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André M, Dinvaut S, Castellani V, Falk J. 3D exploration of gene expression in chicken embryos through combined RNA fluorescence in situ hybridization, immunofluorescence, and clearing. BMC Biol 2024; 22:131. [PMID: 38831263 PMCID: PMC11149291 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-024-01922-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2023] [Accepted: 05/16/2024] [Indexed: 06/05/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Fine characterization of gene expression patterns is crucial to understand many aspects of embryonic development. The chicken embryo is a well-established and valuable animal model for developmental biology. The period spanning from the third to sixth embryonic days (E3 to E6) is critical for many organ developments. Hybridization chain reaction RNA fluorescent in situ hybridization (HCR RNA-FISH) enables multiplex RNA detection in thick samples including embryos of various animal models. However, its use is limited by tissue opacity. RESULTS We optimized HCR RNA-FISH protocol to efficiently label RNAs in whole mount chicken embryos from E3.5 to E5.5 and adapted it to ethyl cinnamate (ECi) tissue clearing. We show that light sheet imaging of HCR RNA-FISH after ECi clearing allows RNA expression analysis within embryonic tissues with good sensitivity and spatial resolution. Finally, whole mount immunofluorescence can be performed after HCR RNA-FISH enabling as exemplified to assay complex spatial relationships between axons and their environment or to monitor GFP electroporated neurons. CONCLUSIONS We could extend the use of HCR RNA-FISH to older chick embryos by optimizing HCR RNA-FISH and combining it with tissue clearing and 3D imaging. The integration of immunostaining makes possible to combine gene expression with classical cell markers, to correlate expressions with morphological differentiation and to depict gene expressions in gain or loss of function contexts. Altogether, this combined procedure further extends the potential of HCR RNA-FISH technique for chicken embryology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maëlys André
- MeLiS, CNRS UMR 5284 - INSERM U1314, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, 8 avenue Rockefeller, 69008, Lyon, France.
| | - Sarah Dinvaut
- MeLiS, CNRS UMR 5284 - INSERM U1314, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, 8 avenue Rockefeller, 69008, Lyon, France
| | - Valérie Castellani
- MeLiS, CNRS UMR 5284 - INSERM U1314, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, 8 avenue Rockefeller, 69008, Lyon, France
| | - Julien Falk
- MeLiS, CNRS UMR 5284 - INSERM U1314, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, 8 avenue Rockefeller, 69008, Lyon, France.
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2
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Santos R, Lokmane L, Ozdemir D, Traoré C, Agesilas A, Hakibilen C, Lenkei Z, Zala D. Local glycolysis fuels actomyosin contraction during axonal retraction. J Cell Biol 2023; 222:e202206133. [PMID: 37902728 PMCID: PMC10616508 DOI: 10.1083/jcb.202206133] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2022] [Revised: 04/04/2023] [Accepted: 10/02/2023] [Indexed: 10/31/2023] Open
Abstract
In response to repulsive cues, axonal growth cones can quickly retract. This requires the prompt activity of contractile actomyosin, which is formed by the non-muscle myosin II (NMII) bound to actin filaments. NMII is a molecular motor that provides the necessary mechanical force at the expense of ATP. Here, we report that this process is energetically coupled to glycolysis and is independent of cellular ATP levels. Induction of axonal retraction requires simultaneous generation of ATP by glycolysis, as shown by chemical inhibition and genetic knock-down of GAPDH. Co-immunoprecipitation and proximal-ligation assay showed that actomyosin associates with ATP-generating glycolytic enzymes and that this association is strongly enhanced during retraction. Using microfluidics, we confirmed that the energetic coupling between glycolysis and actomyosin necessary for axonal retraction is localized to the growth cone and near axonal shaft. These results indicate a tight coupling between on-demand energy production by glycolysis and energy consumption by actomyosin contraction suggesting a function of glycolysis in axonal guidance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Renata Santos
- Université Paris Cité, Institute of Psychiatry and Neuroscience of Paris, INSERM U1266, Laboratory of Dynamics of Neuronal Structure in Health and Disease, Paris, France
- Institut des Sciences Biologiques, Centre national de la recherche scientifique, Paris, France
| | - Ludmilla Lokmane
- Institut de Biologie de l’Ecole Normale Supérieure, École Normale Supérieure, Centre national de la recherche scientifique, Paris Sciences et Lettres Research University, Paris, France
| | - Dersu Ozdemir
- Université Paris Cité, Institute of Psychiatry and Neuroscience of Paris, INSERM U1266, Laboratory of Dynamics of Neuronal Structure in Health and Disease, Paris, France
| | - Clément Traoré
- Brain Plasticity Unit, École Supérieure de Physique et de Chimie Industrielles–ParisTech, Paris, France
| | - Annabelle Agesilas
- Brain Plasticity Unit, École Supérieure de Physique et de Chimie Industrielles–ParisTech, Paris, France
| | - Coralie Hakibilen
- Brain Plasticity Unit, École Supérieure de Physique et de Chimie Industrielles–ParisTech, Paris, France
| | - Zsolt Lenkei
- Université Paris Cité, Institute of Psychiatry and Neuroscience of Paris, INSERM U1266, Laboratory of Dynamics of Neuronal Structure in Health and Disease, Paris, France
- Brain Plasticity Unit, École Supérieure de Physique et de Chimie Industrielles–ParisTech, Paris, France
- GHU-Paris Psychiatrie et Neurosciences, Hôpital Sainte Anne, Paris, France
| | - Diana Zala
- Université Paris Cité, Institute of Psychiatry and Neuroscience of Paris, INSERM U1266, Laboratory of Dynamics of Neuronal Structure in Health and Disease, Paris, France
- Brain Plasticity Unit, École Supérieure de Physique et de Chimie Industrielles–ParisTech, Paris, France
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Zuñiga NR, Dumoulin A, Vaccaro G, Stoeckli ET. Cables1 links Slit/Robo and Wnt/Frizzled signaling in commissural axon guidance. Development 2023; 150:dev201671. [PMID: 37747104 PMCID: PMC10617602 DOI: 10.1242/dev.201671] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2023] [Accepted: 09/07/2023] [Indexed: 09/26/2023]
Abstract
During neural circuit formation, axons navigate from one intermediate target to the next, until they reach their final target. At intermediate targets, axons switch from being attracted to being repelled by changing the guidance receptors on the growth cone surface. For smooth navigation of the intermediate target and the continuation of their journey, the switch in receptor expression has to be orchestrated in a precisely timed manner. As an alternative to changes in expression, receptor function could be regulated by phosphorylation of receptors or components of signaling pathways. We identified Cables1 as a linker between floor-plate exit of commissural axons, regulated by Slit/Robo signaling, and the rostral turn of post-crossing axons, regulated by Wnt/Frizzled signaling. Cables1 localizes β-catenin, phosphorylated at tyrosine 489 by Abelson kinase, to the distal axon, which in turn is necessary for the correct navigation of post-crossing commissural axons in the developing chicken spinal cord.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nikole R. Zuñiga
- Department of Molecular Life Sciences, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057 Zurich, Switzerland
- Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Alexandre Dumoulin
- Department of Molecular Life Sciences, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057 Zurich, Switzerland
- Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057 Zurich, Switzerland
- University Research Priority Program (URPP) ‘Adaptive Brain Circuits in Development and Learning (AdaBD)’, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Giuseppe Vaccaro
- Department of Molecular Life Sciences, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057 Zurich, Switzerland
- Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Esther T. Stoeckli
- Department of Molecular Life Sciences, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057 Zurich, Switzerland
- Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057 Zurich, Switzerland
- University Research Priority Program (URPP) ‘Adaptive Brain Circuits in Development and Learning (AdaBD)’, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057 Zurich, Switzerland
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4
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Fang HY, Forghani R, Clarke A, McQueen PG, Chandrasekaran A, O’Neill KM, Losert W, Papoian GA, Giniger E. Enabled primarily controls filopodial morphology, not actin organization, in the TSM1 growth cone in Drosophila. Mol Biol Cell 2023; 34:ar83. [PMID: 37223966 PMCID: PMC10398877 DOI: 10.1091/mbc.e23-01-0003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2023] [Revised: 05/18/2023] [Accepted: 05/19/2023] [Indexed: 05/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Ena/VASP proteins are processive actin polymerases that are required throughout animal phylogeny for many morphogenetic processes, including axon growth and guidance. Here we use in vivo live imaging of morphology and actin distribution to determine the role of Ena in promoting the growth of the TSM1 axon of the Drosophila wing. Altering Ena activity causes stalling and misrouting of TSM1. Our data show that Ena has a substantial impact on filopodial morphology in this growth cone but exerts only modest effects on actin distribution. This is in contrast to the main regulator of Ena, Abl tyrosine kinase, which was shown previously to have profound effects on actin and only mild effects on TSM1 growth cone morphology. We interpret these data as suggesting that the primary role of Ena in this axon may be to link actin to the morphogenetic processes of the plasma membrane, rather than to regulate actin organization itself. These data also suggest that a key role of Ena, acting downstream of Abl, may be to maintain consistent organization and reliable evolution of growth cone structure, even as Abl activity varies in response to guidance cues in the environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hsiao Yu Fang
- National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892
| | - Rameen Forghani
- National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892
| | - Akanni Clarke
- National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892
| | - Philip G. McQueen
- National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892
| | - Aravind Chandrasekaran
- National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20752
| | - Kate M. O’Neill
- National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892
- Institute for Physical Sciences and Department of Physics, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20752
| | - Wolfgang Losert
- Institute for Physical Sciences and Department of Physics, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20752
| | - Garegin A. Papoian
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20752
| | - Edward Giniger
- National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892
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Baeriswyl T, Schaettin M, Leoni S, Dumoulin A, Stoeckli ET. Endoglycan Regulates Purkinje Cell Migration by Balancing Cell-Cell Adhesion. Front Neurosci 2022; 16:894962. [PMID: 35794952 PMCID: PMC9251411 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2022.894962] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2022] [Accepted: 05/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The importance of cell adhesion molecules for the development of the nervous system has been recognized many decades ago. Functional in vitro and in vivo studies demonstrated a role of cell adhesion molecules in cell migration, axon growth and guidance, as well as synaptogenesis. Clearly, cell adhesion molecules have to be more than static glue making cells stick together. During axon guidance, cell adhesion molecules have been shown to act as pathway selectors but also as a means to prevent axons going astray by bundling or fasciculating axons. We identified Endoglycan as a negative regulator of cell-cell adhesion during commissural axon guidance across the midline. The presence of Endoglycan allowed commissural growth cones to smoothly navigate the floor-plate area. In the absence of Endoglycan, axons failed to exit the floor plate and turn rostrally. These observations are in line with the idea of Endoglycan acting as a lubricant, as its presence was important, but it did not matter whether Endoglycan was provided by the growth cone or the floor-plate cells. Here, we expand on these observations by demonstrating a role of Endoglycan during cell migration. In the developing cerebellum, Endoglycan was expressed by Purkinje cells during their migration from the ventricular zone to the periphery. In the absence of Endoglycan, Purkinje cells failed to migrate and, as a consequence, cerebellar morphology was strongly affected. Cerebellar folds failed to form and grow, consistent with earlier observations on a role of Purkinje cells as Shh deliverers to trigger granule cell proliferation.
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Vaccaro G, Dumoulin A, Zuñiga NR, Bandtlow CE, Stoeckli ET. The Nogo-66 Receptors NgR1 and NgR3 Are Required for Commissural Axon Pathfinding. J Neurosci 2022; 42:4087-4100. [PMID: 35437280 PMCID: PMC9121835 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1390-21.2022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2021] [Revised: 04/08/2022] [Accepted: 04/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Nogo-66 receptors (NgR1-3) are glycosylphosphatidyl inositol-linked proteins that belong to the leucine-rich repeat superfamily. Through binding to myelin-associated inhibitors, NgRs contribute to the inhibition of axonal regeneration after spinal cord injury. Their role in limiting synaptic plasticity and axonal outgrowth in the adult CNS has been described previously, but not much is known about their role during the development of the nervous system. Here, we show that NgR1 and NgR3 mRNAs are expressed during spinal cord development of the chicken embryo. In particular, they are expressed in the dI1 subpopulation of commissural neurons during the time when their axons navigate toward and across the floorplate, the ventral midline of the spinal cord. To assess a potential role of NgR1 and NgR3 in axon guidance, we downregulated them using in ovo RNAi and analyzed the trajectory of commissural axons by tracing them in open-book preparations of spinal cords. Our results show that loss of either NgR1 or NgR3 causes axons to stall in the midline area and to interfere with the rostral turn of postcrossing axons. In addition, we also show that NgR1, but not NgR3, requires neuronal PlexinA2 for the regulation of commissural axon guidance.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Over the last decades, many studies have focused on the role of NgRs, particularly NgR1, in axonal regeneration in the injured adult CNS. Here, we show a physiological role of NgRs in guiding commissural axons during early development of the chicken spinal cord in vivo Both NgR1 and NgR3 are required for midline crossing and subsequent turning of postcrossing axons into the longitudinal axis of the spinal cord. NgR1, but not NgR3, forms a receptor complex with PlexinA2 during axon guidance. Overall, these findings provide a link between neural regenerative mechanisms and developmental processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giuseppe Vaccaro
- Institute of Neurobiochemistry, Biocenter, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, 6020, Austria
- Department of Molecular Life Sciences, Neuroscience Center Zurich, Zurich, 8057, Switzerland
| | - Alexandre Dumoulin
- Department of Molecular Life Sciences, Neuroscience Center Zurich, Zurich, 8057, Switzerland
| | - Nikole R Zuñiga
- Department of Molecular Life Sciences, Neuroscience Center Zurich, Zurich, 8057, Switzerland
| | - Christine E Bandtlow
- Institute of Neurobiochemistry, Biocenter, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, 6020, Austria
| | - Esther T Stoeckli
- Department of Molecular Life Sciences, Neuroscience Center Zurich, Zurich, 8057, Switzerland
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7
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Baeriswyl T, Dumoulin A, Schaettin M, Tsapara G, Niederkofler V, Helbling D, Avilés E, Frei JA, Wilson NH, Gesemann M, Kunz B, Stoeckli ET. Endoglycan plays a role in axon guidance by modulating cell adhesion. eLife 2021; 10:64767. [PMID: 33650489 PMCID: PMC7946425 DOI: 10.7554/elife.64767] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2020] [Accepted: 02/25/2021] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Axon navigation depends on the interactions between guidance molecules along the trajectory and specific receptors on the growth cone. However, our in vitro and in vivo studies on the role of Endoglycan demonstrate that in addition to specific guidance cue – receptor interactions, axon guidance depends on fine-tuning of cell-cell adhesion. Endoglycan, a sialomucin, plays a role in axon guidance in the central nervous system of chicken embryos, but it is neither an axon guidance cue nor a receptor. Rather, Endoglycan acts as a negative regulator of molecular interactions based on evidence from in vitro experiments demonstrating reduced adhesion of growth cones. In the absence of Endoglycan, commissural axons fail to properly navigate the midline of the spinal cord. Taken together, our in vivo and in vitro results support the hypothesis that Endoglycan acts as a negative regulator of cell-cell adhesion in commissural axon guidance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Baeriswyl
- Department of Molecular Life Sciences and Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Alexandre Dumoulin
- Department of Molecular Life Sciences and Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Martina Schaettin
- Department of Molecular Life Sciences and Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Georgia Tsapara
- Department of Molecular Life Sciences and Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Vera Niederkofler
- Department of Molecular Life Sciences and Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Denise Helbling
- Department of Molecular Life Sciences and Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Evelyn Avilés
- Department of Molecular Life Sciences and Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Jeannine A Frei
- Department of Molecular Life Sciences and Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Nicole H Wilson
- Department of Molecular Life Sciences and Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Matthias Gesemann
- Department of Molecular Life Sciences and Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Beat Kunz
- Department of Molecular Life Sciences and Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Esther T Stoeckli
- Department of Molecular Life Sciences and Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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Dumoulin A, Zuñiga NR, Stoeckli ET. Axon guidance at the spinal cord midline-A live imaging perspective. J Comp Neurol 2021; 529:2517-2538. [PMID: 33438755 PMCID: PMC8248161 DOI: 10.1002/cne.25107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2020] [Revised: 12/10/2020] [Accepted: 01/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
During neural circuit formation, axons navigate several choice points to reach their final target. At each one of these intermediate targets, growth cones need to switch responsiveness from attraction to repulsion in order to move on. Molecular mechanisms that allow for the precise timing of surface expression of a new set of receptors that support the switch in responsiveness are difficult to study in vivo. Mostly, mechanisms are inferred from the observation of snapshots of many different growth cones analyzed in different preparations of tissue harvested at distinct time points. However, to really understand the behavior of growth cones at choice points, a single growth cone should be followed arriving at and leaving the intermediate target. Existing ex vivo preparations, like cultures of an “open‐book” preparation of the spinal cord have been successfully used to study floor plate entry and exit, but artifacts prevent the analysis of growth cone behavior at the floor plate exit site. Here, we describe a novel spinal cord preparation that allows for live imaging of individual axons during navigation in their intact environment. When comparing growth cone behavior in our ex vivo system with snapshots from in vivo navigation, we do not see any differences. The possibility to observe the dynamics of single growth cones navigating their intermediate target allows for measuring growth speed, changes in morphology, or aberrant behavior, like stalling and wrong turning. Moreover, observation of the intermediate target—the floor plate—revealed its active participation and interaction with commissural axons during midline crossing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandre Dumoulin
- Department of Molecular Life Sciences, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.,Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Nikole R Zuñiga
- Department of Molecular Life Sciences, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.,Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Esther T Stoeckli
- Department of Molecular Life Sciences, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.,Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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