Direct injection of indicators for calcium imaging at the Drosophila larval neuromuscular junction

Loading a Calcium Dye into Frog Nerve Endings Through the Nerve Stump: Calcium Transient Registration in the Frog Neuromuscular Junction

One of the most feasible methods of measuring presynaptic calcium levels in presynaptic nerve terminals is optical recording. It is based on using calcium-sensitive fluorescent dyes that change their emission intensity or wavelength depending on the concentration of free calcium in the cell. There are several methods used to stain cells with calcium dyes. Most common are the processes of loading the dyes through a micropipette or pre-incubating with the acetoxymethyl ester forms of the dyes. However, these methods are not quite applicable to neuromuscular junctions (NMJs) due to methodological issues that arise. In this article, we present a method for loading a calcium-sensitive dye through the frog nerve stump of the frog nerve into the nerve endings. Since entry of external calcium into nerve terminals and the subsequent binding to the calcium dye occur within the millisecond time-scale, it is necessary to use a fast imaging system to record these interactions. Here, we describe a protocol for recording the calcium transient with a fast CCD camera.

Ziram, a pesticide associated with increased risk for Parkinson's disease, differentially affects the presynaptic function of aminergic and glutamatergic nerve terminals at the Drosophila neuromuscular junction

Multiple populations of aminergic neurons are affected in Parkinson's disease (PD), with serotonergic and noradrenergic loci responsible for some non-motor symptoms. Environmental toxins, such as the dithiocarbamate fungicide ziram, significantly increase the risk of developing PD and the attendant spectrum of both motor and non-motor symptoms. The mechanisms by which ziram and other environmental toxins increase the risk of PD, and the potential effects of these toxins on aminergic neurons, remain unclear. To determine the relative effects of ziram on the synaptic function of aminergic versus non-aminergic neurons, we used live-imaging at the Drosophila melanogaster larval neuromuscular junction (NMJ). In contrast to nearly all other studies of this model synapse, we imaged presynaptic function at both glutamatergic Type Ib and aminergic Type II boutons, the latter responsible for storage and release of octopamine, the invertebrate equivalent of noradrenalin. To quantify the kinetics of exo- and endo-cytosis, we employed an acid-sensitive form of GFP fused to the Drosophila vesicular monoamine transporter (DVMAT-pHluorin). Additional genetic probes were used to visualize intracellular calcium flux (GCaMP) and voltage changes (ArcLight). We find that at glutamatergic Type Ib terminals, exposure to ziram increases exocytosis and inhibits endocytosis. By contrast, at octopaminergic Type II terminals, ziram has no detectable effect on exocytosis and dramatically inhibits endocytosis. In contrast to other reports on the neuronal effects of ziram, these effects do not appear to result from perturbation of the Ubiquitin Proteasome System (UPS) or calcium homeostasis. Unexpectedly, ziram also caused spontaneous and synchronized bursts of calcium influx (measured by GCaMP) and electrical activity (measured by ArcLight) at aminergic Type II, but not glutamatergic Type Ib, nerve terminals. These events are sensitive to both tetrodotoxin and cadmium chloride, and thus appear to represent spontaneous depolarizations followed by calcium influx into Type II terminals. We speculate that the differential effects of ziram on Type II versus Type Ib terminals may be relevant to the specific sensitivity of aminergic neurons in PD, and suggest that changes in neuronal excitability could contribute to the increased risk for PD caused by exposure to ziram. We also suggest that the fly NMJ will be useful to explore the synaptic effects of other pesticides associated with an increased risk of PD.

Topical application of indicators for calcium imaging at the Drosophila larval neuromuscular junction

Calcium imaging is a technique in which Ca(2+)-binding molecules are loaded into live cells and as they bind Ca(2+) they "indicate" the concentration of free calcium through a change in either the intensity or the wavelength of light emitted (fluorescence or bioluminescence). There are several possible methods for loading synthetic Ca(2+) indicators into subcellular compartments, including topical application of membrane-permeant Ca(2+) indicators, forward-filling of dextran conjugates, and direct injection. Calcium imaging is a highly informative technique in neurobiology because Ca(2+) is involved in many neuronal signaling pathways and serves as the trigger for neurotransmitter release. This article describes the topical application of Ca(2+) indicators at the Drosophila larval neuromuscular junction (NMJ). This loading technique is simple to execute and yields data quickly. The drawback is that the data can be difficult to interpret, primarily because it is difficult to ascertain which cellular and subcellular compartment(s) are loaded (e.g., muscle, nerve, or glia; cytosol, mitochondrion, or endoplasmic reticulum).

Forward-filling of dextran-conjugated indicators for calcium imaging at the Drosophila larval neuromuscular junction

Calcium imaging is a technique in which Ca(2+)-binding molecules are loaded into live cells and as they bind Ca(2+) they "indicate" the concentration of free calcium through a change in either the intensity or the wavelength of light emitted (fluorescence or bioluminescence). There are several possible methods for loading synthetic Ca(2+) indicators into subcellular compartments, including topical application of membrane-permeant Ca(2+) indicators, forward-filling of dextran conjugates, and direct injection. Calcium imaging is a highly informative technique in neurobiology because Ca(2+) is involved in many neuronal signaling pathways and serves as the trigger for neurotransmitter release. This article describes the forward-filling of dextran-conjugated indicators at the Drosophila larval neuromuscular junction (NMJ). This technique is particularly well suited for imaging changes in cytosolic Ca(2+) as dextran conjugation prevents compartmentalization of the Ca(2+) indicator. The major drawback is that the nerves must be severed at the start of the loading process, several hours before nerve terminals are ready to examine.

Imaging and analysis of nonratiometric calcium indicators at the Drosophila larval neuromuscular junction

Ca(2+) indicators can be loaded into a Drosophila larval neuromuscular junction (NMJ) preparation using several methods, including topical application of membrane-permeant Ca(2+) indicators, forward-filling of dextran conjugates, and direct injection. This article describes how such an NMJ preparation loaded with Ca(2+) indicator is set up for imaging of the muscle fiber during stimulation of its innervating nerve cell. A simple protocol is provided for collecting and analyzing a set of imaging data, together with the sequence of calculations involved in image analysis. The change in the intensity of the Ca(2+) indicator must be quantified to obtain an estimate of the change in the concentration of free Ca(2+) (Δ[Ca(2+)]). The change in intensity is conventionally represented as the expression "ΔF/F." Simply put, this is the change in fluorescence intensity relative to the resting fluorescence intensity. If the K(D) of the Ca(2+) indicator is in excess of the maximum value of [Ca(2+)] during the response, then ΔF/F is considered to be linearly related to Δ[Ca(2+)]. In practice, ΔF/F is calculated for each image using a simple algorithm ([F(stim) - F(rest)]/F(rest)), where F(stim) is the intensity of the Ca(2+) indicator in each image, and F(rest) is the intensity before nerve stimulation. Finally, various options for building a Ca(2+)-imaging rig are considered.

Calcium imaging at the Drosophila larval neuromuscular junction

Calcium imaging uses optical imaging techniques to measure the concentration of free calcium [Ca(2+)] in live cells. It is a highly informative technique in neurobiology because Ca(2+) is involved in many neuronal signaling pathways and serves as the trigger for neurotransmitter release. The technique relies on loading Ca(2+) indicators into cells, measuring the quantity and/or wavelength of the photons emitted by the Ca(2+) indicator, and interpreting these data in terms of [Ca(2+)]. There are several possible methods for loading synthetic Ca(2+) indicators into subcellular compartments, for example, topical application of membrane-permeant Ca(2+) indicators, forward-filling of dextran conjugates, and direct injection. These techniques are applicable to calcium imaging at the Drosophila larval neuromuscular junction (NMJ), and are also readily adaptable to Drosophila embryo and adult preparations.