoderm (Figure 1B&#8217;&#8217; indicated with dashed line and **).</li>
	<li>Transfer each pair of arches separately using forceps and place both arches in the middle of a designated well. Plate 1st and 2nd pharyngeal arches in separate wells. Ensure that the arches are in contact with the film of media added in step 1.2. It is crucial that arches are NOT covered by medium, as they need to make contact with the surface of the well for attachment during this period.</li>
</ol>
3. Incubation and Imaging
<ol>
	<li>Incubate arches plated in the 12-well plate in 37 &#176;C/5% CO2 for 2 hr for arches to attach to the well surface area.</li>
	<li>Gently add 200 &#181;l of 37 &#176;C SFM down the side of the well. Make sure that arches remain attached and incubate O/N.</li>
	<li>Next day, visually check that pharyngeal arches are attached and gently add 200 &#181;l of 37 &#176;C SFM down the side of the well. If arches remain unattached and floating, gently remove media with a pipette without removing arches until only a film of media is left. Use pipette tip to place arches in the middle of the well and repeat step 3.1.</li>
	<li>Monitor daily; add ~100-200 &#181;l of media every 2nd day to replace any evaporated media. 
	Note: 24-48 hr after migrating cells appear around the arch and will proliferate and migrate from arch over the next 5-8 days. After 36-72 hr formation of beating cardiomyocytes can be observed from the 2nd pharyngeal arch (Figure 2B). Myotube formation can be observed from the 1st pharyngeal arch 3-7 days after attachment (Figure 2A).</li>
</ol>

<ol>
	<li>Kelly, R. G. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=The+second+heart+field.">The second heart field.</a> Curr Top Dev Biol. 100, 33-65 (2012).</li><li>Bruneau, B. G. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=The+developmental+genetics+of+congenital+heart+disease.">The developmental genetics of congenital heart disease.</a> Nature. 451, 943-948 (2008).</li><li>Tzahor, E., Evans, S. M. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Pharyngeal+mesoderm+development+during+embryogenesis:+implications+for+both+heart+and+head+myogenesis.">Pharyngeal mesoderm development during embryogenesis: implications for both heart and head myogenesis.</a> Cardiovasc Res. 91, 196-202 (2011).</li><li>Uosaki, H., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Direct+Contact+with+Endoderm-like+Cells+Efficiently+Induces+Cardiac+Progenitors+from+Mouse+and+Human+Pluripotent+Stem+Cells.">Direct Contact with Endoderm-like Cells Efficiently Induces Cardiac Progenitors from Mouse and Human Pluripotent Stem Cells.</a> PLoS One. 7 (10), e46413 (2012).</li><li>Cheng, P., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Fibronectin+mediates+mesendodermal+cell+fate+decisions.">Fibronectin mediates mesendodermal cell fate decisions.</a> Development. 140, 2587-2596 (2013).</li><li>Kwon, C., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=A+regulatory+pathway+involving+Notch1/beta-catenin/Isl1+determines+cardiac+progenitor+cell+fate.">A regulatory pathway involving Notch1/beta-catenin/Isl1 determines cardiac progenitor cell fate.</a> Nature cell biology. 11, 951-957 (2009).</li><li>Shenje, L. T., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Precardiac+deletion+of+Numb+and+Numblike+reveals+renewal+of+cardiac+progenitors.">Precardiac deletion of Numb and Numblike reveals renewal of cardiac progenitors.</a> Elife. 3, e02164 (2014).</li><li>Grevellec, A., Tucker, A. S. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=The+pharyngeal+pouches+and+clefts:+Development,+evolution,+structure+and+derivatives.">The pharyngeal pouches and clefts: Development, evolution, structure and derivatives.</a> Semin Cell Dev Biol. 21, 325-332 (2010).</li><li>Kwon, C., Cordes, K. R., Srivastava, D. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Wnt/beta-catenin+signaling+acts+at+multiple+developmental+stages+to+promote+mammalian+cardiogenesis.">Wnt/beta-catenin signaling acts at multiple developmental stages to promote mammalian cardiogenesis.</a> Cell Cycle. 7, 3815-3818 (2008).</li><li>Cho, G. S., Fernandez, L., Kwon, C. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Regenerative+medicine+for+the+heart:+perspectives+on+stem-cell+therapy.">Regenerative medicine for the heart: perspectives on stem-cell therapy.</a> Antioxid Redox Signal. 21, 2018-2031 (2014).</li></ol>

The authors have nothing to disclose.

In this video, we demonstrate how to isolate and culture first and second pharyngeal arches of 9.5 days old mouse embryos. Pharyngeal arches are transient, segmented bulges that appear on the craniolateral side of developing embryos 9, which contain multi-potent cardiac progenitor cells&#8212;building blocks to make the heart during embryogenesis 10,11&#8212;in second arches and head muscle progenitors in first arches 8.
Dissection of pharyngeal arches requires...

Pharyngeal mesoderm cells give rise to parts of the heart and the pharyngeal muscles. During embryonic development, multipotent cardiac progenitor cells from the second heart field migrate from the pharyngeal mesoderm and populate the cardiac outflow tract and right ventricle, and their abnormal development is closely associated with congenital heart disease&#8212;the leading cause of birth defects and birth defect-related deaths in humans 1-3. Recent studies have demonstrated that pharyngeal mesoderm contributes to head muscles, in addition to the heart, making the mesoderm a critical part of the cardio-craniofacial development 4. Thus, the developmental processes including induction, proliferation, and differentiation of head and heart progenitors in the pharyngeal mesoderm are under active investigation 5-7.
Until recently, it remained unknown whether cardiac progenitor cells undergo expansion without differentiation, partly due to the lack of information on their cellular environment. Our recent study suggests that pharyngeal arches serve as a microenvironment for the renewal of cardiac and muscle progenitors and can be cultured ex vivo over several weeks 8. This explant method offers a novel and unique opportunity to study the development of cardio-craniofacial progenitors ex vivo.

<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0">
	<colgroup>
		<col span="4" />
	</colgroup>
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td>FBS</td>
			<td>Hyclone</td>
			<td>SH30071.03</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>PBS + Ca2 + Mg2</td>
			<td>Corning</td>
			<td>21-030-CV</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>10cm petri plates</td>
			<td>Fishersci</td>
			<td>FB0875712</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Scissor</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td colspan="2">Dissection forceps</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td colspan="2">Serum Free Media:</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>IMDM</td>
			<td>Cellgro</td>
			<td>15-016-CV</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Ham&#8217;s F12</td>
			<td>Cellgro</td>
			<td>10-080-CV</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>N2-SUPPLEMENT</td>
			<td>Gibco</td>
			<td>17502-048</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>B27-retinoic acid</td>
			<td>Gibco</td>
			<td>12587-010</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>10% BSA (in PBS) &#224; (Invitrogen Cat#. P2489)</td>
			<td>Life Sciences</td>
			<td>P2489</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>100X Glutamine (Gibco Cat.# 25030-081)</td>
			<td>Gibco</td>
			<td>35050-61</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>100X Pen/Strep (Gibco Cat#. 15070-063)</td>
			<td>Gibco</td>
			<td>15140-122</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

ex vivo culture of pharyngeal arches to study heart and muscle progenitors and their niche

The pharyngeal mesoderm of developing embryos contributes to broad regions of head and heart musculature. We have developed a novel method to study head and heart progenitor cell development with pharyngeal arches (also known as branchial arches) ex vivo. Using this method, we have recently described that the second pharyngeal arch contains self-renewing heart progenitors and serves as a microenvironment for expansion of the progenitors during mouse heart development. The progenitor cells remain undifferentiated and expansive inside the arch, but quickly become functional cardiomyocytes as they migrate out of the arch. We also reported that first pharyngeal arch contains muscle progenitors giving rise to myotubes after leaving the arch. Here, we demonstrate the procedure for the dissection and ex vivo culture of first and second pharyngeal arches from developing mouse embryos. The method enables one to study head and heart progenitor/muscle development, including cardiomyocyte and myotube formation in detail ex vivo.

During development, facial muscle and heart progenitors can be traced as they proliferate and migrate from the 1st and 2nd pharyngeal arch, to become head and heart musculature, respectively (Figure 1A, A&#8217; and A&#8217;&#8217;). Culturing pharyngeal arches offers a unique way to study heart and muscle development in detail ex vivo. After dissection and attachment of pharyngeal arches, migrating cells from attached arches can be observe...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Ex Vivo Culture of Pharyngeal Arches to Study Heart and Muscle Progenitors and Their Niche at JoVE.com

Ex Vivo Culture of Pharyngeal Arches to Study Heart and Muscle Progenitors and Their Niche

Here, we present a protocol to culture pharyngeal arches to study the biology of heart and muscle progenitor cells and their microenvironment.

Ex Vivo Culture of Pharyngeal Arches to Study Heart and Muscle Progenitors and Their Niche

The pharyngeal mesoderm of developing embryos contributes to broad regions of head and heart musculature. We have developed a novel method to study head ...

ex-vivo-culture-pharyngeal-arches-to-study-heart-muscle-progenitors

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JoVE Journal

Developmental Biology

7.8K Views.  Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Here, we present a protocol to culture pharyngeal arches to study the biology of heart and muscle progenitor cells and their microenvironment.

Video: Ex Vivo Culture of Pharyngeal Arches to Study Heart and Muscle Progenitors and Their Niche

Using Ex Vivo Upright Droplet Cultures of Whole Fetal Organs to Study Developmental Processes during Mouse Organogenesis

Investigating organogenesis in utero is a technically challenging process in placental mammals due to inaccessibility of reagents to embryos that develop within the uterus. A newly developed ex vivo upright droplet culture method provides an attractive alternative to studies performed in utero. The ex vivo droplet culture provides the ability to examine and manipulate cellular interactions and diverse signaling pathways through use of various blocking and activating compounds; additionally, the effects of various pharmacological reagents on the development of specific organs can be studied without unwanted side effects of systemic drug delivery in utero. As compared to other in vitro systems, the droplet culture not only allows for the ability to study three-dimensional morphogenesis and cell-cell interactions, which cannot be reproduced in mammalian cell lines, but also requires significantly less reagents than other ex vivo and in vitro protocols. This paper demonstrates proper mouse fetal organ dissection and upright droplet culture techniques, followed by whole organ immunofluorescence to demonstrate the effectiveness of the method. The ex vivo droplet culture method allows the formation of organ architecture comparable to what is observed in vivo and can be utilized to study otherwise difficult-to-study processes due to embryonic lethality in in vivo models. As a model application system, a small-molecule inhibitor will be utilized to probe the role of vascularization in testicular morphogenesis. This ex vivo droplet culture method is expandable to other fetal organ systems, such as lung and potentially others, although each organ must be extensively studied to determine any organ-specific modifications to the protocol. This organ culture system provides flexibility in experimentation with fetal organs, and results obtained using this technique will help researchers gain insights into fetal development.

Using Ex Vivo Upright Droplet Cultures of Whole Fetal Organs to Study Developmental Processes during Mouse Organogenesis

The&#160;ex vivo&#160;upright droplet culture is an alternative to current&#160;in vitro&#160;and&#160;in vivo&#160;experimental techniques. This protocol is easy to perform and requires smaller amounts of reagent, while permitting the ability to manipulate and study fetal vascularization, morphogenesis, and organogenesis.

Investigating organogenesis in utero is a technically challenging process in placental mammals due to inaccessibility of reagents to embryos that develop ...

Ex Vivo Culture of Chick Cerebellar Slices and Spatially Targeted Electroporation of Granule Cell Precursors

The cerebellar external granule layer (EGL) is the site of the largest transit amplification in the developing brain, and an excellent model for studying neuronal proliferation and differentiation. In addition, evolutionary modifications of its proliferative capability have been responsible for the dramatic expansion of cerebellar size in the amniotes, making the cerebellum an excellent model for evo-devo studies of the vertebrate brain. The constituent cells of the EGL, cerebellar granule progenitors, also represent a significant cell of origin for medulloblastoma, the most prevalent paediatric neuronal tumour. Following transit amplification, granule precursors migrate radially into the internal granular layer of the cerebellum where they represent the largest neuronal population in the mature mammalian brain. In chick, the peak of EGL proliferation occurs towards the end of the second week of gestation. In order to target genetic modification to this layer at the peak of proliferation, we have developed a method for genetic manipulation through ex vivo electroporation of cerebellum slices from embryonic Day 14 chick embryos. This method recapitulates several important aspects of in vivo granule neuron development and will be useful in generating a thorough understanding of cerebellar granule cell proliferation and differentiation, and thus of cerebellum development, evolution and disease.

Ex Vivo Culture of Chick Cerebellar Slices and Spatially Targeted Electroporation of Granule Cell Precursors

The cerebellar external granule layer is the site of the largest transit amplification in the developing brain. Here, we present a protocol to target genetic modification to this layer at the peak of proliferation using ex vivo electroporation and culture of cerebellar slices from embryonic Day 14 chick embryos.

The cerebellar external granule layer (EGL) is the site of the largest transit amplification in the developing brain, and an excellent model for studying ...

Epicardial Outgrowth Culture Assay and Ex Vivo Assessment of Epicardial-derived Cell Migration

A single layer of epicardial cells lines the heart, providing paracrine factors that stimulate cardiomyocyte proliferation and directly contributing cardiovascular progenitors during development and disease. While a number of factors have been implicated in epicardium-derived cell (EPDC) mobilization, the mechanisms governing their subsequent migration and differentiation are poorly understood. Here, we present in vitro and ex vivo strategies to study EPDC motility and differentiation. First, we describe a method of obtaining primary epicardial cells by outgrowth culture from the embryonic mouse heart. We also introduce a detailed protocol to assess three-dimensional migration of labeled EPDC in an organ culture system. We provide evidence using these techniques that genetic deletion of myocardin-related transcription factors in the epicardium attenuates EPDC migration. This approach serves as a platform to evaluate candidate modifiers of EPDC biology and could be used to develop genetic or chemical screens to identify novel regulators of EPDC mobilization that might be useful for cardiac repair.

Epicardial Outgrowth Culture Assay and Ex Vivo Assessment of Epicardial-derived Cell Migration

Here, we describe methods for isolating primary mouse epicardial cells by an outgrowth culture assay and assessing the functional migration of epicardial-derived cells (EPDC) using an ex vivo heart culture system. These protocols are suitable for identifying genetic and chemical modulators of epicardial epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and motility.

A single layer of epicardial cells lines the heart, providing paracrine factors that stimulate cardiomyocyte proliferation and directly contributing ...

Identification Of Erythromyeloid Progenitors And Their Progeny In The Mouse Embryo By Flow Cytometry

Macrophages are professional phagocytes from the innate arm of the immune system. In steady-state, sessile macrophages are found in adult tissues where they act as front line sentinels of infection and tissue damage. While other immune cells are continuously renewed from hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPC) located in the bone marrow, a lineage of macrophages, known as resident macrophages, have been shown to be self-maintained in tissues without input from bone marrow HSPCs. This lineage is exemplified by microglia in the brain, Kupffer cells in the liver and Langerhans cells in the epidermis among others. The intestinal and colon lamina propria are the only adult tissues devoid of HSPC-independent resident macrophages. Recent investigations have identified that resident macrophages originate from the extra-embryonic yolk sac hematopoiesis from progenitor(s) distinct from fetal hematopoietic stem cells (HSC). Among yolk sac definitive hematopoiesis, erythromyeloid progenitors (EMP) give rise both to erythroid and myeloid cells, in particular resident macrophages. EMP are only generated within the yolk sac between E8.5 and E10.5 days of development and they migrate to the fetal liver as early as circulation is connected, where they expand and differentiate until at least E16.5. Their progeny includes erythrocytes, macrophages, neutrophils and mast cells but only EMP-derived macrophages persist until adulthood in tissues. The transient nature of EMP emergence and the temporal overlap with HSC generation renders the analysis of these progenitors difficult. We have established a tamoxifen-inducible fate mapping protocol based on expression of the macrophage cytokine receptor Csf1r promoter to characterize EMP and EMP-derived cells in vivo by flow cytometry.

While infiltrating macrophages are continuously recruited to adult tissues from circulating precursors, resident macrophages seed their tissue during development, where they are maintained without further input from progenitors. The progenitors for resident macrophages were recently identified. Here, we present methods for the genetic fate mapping of the resident macrophage progenitors.

Macrophages are professional phagocytes from the innate arm of the immune system. In steady-state, sessile macrophages are found in adult tissues where ...

In Vivo Imaging of Transgenic Gene Expression in Individual Retinal Progenitors in Chimeric Zebrafish Embryos to Study Cell Nonautonomous Influences

The genetic and technical strengths have made the zebrafish vertebrate a key model organism in which the consequences of gene manipulations can be traced in vivo throughout the rapid developmental period. Multiple processes can be studied including cell proliferation, gene expression, cell migration and morphogenesis. Importantly, the generation of chimeras through transplantations can be easily performed, allowing mosaic labeling and tracking of individual cells under the influence of the host environment. For example, by combining functional gene manipulations of the host embryo (e.g., through morpholino microinjection) and live imaging, the effects of extrinsic, cell nonautonomous signals (provided by the genetically modified environment) on individual transplanted donor cells can be assessed. Here we demonstrate how this approach is used to compare the onset of fluorescent transgene expression as a proxy for the timing of cell fate determination in different genetic host environments.
In this article, we provide the protocol for microinjecting zebrafish embryos to mark donor cells and to cause gene knockdown in host embryos, a description of the transplantation technique used to generate chimeric embryos, and the protocol for preparing and running in vivo time-lapse confocal imaging of multiple embryos. In particular, performing multiposition imaging is crucial when comparing timing of events such as the onset of gene expression. This requires data collection from multiple control and experimental embryos processed simultaneously. Such an approach can easily be extended for studies of extrinsic influences in any organ or tissue of choice accessible to live imaging, provided that transplantations can be targeted easily according to established embryonic fate maps.

In Vivo Imaging of Transgenic Gene Expression in Individual Retinal Progenitors in Chimeric Zebrafish Embryos to Study Cell Nonautonomous Influences

Live tracking of individual WT retinal progenitors in distinct genetic backgrounds allows for the assessment of the contribution of cell non-autonomous signaling during neurogenesis. Here, a combination of gene knockdown, chimera generation via embryo transplantation and in vivo time-lapse confocal imaging was utilized for this purpose.

The genetic and technical strengths have made the zebrafish vertebrate a key model organism in which the consequences of gene manipulations can be traced ...

Isolation, Culture, and Differentiation of Bone Marrow Stromal Cells and Osteoclast Progenitors from Mice

Bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) constitute a cell population routinely used as a representation of mesenchymal stem cells in vitro. They reside within the bone marrow cavity alongside hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), which can give rise to red blood cells, immune progenitors, and osteoclasts. Thus, extractions of cell populations from the bone marrow results in a very heterogeneous mix of various cell populations, which can present challenges in experimental design and confound data interpretation. Several isolation and culture techniques have been developed in laboratories in order to obtain more or less homogeneous populations of BMSCs and HSCs invitro. Here, we present two methods for isolation of BMSCs and HSCs from mouse long bones: one method that yields a mixed population of BMSCs and HSCs and one method that attempts to separate the two cell populations based on adherence. Both methods provide cells suitable for osteogenic and adipogenic differentiation experiments as well as functional assays.

In this article, we present methods to isolate and differentiate bone marrow stromal cells and hematopoietic stem cells from mouse long bones. Two different protocols are presented yielding different cell populations suitable for expansion and differentiation into osteoblasts, adipocytes, and osteoclasts.

Bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) constitute a cell population routinely used as a representation of mesenchymal stem cells in vitro. They reside within ...

Application of Chronic Stimulation to Study Contractile Activity-induced Rat Skeletal Muscle Phenotypic Adaptations

Skeletal muscle is a highly adaptable tissue, as its biochemical and physiological properties are greatly altered in response to chronic exercise. To investigate the underlying mechanisms that bring about various muscle adaptations, a number of exercise protocols such as treadmill, wheel running, and swimming exercise have been used in the animal studies. However, these exercise models require a long period of time to achieve muscle adaptations, which may be also regulated by humoral or neurological factors, thus limiting their applications in studying the muscle-specific contraction-induced adaptations. Indirect low frequency stimulation (10 Hz) to induce chronic contractile activity (CCA) has been used as an alternative model for exercise training, as it can successfully lead to muscle mitochondrial adaptations within 7 days, independent of systemic factors. This paper details the surgical techniques required to apply the treatment of CCA to the skeletal muscle of rats, for widespread application in future studies.

This protocol describes the use of the chronic contractile activity model of exercise to observe stimulation-induced skeletal muscle adaptations in the rat hindlimb.

Skeletal muscle is a highly adaptable tissue, as its biochemical and physiological properties are greatly altered in response to chronic exercise. To ...

In Vivo Imaging of Muscle-tendon Morphogenesis in Drosophila Pupae

Muscles together with tendons and the skeleton enable animals including humans to move their body parts. Muscle morphogenesis is highly conserved from animals to humans. Therefore, the powerful Drosophila model system can be used to study concepts of muscle-tendon development that can also be applied to human muscle biology. Here, we describe in detail how morphogenesis of the adult muscle-tendon system can be easily imaged in living, developing Drosophila pupae. Hence, the method allows investigating proteins, cells and tissues in their physiological environment. In addition to a step-by-step protocol with helpful tips, we provide a comprehensive overview of fluorescently tagged marker proteins that are suitable for studying the muscle-tendon system. To highlight the versatile applications of the protocol, we show example movies ranging from visualization of long-term morphogenetic events &#8211; occurring on the time scale of hours and days &#8211; to visualization of short-term dynamic processes like muscle twitching occurring on time scale of seconds. Taken together, this protocol should enable the reader to design and perform live-imaging experiments for investigating muscle-tendon morphogenesis in the intact organism.

In Vivo Imaging of Muscle-tendon Morphogenesis in Drosophila Pupae

Here, we present an easy-to-use and versatile method to perform live imaging of developmental processes in general and muscle-tendon morphogenesis in particular in living Drosophila pupae.

Muscles together with tendons and the skeleton enable animals including humans to move their body parts. Muscle morphogenesis is highly conserved from ...

Generation of First Heart Field-like Cardiac Progenitors and Ventricular-like Cardiomyocytes from Human Pluripotent Stem Cells

The generation of large amounts of functional human pluripotent stem cells-derived cardiac progenitors and cardiomyocytes of defined heart field origin is a pre-requisite for cell-based cardiac therapies and disease modeling. We have recently shown that Id genes are both necessary and sufficient to specify first heart field progenitors during vertebrate development. This differentiation protocol leverages these findings and uses Id1 overexpression in combination with Activin A as potent specifying cues to produce first heart field-like (FHF-L) progenitors. Importantly, resulting progenitors efficiently differentiate (~70&#8211;90%) into ventricular-like cardiomyocytes. Here we describe a detailed method to 1) generate Id1-overexpressing hPSCs and 2) differentiate scalable quantities of cryopreservable FHF-L progenitors and ventricular-like cardiomyocytes.

Here we describe a scalable method, using a simple combination of Activin A and lentivirus-mediated Id1-overexpression, to generate first heart field-like cardiac progenitors and ventricular-like cardiomyocytes from human pluripotent stem cells.

The generation of large amounts of functional human pluripotent stem cells-derived cardiac progenitors and cardiomyocytes of defined heart field origin is ...

Ex Vivo Perfusion of the Rodent Placenta

The placenta is a key organ during pregnancy that serves as a barrier to fetal xenobiotic exposure and mediates the exchange of nutrients for waste. An assay is described here to perfuse an isolated rat placenta and evaluate the maternal-to-fetal translocation of xenobiotics ex vivo. In addition, the evaluation of physiological processes such as fluid flow to the fetus and placental metabolism may be conducted with this methodology. This technique is suitable for evaluating maternal-to-fetal kinetics of pharmaceutical candidates or environmental contaminants. In contrast to current alternative approaches, this methodology allows the evaluation of the isolated maternal-fetal vasculature, with the systemic neural or immune involvement removed, allowing any observed changes in physiological function to be attributable to local factors within the isolated tissue.

Here is presented a protocol of ex vivo maternal-fetal vascular perfusion to enable the administration of a test article into maternal vasculature and to evaluate placental transfer of xenobiotic particles or pharmacological agents in addition to alterations in placental physiology.

The placenta is a key organ during pregnancy that serves as a barrier to fetal xenobiotic exposure and mediates the exchange of nutrients for waste. An ...