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Langner E, Puapatanakul P, Pudlowski R, Alsabbagh DY, Miner JH, Horani A, Dutcher SK, Brody SL, Wang JT, Suleiman HY, Mahjoub MR. Ultrastructure expansion microscopy (U-ExM) of mouse and human kidneys for analysis of subcellular structures. Cytoskeleton (Hoboken) 2024. [PMID: 38715433 DOI: 10.1002/cm.21870] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2024] [Revised: 04/11/2024] [Accepted: 04/22/2024] [Indexed: 05/21/2024]
Abstract
Ultrastructure expansion microscopy (U-ExM) involves the physical magnification of specimens embedded in hydrogels, which allows for super-resolution imaging of subcellular structures using a conventional diffraction-limited microscope. Methods for expansion microscopy exist for several organisms, organs, and cell types, and used to analyze cellular organelles and substructures in nanoscale resolution. Here, we describe a simple step-by-step U-ExM protocol for the expansion, immunostaining, imaging, and analysis of cytoskeletal and organellar structures in kidney tissue. We detail the critical modified steps to optimize isotropic kidney tissue expansion, and preservation of the renal cell structures of interest. We demonstrate the utility of the approach using several markers of renal cell types, centrioles, cilia, the extracellular matrix, and other cytoskeletal elements. Finally, we show that the approach works well on mouse and human kidney samples that were preserved using different fixation and embedding conditions. Overall, this protocol provides a simple and cost-effective approach to analyze both preclinical and clinical renal samples in high detail, using conventional lab supplies and standard widefield or confocal microscopy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ewa Langner
- Department of Medicine, Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Pongpratch Puapatanakul
- Department of Medicine, Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
- Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Rachel Pudlowski
- Department of Biology, Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | | | - Jeffrey H Miner
- Department of Medicine, Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Amjad Horani
- Department of Pediatrics, Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Susan K Dutcher
- Department of Genetics, Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Steven L Brody
- Department of Medicine, Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Jennifer T Wang
- Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Hani Y Suleiman
- Department of Medicine, Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Moe R Mahjoub
- Department of Medicine, Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
- Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
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Langner E, Puapatanakul P, Pudlowski R, Alsabbagh DY, Miner JH, Horani A, Dutcher SK, Brody SL, Wang JT, Suleiman HY, Mahjoub MR. Ultrastructure expansion microscopy (U-ExM) of mouse and human kidneys for analysis of subcellular structures. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.02.16.580708. [PMID: 38405695 PMCID: PMC10889020 DOI: 10.1101/2024.02.16.580708] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/27/2024]
Abstract
Ultrastructure expansion microscopy (U-ExM) involves the physical magnification of specimens embedded in hydrogels, which allows for super-resolution imaging of subcellular structures using a conventional diffraction-limited microscope. Methods for expansion microscopy exist for several organisms, organs, and cell types, and used to analyze cellular organelles and substructures in nanoscale resolution. Here, we describe a simple step-by-step U-ExM protocol for the expansion, immunostaining, imaging, and analysis of cytoskeletal and organellar structures in kidney tissue. We detail the critical modified steps to optimize isotropic kidney tissue expansion, and preservation of the renal cell structures of interest. We demonstrate the utility of the approach using several markers of renal cell types, centrioles, cilia, the extracellular matrix, and other cytoskeletal elements. Finally, we show that the approach works well on mouse and human kidney samples that were preserved using different fixation and storage conditions. Overall, this protocol provides a simple and cost-effective approach to analyze both pre-clinical and clinical renal samples in high detail, using conventional lab supplies and standard widefield or confocal microscopy.
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MacRae CA, Peterson RT. Zebrafish as a Mainstream Model for In Vivo Systems Pharmacology and Toxicology. Annu Rev Pharmacol Toxicol 2023; 63:43-64. [PMID: 36151053 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-pharmtox-051421-105617] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
Pharmacology and toxicology are part of a much broader effort to understand the relationship between chemistry and biology. While biomedicine has necessarily focused on specific cases, typically of direct human relevance, there are real advantages in pursuing more systematic approaches to characterizing how health and disease are influenced by small molecules and other interventions. In this context, the zebrafish is now established as the representative screenable vertebrate and, through ongoing advances in the available scale of genome editing and automated phenotyping, is beginning to address systems-level solutions to some biomedical problems. The addition of broader efforts to integrate information content across preclinical model organisms and the incorporation of rigorous analytics, including closed-loop deep learning, will facilitate efforts to create systems pharmacology and toxicology with the ability to continuously optimize chemical biological interactions around societal needs. In this review, we outline progress toward this goal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Calum A MacRae
- Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA;
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