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McKenzie AT, Zeleznikow-Johnston A, Sparks JS, Nnadi O, Smart J, Wiley K, Cerullo MA, de Wolf A, Minerva F, Risco R, Church GM, de Magalhães JP, Kendziorra EF. Structural brain preservation: a potential bridge to future medical technologies. FRONTIERS IN MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY 2024; 6:1400615. [PMID: 39315362 PMCID: PMC11416988 DOI: 10.3389/fmedt.2024.1400615] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2024] [Accepted: 08/21/2024] [Indexed: 09/25/2024] Open
Abstract
When faced with the prospect of death, some people would prefer a form of long-term preservation that may allow them to be restored to healthy life in the future, if technology ever develops to the point that this is feasible and humane. Some believe that we may have the capacity to perform this type of experimental preservation today-although it has never been proven-using contemporary methods to preserve the structure of the brain. The idea is that the morphomolecular organization of the brain encodes the information required for psychological properties such as personality and long-term memories. If these structures in the brain can be maintained intact over time, this could theoretically provide a bridge to access restorative technologies in the future. To consider this hypothesis, we first describe possible metrics that can be used to assess structural brain preservation quality. We next explore several possible methods to preserve structural information in the brain, including the traditional cryonics method of cryopreservation, as well as aldehyde-stabilized cryopreservation and fluid preservation. We focus in-depth on fluid preservation, which relies on aldehyde fixation to induce chemical gel formation in a wide set of biomolecules and appears to be a cost-effective method. We describe two theoretical recovery technologies, alongside several of the ethical and legal complexities of brain preservation, all of which will require a prudent approach. We believe contemporary structural brain preservation methods have a non-negligible chance of allowing successful restoration in the future and that this deserves serious research efforts by the scientific community.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ariel Zeleznikow-Johnston
- School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | | | - Oge Nnadi
- Brain Preservation Foundation, Ashburn, VA, United States
| | - John Smart
- Brain Preservation Foundation, Ashburn, VA, United States
| | - Keith Wiley
- Brain Preservation Foundation, Ashburn, VA, United States
| | | | | | | | - Ramón Risco
- Escuela Superior de Ingeniería, Universidad de Sevilla & National Accelerators Center, CNA-CSIC, Seville, Spain
| | - George M. Church
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
- Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Boston, MA, United States
| | - João Pedro de Magalhães
- Institute of Inflammation and Ageing, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
- Oxford Uehiro Centre for Practical Ethics, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
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2
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Taper M, Carrington G, Peckham M, Lal S, Hume RD. A comparison of fixation and immunofluorescence protocols for successful reproducibility and improved signal in human left ventricle cardiac tissue. J Microsc 2024. [PMID: 38856969 DOI: 10.1111/jmi.13336] [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: 02/07/2024] [Revised: 04/14/2024] [Accepted: 05/17/2024] [Indexed: 06/11/2024]
Abstract
Immunohistochemistry (IHC) and immunofluorescence (IF) are crucial techniques for studying cardiac physiology and disease. The accuracy of these techniques is dependent on various aspects of sample preparation and processing. However, standardised protocols for sample preparation of tissues, particularly for fresh-frozen human left ventricle (LV) tissue, have yet to be established and could potentially lead to differences in staining and interpretation. Thus, this study aimed to optimise the reproducibility and quality of IF staining in fresh-frozen human LV tissue by systematically investigating crucial aspects of the sample preparation process. To achieve this, we subjected fresh-frozen human LV tissue to different fixation protocols, primary antibody incubation temperatures, antibody penetration reagents, and fluorescent probes. We found that neutral buffered formalin fixation reduced image artefacts and improved antibody specificity compared to both methanol and acetone fixation. Additionally, incubating primary antibodies at 37°C for 3 h improved fluorescence intensity compared to the commonly practised 4°C overnight incubation. Furthermore, we found that DeepLabel, an antibody penetration reagent, and smaller probes, such as fragmented antibodies and Affimers, improved the visualisation depth of cardiac structures. DeepLabel also improved antibody penetration in CUBIC cleared thick LV tissue fragments. Thus, our data underscores the importance of standardised protocols in IF staining and provides various means of improving staining quality. In addition to contributing to cardiac research by providing methodologies for IF, the findings and processes presented herein also establish a framework by which staining of other tissues may be optimised.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew Taper
- Faculty of Medicine and Health, School of Medical Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
- Centre for Heart Failure and Diseases of the Aorta, The Baird Institute, Sydney, Australia
| | - Glenn Carrington
- Faculty of Biological Sciences, Astbury Centre for Structural Biology and the School of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
| | - Michelle Peckham
- Faculty of Biological Sciences, Astbury Centre for Structural Biology and the School of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
| | - Sean Lal
- Faculty of Medicine and Health, School of Medical Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
- Centre for Heart Failure and Diseases of the Aorta, The Baird Institute, Sydney, Australia
- Department of Cardiology, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney, Australia
| | - Robert D Hume
- Faculty of Medicine and Health, School of Medical Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
- Centre for Heart Failure and Diseases of the Aorta, The Baird Institute, Sydney, Australia
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3
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Flinn H, Cruz-Pineda L, Montier L, Horner PJ, Villapol S. iDISCO Tissue Clearing Whole-Brain and Light Sheet Microscopy for High-Throughput Imaging in a Mouse Model of Traumatic Brain Injury. Methods Mol Biol 2024; 2761:589-597. [PMID: 38427263 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-3662-6_39] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/02/2024]
Abstract
Immunolabeling-enabled imaging of solvent-cleared organs (iDISCO) (Renier N, Wu Z, Simon DJ, Yang J, Ariel P, Tessier-Lavigne M, Cell 159:896-910, 2014) aims to match the refractive index (RI) of tissue to the surrounding medium, thereby facilitating three-dimensional (3D) imaging and quantification of cellular points and tissue structures. Once cleared, transparent tissue samples allow for rapid imaging with no mechanical sectioning. This imaging technology enables us to visualize brain tissue in situ and quantify the morphology and extent of glial cell branches or neuronal processes extending from the epicenter of a traumatic brain injury (TBI). In this way, we can more accurately assess and quantify the damaging consequences of TBI not only in the impact region but also in the extended pericontusional regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannah Flinn
- Department of Neurosurgery, Center for Neuroregeneration, Houston Methodist Academic Institute, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Leonardo Cruz-Pineda
- Department of Neurosurgery, Center for Neuroregeneration, Houston Methodist Academic Institute, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Laura Montier
- Department of Neurosurgery, Center for Neuroregeneration, Houston Methodist Academic Institute, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Philip J Horner
- Department of Neurosurgery, Center for Neuroregeneration, Houston Methodist Academic Institute, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Sonia Villapol
- Department of Neurosurgery, Center for Neuroregeneration, Houston Methodist Academic Institute, Houston, TX, USA.
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4
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McKenzie AT, Nnadi O, Slagell KD, Thorn EL, Farrell K, Crary JF. Fluid preservation in brain banking: a review. FREE NEUROPATHOLOGY 2024; 5:5-10. [PMID: 38690035 PMCID: PMC11058410 DOI: 10.17879/freeneuropathology-2024-5373] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2024] [Accepted: 03/29/2024] [Indexed: 05/02/2024]
Abstract
Fluid preservation is nearly universally used in brain banking to store fixed tissue specimens for future research applications. However, the effects of long-term immersion on neural circuitry and biomolecules are not well characterized. As a result, there is a need to synthesize studies investigating fluid preservation of brain tissue. We searched PubMed and other databases to identify studies measuring the effects of fluid preservation in nervous system tissue. We categorized studies based on the fluid preservative used: formaldehyde solutions, buffer solutions, alcohol solutions, storage after tissue clearing, and cryoprotectant solutions. We identified 91 studies containing 197 independent observations of the effects of long-term storage on cellular morphology. Most studies did not report any significant alterations due to long-term storage. When present, the most frequent alteration was decreased antigenicity, commonly attributed to progressive crosslinking by aldehydes that renders biomolecules increasingly inaccessible over time. To build a mechanistic understanding, we discuss biochemical aspects of long-term fluid preservation. A subset of lipids appears to be chemical altered or extracted over time due to incomplete retention in the crosslinked gel. Alternative storage fluids mitigate the problem of antigen masking but have not been extensively characterized and may have other downsides. We also compare fluid preservation to cryopreservation, paraffin embedding, and resin embedding. Overall, existing evidence suggests that fluid preservation provides maintenance of neural architecture for decades, including precise structural details. However, to avoid the well-established problem of overfixation caused by storage in high concentration formaldehyde solutions, fluid preservation procedures can use an initial fixation step followed by an alternative long-term storage fluid. Further research is warranted on optimizing protocols and characterizing the generalizability of the storage artifacts that have been identified.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Oge Nnadi
- Brain Preservation Foundation, Ashburn, Virginia, USA
| | - Kat D. Slagell
- Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
- Friedman Brain Institute, Departments of Pathology, Neuroscience, and Artificial Intelligence & Human Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
- Neuropathology Brain Bank & Research Core and Ronald M. Loeb Center for Alzheimer's Disease, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
| | - Emma L. Thorn
- Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
- Friedman Brain Institute, Departments of Pathology, Neuroscience, and Artificial Intelligence & Human Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
- Neuropathology Brain Bank & Research Core and Ronald M. Loeb Center for Alzheimer's Disease, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
| | - Kurt Farrell
- Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
- Friedman Brain Institute, Departments of Pathology, Neuroscience, and Artificial Intelligence & Human Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
- Neuropathology Brain Bank & Research Core and Ronald M. Loeb Center for Alzheimer's Disease, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
| | - John F. Crary
- Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
- Friedman Brain Institute, Departments of Pathology, Neuroscience, and Artificial Intelligence & Human Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
- Neuropathology Brain Bank & Research Core and Ronald M. Loeb Center for Alzheimer's Disease, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
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5
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Rosen G, Kirsch D, Horowitz S, Cherry JD, Nicks R, Kelley H, Uretsky M, Dell'Aquila K, Mathias R, Cormier KA, Kubilus CA, Mez J, Tripodis Y, Stein TD, Alvarez VE, Alosco ML, McKee AC, Huber BR. Three dimensional evaluation of cerebrovascular density and branching in chronic traumatic encephalopathy. Acta Neuropathol Commun 2023; 11:123. [PMID: 37491342 PMCID: PMC10369801 DOI: 10.1186/s40478-023-01612-y] [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: 06/26/2023] [Accepted: 06/28/2023] [Indexed: 07/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is a neurodegenerative disease associated with exposure to repetitive head impacts (RHI) and characterized by perivascular accumulations of hyperphosphorylated tau protein (p-tau) at the depths of the cortical sulci. Studies of living athletes exposed to RHI, including concussive and nonconcussive impacts, have shown increased blood-brain barrier permeability, reduced cerebral blood flow, and alterations in vasoreactivity. Blood-brain barrier abnormalities have also been reported in individuals neuropathologically diagnosed with CTE. To further investigate the three-dimensional microvascular changes in individuals diagnosed with CTE and controls, we used SHIELD tissue processing and passive delipidation to optically clear and label blocks of postmortem human dorsolateral frontal cortex. We used fluorescent confocal microscopy to quantitate vascular branch density and fraction volume. We compared the findings in 41 male brain donors, age at death 31-89 years, mean age 64 years, including 12 donors with low CTE (McKee stage I-II), 13 with high CTE (McKee stage III-IV) to 16 age- and sex-matched non-CTE controls (7 with RHI exposure and 9 with no RHI exposure). The density of vessel branches in the gray matter sulcus was significantly greater in CTE cases than in controls. The ratios of sulcus versus gyrus vessel branch density and fraction volume were also greater in CTE than in controls and significantly above one for the CTE group. Hyperphosphorylated tau pathology density correlated with gray matter sulcus fraction volume. These findings point towards increased vascular coverage and branching in the dorsolateral frontal cortex (DLF) sulci in CTE, that correlates with p-tau pathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Grace Rosen
- VA Boston Healthcare System, US Department of Veterans Affairs, 150 S Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA, 02130, USA
- National Center for PTSD, US Department of Veterans Affairs, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Daniel Kirsch
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, USA
| | - Sarah Horowitz
- VA Boston Healthcare System, US Department of Veterans Affairs, 150 S Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA, 02130, USA
- National Center for PTSD, US Department of Veterans Affairs, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Jonathan D Cherry
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, USA
- Department of Neurology, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, USA
- Boston University Alzheimer's Disease Research Center and Boston University CTE Center, Boston, USA
| | - Raymond Nicks
- Boston University Alzheimer's Disease Research Center and Boston University CTE Center, Boston, USA
| | - Hunter Kelley
- Boston University Alzheimer's Disease Research Center and Boston University CTE Center, Boston, USA
| | - Madeline Uretsky
- Boston University Alzheimer's Disease Research Center and Boston University CTE Center, Boston, USA
| | - Kevin Dell'Aquila
- Boston University Alzheimer's Disease Research Center and Boston University CTE Center, Boston, USA
| | - Rebecca Mathias
- VA Boston Healthcare System, US Department of Veterans Affairs, 150 S Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA, 02130, USA
- Department of Neurology, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, USA
| | - Kerry A Cormier
- VA Boston Healthcare System, US Department of Veterans Affairs, 150 S Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA, 02130, USA
- Department of Neurology, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, USA
- Boston University Alzheimer's Disease Research Center and Boston University CTE Center, Boston, USA
- VA Bedford Healthcare System, US Department of Veterans Affairs, Bedford, MA, USA
| | - Caroline A Kubilus
- Department of Neurology, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, USA
- Boston University Alzheimer's Disease Research Center and Boston University CTE Center, Boston, USA
- VA Bedford Healthcare System, US Department of Veterans Affairs, Bedford, MA, USA
| | - Jesse Mez
- Boston University Alzheimer's Disease Research Center and Boston University CTE Center, Boston, USA
| | - Yorghos Tripodis
- Boston University Alzheimer's Disease Research Center and Boston University CTE Center, Boston, USA
- Department of Biostatistics, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, USA
| | - Thor D Stein
- VA Boston Healthcare System, US Department of Veterans Affairs, 150 S Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA, 02130, USA
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, USA
- Department of Neurology, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, USA
- Boston University Alzheimer's Disease Research Center and Boston University CTE Center, Boston, USA
| | - Victor E Alvarez
- VA Boston Healthcare System, US Department of Veterans Affairs, 150 S Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA, 02130, USA
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, USA
- Department of Neurology, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, USA
- Boston University Alzheimer's Disease Research Center and Boston University CTE Center, Boston, USA
| | - Michael L Alosco
- Department of Neurology, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, USA
- Boston University Alzheimer's Disease Research Center and Boston University CTE Center, Boston, USA
| | - Ann C McKee
- VA Boston Healthcare System, US Department of Veterans Affairs, 150 S Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA, 02130, USA
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, USA
- Department of Neurology, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, USA
- Boston University Alzheimer's Disease Research Center and Boston University CTE Center, Boston, USA
- VA Bedford Healthcare System, US Department of Veterans Affairs, Bedford, MA, USA
| | - Bertrand R Huber
- VA Boston Healthcare System, US Department of Veterans Affairs, 150 S Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA, 02130, USA.
- Department of Neurology, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, USA.
- Boston University Alzheimer's Disease Research Center and Boston University CTE Center, Boston, USA.
- National Center for PTSD, US Department of Veterans Affairs, Boston, MA, USA.
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6
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Wang K, Yu Y, Xu Y, Yue Y, Zhao F, Feng W, Duan Y, Duan W, Yue J, Liao Z, Fei P, Sun H, Xiong B. TSA-PACT: a method for tissue clearing and immunofluorescence staining on zebrafish brain with improved sensitivity, specificity and stability. Cell Biosci 2023; 13:97. [PMID: 37237300 DOI: 10.1186/s13578-023-01043-1] [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: 06/23/2022] [Accepted: 05/01/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023] Open
Abstract
For comprehensive studies of the brain structure and function, fluorescence imaging of the whole brain is essential. It requires large-scale volumetric imaging in cellular or molecular resolution, which could be quite challenging. Recent advances in tissue clearing technology (e.g. CLARITY, PACT) provide new solutions by homogenizing the refractive index of the samples to create transparency. However, it has been difficult to acquire high quality results through immunofluorescence (IF) staining on the cleared samples. To address this issue, we developed TSA-PACT, a method combining tyramide signal amplification (TSA) and PACT, to transform samples into hydrogel polymerization frameworks with covalent fluorescent biomarkers assembled. We show that TSA-PACT is able to reduce the opacity of the zebrafish brain by more than 90% with well-preserved structure. Compared to traditional method, TSA-PACT achieves approximately tenfold signal amplification and twofold improvement in signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). Moreover, both the structure and the fluorescent signal persist for at least 16 months with excellent signal retention ratio. Overall, this method improves immunofluorescence signal sensitivity, specificity and stability in the whole brain of juvenile and adult zebrafish, which is applicable for fine structural analysis, neural circuit mapping and three-dimensional cell counting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kang Wang
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, China
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 211166, China
| | - Yuxin Yu
- Department of Endocrinology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430022, China
| | - Yinhui Xu
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430022, China
| | - Yingzi Yue
- Key Laboratory of Environment and Health (HUST), Ministry of Education, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, China
| | - Fang Zhao
- School of Optical and Electronic Information- Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430074, China
| | - Wenyang Feng
- School of Optical and Electronic Information- Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430074, China
| | - Yijie Duan
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, China
| | - Weicheng Duan
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, China
| | - Jingjing Yue
- College of Engineering, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Zhiyun Liao
- Cancer Center, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430022, China
| | - Peng Fei
- School of Optical and Electronic Information- Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430074, China
- MoE Key Laboratory for Biomedical Photonics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430074, China
| | - Hui Sun
- Department of Endocrinology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430022, China.
| | - Bo Xiong
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, China.
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7
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Woelfle S, Deshpande D, Feldengut S, Braak H, Del Tredici K, Roselli F, Deisseroth K, Michaelis J, Boeckers TM, Schön M. CLARITY increases sensitivity and specificity of fluorescence immunostaining in long-term archived human brain tissue. BMC Biol 2023; 21:113. [PMID: 37221592 PMCID: PMC10207789 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-023-01582-6] [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: 09/15/2022] [Accepted: 03/29/2023] [Indexed: 05/25/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Post mortem human brain tissue is an essential resource to study cell types, connectivity as well as subcellular structures down to the molecular setup of the central nervous system especially with respect to the plethora of brain diseases. A key method is immunostaining with fluorescent dyes, which allows high-resolution imaging in three dimensions of multiple structures simultaneously. Although there are large collections of formalin-fixed brains, research is often limited because several conditions arise that complicate the use of human brain tissue for high-resolution fluorescence microscopy. RESULTS In this study, we developed a clearing approach for immunofluorescence-based analysis of perfusion- and immersion-fixed post mortem human brain tissue, termed human Clear Lipid-exchanged Acrylamide-hybridized Rigid Imaging / Immunostaining / In situ hybridization-compatible Tissue-hYdrogel (hCLARITY). hCLARITY is optimized for specificity by reducing off-target labeling and yields very sensitive stainings in human brain sections allowing for super-resolution microscopy with unprecedented imaging of pre- and postsynaptic compartments. Moreover, hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease were preserved with hCLARITY, and importantly classical 3,3'-diaminobenzidine (DAB) or Nissl stainings are compatible with this protocol. hCLARITY is very versatile as demonstrated by the use of more than 30 well performing antibodies and allows for de- and subsequent re-staining of the same tissue section, which is important for multi-labeling approaches, e.g., in super-resolution microscopy. CONCLUSIONS Taken together, hCLARITY enables research of the human brain with high sensitivity and down to sub-diffraction resolution. It therefore has enormous potential for the investigation of local morphological changes, e.g., in neurodegenerative diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Woelfle
- Institute for Anatomy and Cell Biology, Ulm University, Albert-Einstein-Allee 11, 89081, Ulm, Germany
- International Graduate School in Molecular Medicine Ulm, IGradU, 89081, Ulm, Germany
| | - Dhruva Deshpande
- Institute of Biophysics, Ulm University, Albert-Einstein-Allee 11, 89081, Ulm, Germany
- Chemical and Systems Biology Department, Stanford School of Medicine, 269 Campus Drive, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Simone Feldengut
- Clinical Neuroanatomy Section/Department of Neurology, Center for Biomedical Research, Ulm University, Helmholtzstraße 8/1, 89081, Ulm, Germany
| | - Heiko Braak
- Clinical Neuroanatomy Section/Department of Neurology, Center for Biomedical Research, Ulm University, Helmholtzstraße 8/1, 89081, Ulm, Germany
| | - Kelly Del Tredici
- Clinical Neuroanatomy Section/Department of Neurology, Center for Biomedical Research, Ulm University, Helmholtzstraße 8/1, 89081, Ulm, Germany
| | - Francesco Roselli
- Department of Neurology, Ulm University, 89081, Ulm, Germany
- Deutsches Zentrum für Neurodegenerative Erkrankungen, DZNE, Ulm Site, 89081, Ulm, Germany
| | - Karl Deisseroth
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Jens Michaelis
- Institute of Biophysics, Ulm University, Albert-Einstein-Allee 11, 89081, Ulm, Germany
| | - Tobias M Boeckers
- Institute for Anatomy and Cell Biology, Ulm University, Albert-Einstein-Allee 11, 89081, Ulm, Germany
- Deutsches Zentrum für Neurodegenerative Erkrankungen, DZNE, Ulm Site, 89081, Ulm, Germany
| | - Michael Schön
- Institute for Anatomy and Cell Biology, Ulm University, Albert-Einstein-Allee 11, 89081, Ulm, Germany.
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8
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Efficient 3D light-sheet imaging of very large-scale optically cleared human brain and prostate tissue samples. Commun Biol 2023; 6:170. [PMID: 36781939 PMCID: PMC9925784 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-04536-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2022] [Accepted: 01/26/2023] [Indexed: 02/15/2023] Open
Abstract
The ability to image human tissue samples in 3D, with both cellular resolution and a large field of view (FOV), can improve fundamental and clinical investigations. Here, we demonstrate the feasibility of light-sheet imaging of ~5 cm3 sized formalin fixed human brain and up to ~7 cm3 sized formalin fixed paraffin embedded (FFPE) prostate cancer samples, processed with the FFPE-MASH protocol. We present a light-sheet microscopy prototype, the cleared-tissue dual view Selective Plane Illumination Microscope (ct-dSPIM), capable of fast 3D high-resolution acquisitions of cm3 scale cleared tissue. We used mosaic scans for fast 3D overviews of entire tissue samples or higher resolution overviews of large ROIs with various speeds: (a) Mosaic 16 (16.4 µm isotropic resolution, ~1.7 h/cm3), (b) Mosaic 4 (4.1 µm isotropic resolution, ~ 5 h/cm3) and (c) Mosaic 0.5 (0.5 µm near isotropic resolution, ~15.8 h/cm3). We could visualise cortical layers and neurons around the border of human brain areas V1&V2, and could demonstrate suitable imaging quality for Gleason score grading in thick prostate cancer samples. We show that ct-dSPIM imaging is an excellent technique to quantitatively assess entire MASH prepared large-scale human tissue samples in 3D, with considerable future clinical potential.
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9
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Three-dimensional visualization of human brain tumors using the CUBIC technique. Brain Tumor Pathol 2023; 40:4-14. [PMID: 36370248 DOI: 10.1007/s10014-022-00445-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2022] [Accepted: 11/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
Application of tissue clearing techniques on human brain tumors is still limited. This study was to investigate the application of CUBIC on 3D pathological studies of human brain tumors. Brain tumor specimens derived from 21 patients were cleared with CUBIC. Immunostaining was conducted on cleared specimens to label astrocytes, microglia and microvessels, respectively. All tumor specimens achieved transparency after clearing. Immunostaining and CUBIC are well compatible in a variety of human brain tumors. Spatial morphologies of microvessels, astrocytes and microglia of tumors were clearly visualized in 3D, and their 3D morphological parameters were easily quantified. By comparing the quantitative morphological parameters of microvessels among brain tumors of different malignancy, we found that mean vascular diameter was positively correlated with tumor malignancy. Our study demonstrates that CUBIC can be successfully applied to 3D pathological studies of various human brain tumors, and 3D studies of human brain tumors hold great promise in helping us better understand brain tumor pathology in the future.
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10
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Mai H, Rong Z, Zhao S, Cai R, Steinke H, Bechmann I, Ertürk A. Scalable tissue labeling and clearing of intact human organs. Nat Protoc 2022; 17:2188-2215. [PMID: 35859136 DOI: 10.1038/s41596-022-00712-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2021] [Accepted: 04/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Advances in tissue labeling and clearing methods include improvement of tissue transparency, better preservation of fluorescence signal, compatibility with immunostaining and large sample volumes. However, as existing methods share the common limitation that they can only be applied to human tissue slices, rendering intact human organs transparent remains a challenge. Here, we describe experimental details of the small-micelle-mediated human organ efficient clearing and labeling (SHANEL) pipeline, which can be applied for cellular mapping of intact human organs. We have successfully cleared multiple human organs, including kidney, pancreas, heart, lung, spleen and brain, as well as hard tissue like skull. We also describe an advanced volumetric imaging system using a commercial light-sheet fluorescence microscope that can accommodate most human organs and a pipeline for whole-organ imaging and visualization. The complete experimental process of labeling and clearing whole human organs takes months and the analysis process takes several weeks, depending on the organ types and sizes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongcheng Mai
- Institute for Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine (iTERM), Helmholtz Center, Neuherberg, Munich, Germany.,Institute for Stroke and Dementia Research, University Hospital, Ludwig-Maximilians University Munich, Munich, Germany.,Munich Medical Research School (MMRS), Ludwig-Maximilians University Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Zhouyi Rong
- Institute for Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine (iTERM), Helmholtz Center, Neuherberg, Munich, Germany.,Institute for Stroke and Dementia Research, University Hospital, Ludwig-Maximilians University Munich, Munich, Germany.,Munich Medical Research School (MMRS), Ludwig-Maximilians University Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Shan Zhao
- Institute for Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine (iTERM), Helmholtz Center, Neuherberg, Munich, Germany.,Institute for Stroke and Dementia Research, University Hospital, Ludwig-Maximilians University Munich, Munich, Germany.,Munich Medical Research School (MMRS), Ludwig-Maximilians University Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Ruiyao Cai
- Institute for Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine (iTERM), Helmholtz Center, Neuherberg, Munich, Germany.,Institute for Stroke and Dementia Research, University Hospital, Ludwig-Maximilians University Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Hanno Steinke
- Institute of Anatomy, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Ingo Bechmann
- Institute of Anatomy, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Ali Ertürk
- Institute for Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine (iTERM), Helmholtz Center, Neuherberg, Munich, Germany. .,Institute for Stroke and Dementia Research, University Hospital, Ludwig-Maximilians University Munich, Munich, Germany. .,Munich Cluster for Systems Neurology (SyNergy), Munich, Germany.
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11
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A Novel Three-Dimensional Imaging System Based on Polysaccharide Staining for Accurate Histopathological Diagnosis of Inflammatory Bowel Diseases. Cell Mol Gastroenterol Hepatol 2022; 14:905-924. [PMID: 35835392 PMCID: PMC9500441 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcmgh.2022.07.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2022] [Revised: 07/04/2022] [Accepted: 07/05/2022] [Indexed: 12/10/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND & AIMS Tissue-clearing and three-dimensional (3D) imaging techniques aid clinical histopathological evaluation; however, further methodological developments are required before use in clinical practice. METHODS We sought to develop a novel fluorescence staining method based on the classical periodic acid-Schiff stain. We further attempted to develop a 3D imaging system based on this staining method and evaluated whether the system can be used for quantitative 3D pathological evaluation and deep learning-based automatic diagnosis of inflammatory bowel diseases. RESULTS We successfully developed a novel periodic acid-FAM hydrazide (PAFhy) staining method for 3D imaging when combined with a tissue-clearing technique (PAFhy-3D). This strategy enabled clear and detailed imaging of the 3D architectures of crypts in human colorectal mucosa. PAFhy-3D imaging also revealed abnormal architectural changes in crypts in ulcerative colitis tissues and identified the distributions of neutrophils in cryptitis and crypt abscesses. PAFhy-3D revealed novel pathological findings including spiral staircase-like crypts specific to inflammatory bowel diseases. Quantitative analysis of crypts based on 3D morphologic changes enabled differential diagnosis of ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, and non-inflammatory bowel disease; such discrimination could not be achieved by pathologists. Furthermore, a deep learning-based system using PAFhy-3D images was used to distinguish these diseases The accuracies were excellent (macro-average area under the curve = 0.94; F1 scores = 0.875 for ulcerative colitis, 0.717 for Crohn's disease, and 0.819 for non-inflammatory bowel disease). CONCLUSIONS PAFhy staining and PAFhy-3D imaging are promising approaches for next-generation experimental and clinical histopathology.
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12
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Pesce L, Scardigli M, Gavryusev V, Laurino A, Mazzamuto G, Brady N, Sancataldo G, Silvestri L, Destrieux C, Hof PR, Costantini I, Pavone FS. 3D molecular phenotyping of cleared human brain tissues with light-sheet fluorescence microscopy. Commun Biol 2022; 5:447. [PMID: 35551498 PMCID: PMC9098858 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-022-03390-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2021] [Accepted: 04/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The combination of optical tissue transparency with immunofluorescence allows the molecular characterization of biological tissues in 3D. However, adult human organs are particularly challenging to become transparent because of the autofluorescence contributions of aged tissues. To meet this challenge, we optimized SHORT (SWITCH-H2O2-antigen Retrieval-TDE), a procedure based on standard histological treatments in combination with a refined clearing procedure to clear and label portions of the human brain. 3D histological characterization with multiple molecules is performed on cleared samples with a combination of multi-colors and multi-rounds labeling. By performing fast 3D imaging of the samples with a custom-made inverted light-sheet fluorescence microscope (LSFM), we reveal fine details of intact human brain slabs at subcellular resolution. Overall, we proposed a scalable and versatile technology that in combination with LSFM allows mapping the cellular and molecular architecture of the human brain, paving the way to reconstruct the entire organ.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luca Pesce
- European Laboratory for Non-linear Spectroscopy (LENS), University of Florence, Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Florence, Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
| | - Marina Scardigli
- European Laboratory for Non-linear Spectroscopy (LENS), University of Florence, Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Florence, Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
| | - Vladislav Gavryusev
- European Laboratory for Non-linear Spectroscopy (LENS), University of Florence, Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Florence, Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
| | - Annunziatina Laurino
- European Laboratory for Non-linear Spectroscopy (LENS), University of Florence, Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
- Department of Neurosciences, Psychology, Drug Research and Child Health (NEUROFARBA), University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Giacomo Mazzamuto
- European Laboratory for Non-linear Spectroscopy (LENS), University of Florence, Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
- National Institute of Optics (INO), National Research Council (CNR), Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
| | - Niamh Brady
- European Laboratory for Non-linear Spectroscopy (LENS), University of Florence, Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Sancataldo
- European Laboratory for Non-linear Spectroscopy (LENS), University of Florence, Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
| | - Ludovico Silvestri
- European Laboratory for Non-linear Spectroscopy (LENS), University of Florence, Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Florence, Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
- National Institute of Optics (INO), National Research Council (CNR), Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
| | | | - Patrick R Hof
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Irene Costantini
- European Laboratory for Non-linear Spectroscopy (LENS), University of Florence, Sesto Fiorentino, Italy.
- National Institute of Optics (INO), National Research Council (CNR), Sesto Fiorentino, Italy.
- Department of Biology, University of Florence, Florence, Italy.
| | - Francesco S Pavone
- European Laboratory for Non-linear Spectroscopy (LENS), University of Florence, Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Florence, Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
- National Institute of Optics (INO), National Research Council (CNR), Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
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13
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Rusch H, Brammerloh M, Stieler J, Sonntag M, Mohammadi S, Weiskopf N, Arendt T, Kirilina E, Morawski M. Finding the best clearing approach - Towards 3D wide-scale multimodal imaging of aged human brain tissue. Neuroimage 2021; 247:118832. [PMID: 34929383 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2021.118832] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2021] [Revised: 12/13/2021] [Accepted: 12/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The accessibility of new wide-scale multimodal imaging techniques led to numerous clearing techniques emerging over the last decade. However, clearing mesoscopic-sized blocks of aged human brain tissue remains an extremely challenging task. Homogenizing refractive indices and reducing light absorption and scattering are the foundation of tissue clearing. Due to its dense and highly myelinated nature, especially in white matter, the human brain poses particular challenges to clearing techniques. Here, we present a comparative study of seven tissue clearing approaches and their impact on aged human brain tissue blocks (> 5 mm). The goal was to identify the most practical and efficient method in regards to macroscopic transparency, brief clearing time, compatibility with immunohistochemical processing and wide-scale multimodal microscopic imaging. We successfully cleared 26 × 26 × 5 mm3-sized human brain samples with two hydrophilic and two hydrophobic clearing techniques. Optical properties as well as light and antibody penetration depths highly vary between these methods. In addition to finding the best clearing approach, we compared three microscopic imaging setups (the Zeiss Laser Scanning Microscope (LSM) 880 , the Miltenyi Biotec Ultramicroscope ll (UM ll) and the 3i Marianas LightSheet microscope) regarding optimal imaging of large-scale tissue samples. We demonstrate that combining the CLARITY technique (Clear Lipid-exchanged Acrylamide-hybridized Rigid Imaging compatible Tissue hYdrogel) with the Zeiss LSM 880 and combining the iDISCO technique (immunolabeling-enabled three-dimensional imaging of solvent-cleared organs) with the Miltenyi Biotec UM ll are the most practical and efficient approaches to sufficiently clear aged human brain tissue and generate 3D microscopic images. Our results point out challenges that arise from seven clearing and three imaging techniques applied to non-standardized tissue samples such as aged human brain tissue.
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Affiliation(s)
- Henriette Rusch
- Paul Flechsig Institute of Brain Research, Medical Faculty, University of Leipzig, Liebigstraße 19, Leipzig 04103, Germany
| | - Malte Brammerloh
- Department of Neurophysics, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Science, Stephanstraße 1a, Leipzig 04103, Germany; Felix Bloch Institute for Solid State Physics, Faculty of Physics and Earth Sciences, University of Leipzig, Linnéstraße 5, Leipzig 04103, Germany; International Max Planck Research School on Neuroscience of Communication: Function, Structure, and Plasticity, Stephanstraße 1a, Leipzig 04103, Germany
| | - Jens Stieler
- Paul Flechsig Institute of Brain Research, Medical Faculty, University of Leipzig, Liebigstraße 19, Leipzig 04103, Germany
| | - Mandy Sonntag
- Paul Flechsig Institute of Brain Research, Medical Faculty, University of Leipzig, Liebigstraße 19, Leipzig 04103, Germany
| | - Siawoosh Mohammadi
- Department of Neurophysics, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Science, Stephanstraße 1a, Leipzig 04103, Germany; Institute of Systems Neuroscience, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistraße 52, Hamburg 20246, Germany
| | - Nikolaus Weiskopf
- Department of Neurophysics, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Science, Stephanstraße 1a, Leipzig 04103, Germany; Felix Bloch Institute for Solid State Physics, Faculty of Physics and Earth Sciences, University of Leipzig, Linnéstraße 5, Leipzig 04103, Germany
| | - Thomas Arendt
- Paul Flechsig Institute of Brain Research, Medical Faculty, University of Leipzig, Liebigstraße 19, Leipzig 04103, Germany
| | - Evgeniya Kirilina
- Department of Neurophysics, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Science, Stephanstraße 1a, Leipzig 04103, Germany; Center for Cognitive Neuroscience Berlin, Free University Berlin, Habelschwerdter Allee 45, Berlin 14195, Germany
| | - Markus Morawski
- Paul Flechsig Institute of Brain Research, Medical Faculty, University of Leipzig, Liebigstraße 19, Leipzig 04103, Germany; Department of Neurophysics, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Science, Stephanstraße 1a, Leipzig 04103, Germany.
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14
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Scardigli M, Pesce L, Brady N, Mazzamuto G, Gavryusev V, Silvestri L, Hof PR, Destrieux C, Costantini I, Pavone FS. Comparison of Different Tissue Clearing Methods for Three-Dimensional Reconstruction of Human Brain Cellular Anatomy Using Advanced Imaging Techniques. Front Neuroanat 2021; 15:752234. [PMID: 34867215 PMCID: PMC8632656 DOI: 10.3389/fnana.2021.752234] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2021] [Accepted: 10/13/2021] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
The combination of tissue clearing techniques with advanced optical microscopy facilitates the achievement of three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction of macroscopic specimens at high resolution. Whole mouse organs or even bodies have been analyzed, while the reconstruction of the human nervous system remains a challenge. Although several tissue protocols have been proposed, the high autofluorescence and variable post-mortem conditions of human specimens negatively affect the quality of the images in terms of achievable transparency and staining contrast. Moreover, homogeneous staining of high-density epitopes, such as neuronal nuclear antigen (NeuN), creates an additional challenge. Here, we evaluated different tissue transformation approaches to find the best solution to uniformly clear and label all neurons in the human cerebral cortex using anti-NeuN antibodies in combination with confocal and light-sheet fluorescence microscopy (LSFM). Finally, we performed mesoscopic high-resolution 3D reconstruction of the successfully clarified and stained samples with LSFM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marina Scardigli
- European Laboratory for Non-linear Spectroscopy, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Luca Pesce
- European Laboratory for Non-linear Spectroscopy, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Niamh Brady
- European Laboratory for Non-linear Spectroscopy, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Giacomo Mazzamuto
- European Laboratory for Non-linear Spectroscopy, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
- National Institute of Optics, National Research Council, Rome, Italy
| | - Vladislav Gavryusev
- European Laboratory for Non-linear Spectroscopy, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Ludovico Silvestri
- European Laboratory for Non-linear Spectroscopy, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
- National Institute of Optics, National Research Council, Rome, Italy
| | - Patrick R. Hof
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United States
| | | | - Irene Costantini
- European Laboratory for Non-linear Spectroscopy, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
- National Institute of Optics, National Research Council, Rome, Italy
- Department of Biology, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Francesco S. Pavone
- European Laboratory for Non-linear Spectroscopy, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
- National Institute of Optics, National Research Council, Rome, Italy
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15
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Tang Q, Lombardi AF, Le N, Wong JH, Williams JL, Du J, Chang EY. Novel fluorescent staining protocol for thick sections of human osteochondral tissues to facilitate correlation with MRI and CT. Skeletal Radiol 2021; 50:2281-2288. [PMID: 33638655 PMCID: PMC8390588 DOI: 10.1007/s00256-021-03746-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2020] [Revised: 02/19/2021] [Accepted: 02/21/2021] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To describe a novel fluorescent histochemical protocol to visualize osteoclasts, vasculature, and nerves in thick sections of human osteochondral tissues and to demonstrate its feasibility for use in radiologic-pathologic research correlation studies. MATERIALS AND METHODS Consecutive patients scheduled for total knee arthroplasty surgeries underwent pre-operative MRI. CT imaging was performed after tissue collection, and abnormal osteochondral regions were sectioned to 1-2 mm in thickness and decalcified. Fluorescent labeling of osteoclasts was performed by staining for tartrate-resistant alkaline phosphatase activity with a fluorescent substrate. Vascular structure was visualized with fluorescently labeled lectin Ulex europaeus Agglutinin I (UEA-I). Immunostaining was performed for proteins including smooth muscle actin expressed in smooth muscle cells surrounding arterioles and fibrotic myofibroblasts, as well as for neuropeptide Y expressed in sympathetic nerves. Sections were then recut at 5 μm and stained with hematoxylin and eosin (H&E). RESULTS Edema-like and cyst-like regions identified with MRI and CT were easily located in fluorescent images and appeared to have increased osteoclast activity. Fibrotic regions were identified with thickened arterioles and increased myofibroblasts. Sympathetic nerve fibers traveled alongside arborizing blood vessels. Stained sections became transparent in a water-based refractive index-matched medium, permitting deep 3D visualization of the elaborate neurovascular network in bone. Sequential staining procedures were successfully performed with the same sections, demonstrating the potential to compare multiple cellular markers from the same locations. Routine H&E staining could be performed after the fluorescent staining protocol. CONCLUSION We have developed a multimodal framework to facilitate comparisons between histology and clinical MRI and CT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qingbo Tang
- Research Service, VA San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA, USA
- Department of Radiology, University of California, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Alecio F Lombardi
- Research Service, VA San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA, USA
- Department of Radiology, University of California, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Nicole Le
- Research Service, VA San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA, USA
- Department of Radiology, University of California, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Jonathan H Wong
- Research Service, VA San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA, USA
- Department of Radiology, University of California, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Judith L Williams
- Research Service, VA San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Jiang Du
- Research Service, VA San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA, USA
- Department of Radiology, University of California, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Eric Y Chang
- Research Service, VA San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA, USA.
- Department of Radiology, University of California, San Diego, CA, USA.
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16
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Ries M, Watts H, Mota BC, Lopez MY, Donat CK, Baxan N, Pickering JA, Chau TW, Semmler A, Gurung B, Aleksynas R, Abelleira-Hervas L, Iqbal SJ, Romero-Molina C, Hernandez-Mir G, d’Amati A, Reutelingsperger C, Goldfinger MH, Gentleman SM, Van Leuven F, Solito E, Sastre M. Annexin A1 restores cerebrovascular integrity concomitant with reduced amyloid-β and tau pathology. Brain 2021; 144:1526-1541. [PMID: 34148071 PMCID: PMC8262982 DOI: 10.1093/brain/awab050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2020] [Revised: 11/27/2020] [Accepted: 12/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease, characterized by brain deposits of amyloid-β plaques and neurofibrillary tangles, is also linked to neurovascular dysfunction and blood-brain barrier breakdown, affecting the passage of substances into and out of the brain. We hypothesized that treatment of neurovascular alterations could be beneficial in Alzheimer's disease. Annexin A1 (ANXA1) is a mediator of glucocorticoid anti-inflammatory action that can suppress microglial activation and reduce blood-brain barrier leakage. We have reported recently that treatment with recombinant human ANXA1 (hrANXA1) reduced amyloid-β levels by increased degradation in neuroblastoma cells and phagocytosis by microglia. Here, we show the beneficial effects of hrANXA1 in vivo by restoring efficient blood-brain barrier function and decreasing amyloid-β and tau pathology in 5xFAD mice and Tau-P301L mice. We demonstrate that young 5xFAD mice already suffer cerebrovascular damage, while acute pre-administration of hrANXA1 rescued the vascular defects. Interestingly, the ameliorated blood-brain barrier permeability in young 5xFAD mice by hrANXA1 correlated with reduced brain amyloid-β load, due to increased clearance and degradation of amyloid-β by insulin degrading enzyme (IDE). The systemic anti-inflammatory properties of hrANXA1 were also observed in 5xFAD mice, increasing IL-10 and reducing TNF-α expression. Additionally, the prolonged treatment with hrANXA1 reduced the memory deficits and increased synaptic density in young 5xFAD mice. Similarly, in Tau-P301L mice, acute hrANXA1 administration restored vascular architecture integrity, affecting the distribution of tight junctions, and reduced tau phosphorylation. The combined data support the hypothesis that blood-brain barrier breakdown early in Alzheimer's disease can be restored by hrANXA1 as a potential therapeutic approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miriam Ries
- Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Helena Watts
- Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Bibiana C Mota
- Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | | | | | - Nicoleta Baxan
- Biological Imaging Centre, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | | | - Tsz Wing Chau
- Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Annika Semmler
- Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Brinda Gurung
- Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Antonio d’Amati
- William Harvey Research Institute, Queen Mary University London SMD, London, UK
| | - Chris Reutelingsperger
- Department of Biochemistry, Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | | | | | - Fred Van Leuven
- Experimental Genetics Group-LEGTEGG, Department of Human Genetics, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Egle Solito
- William Harvey Research Institute, Queen Mary University London SMD, London, UK
- Dipartimento di Medicina Molecolare e Biotecnologie Mediche, Universitá degli Studi di Napoli “Federico II”, Naples, Italy
| | - Magdalena Sastre
- Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London, UK
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17
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Yu T, Li D, Zhu D. Tissue Optical Clearing for Biomedical Imaging: From In Vitro to In Vivo. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2021; 3233:217-255. [PMID: 34053030 DOI: 10.1007/978-981-15-7627-0_11] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Tissue optical clearing technique provides a prospective solution for the application of advanced optical methods in life sciences. This chapter firstly gives a brief introduction to mechanisms of tissue optical clearing techniques, from the physical mechanism to chemical mechanism, which is the most important foundation to develop tissue optical clearing methods. During the past years, in vitro and in vivo tissue optical clearing methods were developed. In vitro tissue optical clearing techniques, including the solvent-based clearing methods and the hydrophilic reagents-based clearing methods, combined with labeling technique and advanced microscopy, can be applied to image 3D microstructure of tissue blocks or whole organs such as brain and spinal cord with high resolution. In vivo skin or skull optical clearing, promise various optical imaging techniques to detect cutaneous or cortical cell and vascular structure and function without surgical window.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tingting Yu
- Britton Chance Center for Biomedical Photonics, Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China.,MoE Key Laboratory for Biomedical Photonics, School of Engineering Sciences, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Dongyu Li
- Britton Chance Center for Biomedical Photonics, Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China.,MoE Key Laboratory for Biomedical Photonics, School of Engineering Sciences, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Dan Zhu
- Britton Chance Center for Biomedical Photonics, Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China. .,MoE Key Laboratory for Biomedical Photonics, School of Engineering Sciences, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China.
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18
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Costantini I, Mazzamuto G, Roffilli M, Laurino A, Maria Castelli F, Neri M, Lughi G, Simonetto A, Lazzeri E, Pesce L, Destrieux C, Silvestri L, Conti V, Guerrini R, Saverio Pavone F. Large-scale, cell-resolution volumetric mapping allows layer-specific investigation of human brain cytoarchitecture. BIOMEDICAL OPTICS EXPRESS 2021; 12:3684-3699. [PMID: 34221688 PMCID: PMC8221968 DOI: 10.1364/boe.415555] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2021] [Revised: 03/23/2021] [Accepted: 03/30/2021] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
Although neuronal density analysis on human brain slices is available from stereological studies, data on the spatial distribution of neurons in 3D are still missing. Since the neuronal organization is very inhomogeneous in the cerebral cortex, it is critical to map all neurons in a given volume rather than relying on sparse sampling methods. To achieve this goal, we implement a new tissue transformation protocol to clear and label human brain tissues and we exploit the high-resolution optical sectioning of two-photon fluorescence microscopy to perform 3D mesoscopic reconstruction. We perform neuronal mapping of 100mm3 human brain samples and evaluate the volume and density distribution of neurons from various areas of the cortex originating from different subjects (young, adult, and elderly, both healthy and pathological). The quantitative evaluation of the density in combination with the mean volume of the thousands of neurons identified within the specimens, allow us to determine the layer-specific organization of the cerebral architecture.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irene Costantini
- European Laboratory for Non-Linear Spectroscopy (LENS), University of Florence, Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
- Department of Biology, University of Florence, Italy
- National Institute of Optics (INO), National Research Council (CNR), Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
- These authors contributed equally to this work
| | - Giacomo Mazzamuto
- European Laboratory for Non-Linear Spectroscopy (LENS), University of Florence, Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
- National Institute of Optics (INO), National Research Council (CNR), Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
- These authors contributed equally to this work
| | | | - Annunziatina Laurino
- European Laboratory for Non-Linear Spectroscopy (LENS), University of Florence, Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
- Present address: Department of Neurofarba, Section of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Florence, Italy
| | - Filippo Maria Castelli
- European Laboratory for Non-Linear Spectroscopy (LENS), University of Florence, Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
- Department of Physics, University of Florence, Italy
| | | | | | | | - Erica Lazzeri
- European Laboratory for Non-Linear Spectroscopy (LENS), University of Florence, Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
| | - Luca Pesce
- European Laboratory for Non-Linear Spectroscopy (LENS), University of Florence, Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
- Department of Physics, University of Florence, Italy
| | | | - Ludovico Silvestri
- European Laboratory for Non-Linear Spectroscopy (LENS), University of Florence, Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
- National Institute of Optics (INO), National Research Council (CNR), Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
- Department of Physics, University of Florence, Italy
| | - Valerio Conti
- Pediatric Neurology, Neurogenetics and Neurobiology Unit and Laboratories, A. Meyer Children’s Hospital, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Renzo Guerrini
- Pediatric Neurology, Neurogenetics and Neurobiology Unit and Laboratories, A. Meyer Children’s Hospital, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Francesco Saverio Pavone
- European Laboratory for Non-Linear Spectroscopy (LENS), University of Florence, Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
- National Institute of Optics (INO), National Research Council (CNR), Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
- Department of Physics, University of Florence, Italy
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19
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谷 沛, 沈 建, 诸 颖, 李 江, 王 丽. [Development in Tissue Clearing Technology and Its Application in Neurodegenerative Diseases]. SICHUAN DA XUE XUE BAO. YI XUE BAN = JOURNAL OF SICHUAN UNIVERSITY. MEDICAL SCIENCE EDITION 2021; 52:350-356. [PMID: 34018350 PMCID: PMC10409203 DOI: 10.12182/20210560302] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2020] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Modern tissue clearing techniques have made it possible to have high-resolution imaging of cell populations and three-dimensional reconstruction of tissue structures, and we are able to obtain more complete three-dimensional brain structures and spatial connections between the various components of brain tissues through tissue clearing techniques. Over the past decade, scientists have developed and improved a number of tissue clearing techniques that are now widely used in neuroscience research, allowing us to extract important information from complex neural networks. Moreover, tissue clearing technology also provides research tools for the stem cell therapy and neurogeneration of neurodegenerative diseases. In this paper, we reviewed the major types of existing tissue clearing techniques and their respective strengths and weaknesses. We summarized the application of these techniques in neurodegenerative disease research and their unique merits. In addition, we explored the development requirements of tissue clearing technology, improvements in the supporting equipment, and its potential to be used as research tools for stem cell therapy and regenerative medicine in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- 沛霖 谷
- 中国科学院上海应用物理研究所 中国科学院界面物理与技术重点实验室 (上海 201800)CAS Key Laboratory of Interfacial Physics and Technology, Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201800, China
- 中国科学院大学 (北京 100049)University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - 建磊 沈
- 中国科学院上海应用物理研究所 中国科学院界面物理与技术重点实验室 (上海 201800)CAS Key Laboratory of Interfacial Physics and Technology, Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201800, China
| | - 颖 诸
- 中国科学院上海应用物理研究所 中国科学院界面物理与技术重点实验室 (上海 201800)CAS Key Laboratory of Interfacial Physics and Technology, Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201800, China
| | - 江 李
- 中国科学院上海应用物理研究所 中国科学院界面物理与技术重点实验室 (上海 201800)CAS Key Laboratory of Interfacial Physics and Technology, Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201800, China
| | - 丽华 王
- 中国科学院上海应用物理研究所 中国科学院界面物理与技术重点实验室 (上海 201800)CAS Key Laboratory of Interfacial Physics and Technology, Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201800, China
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20
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Li YF, Scerif F, Picker SR, Stone TJ, Pickles JC, Moulding DA, Avery A, Virasami A, Fairchild AR, Tisdall M, Harkness W, Cross JH, Hargrave D, Guillemot F, Paine SM, Yasin SA, Jacques TS. Identifying cellular signalling molecules in developmental disorders of the brain: Evidence from focal cortical dysplasia and tuberous sclerosis. Neuropathol Appl Neurobiol 2021; 47:781-795. [PMID: 33797808 DOI: 10.1111/nan.12715] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2020] [Revised: 03/18/2021] [Accepted: 03/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
AIMS We understand little of the pathogenesis of developmental cortical lesions, because we understand little of the diversity of the cell types that contribute to the diseases or how those cells interact. We tested the hypothesis that cellular diversity and cell-cell interactions play an important role in these disorders by investigating the signalling molecules in the commonest cortical malformations that lead to childhood epilepsy, focal cortical dysplasia (FCD) and tuberous sclerosis (TS). METHODS Transcriptional profiling clustered cases into molecularly distinct groups. Using gene expression data, we identified the secretory signalling molecules in FCD/TS and characterised the cell types expressing these molecules. We developed a functional model using organotypic cultures. RESULTS We identified 113 up-regulated secretory molecules in FCDIIB/TS. The top 12 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were validated by immunohistochemistry. This highlighted two molecules, Chitinase 3-like protein 1 (CHI3L1) and C-C motif chemokine ligand 2 (CCL2) (MCP1) that were expressed in a unique population of small cells in close proximity to balloon cells (BC). We then characterised these cells and developed a functional model in organotypic slice cultures. We found that the number of CHI3L1 and CCL2 expressing cells decreased following inhibition of mTOR, the main aberrant signalling pathway in TS and FCD. CONCLUSIONS Our findings highlight previously uncharacterised small cell populations in FCD and TS which express specific signalling molecules. These findings indicate a new level of diversity and cellular interactions in cortical malformations and provide a generalisable approach to understanding cell-cell interactions and cellular heterogeneity in developmental neuropathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yao-Feng Li
- Developmental Biology and Cancer Research & Teaching Department, UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, UK.,Departments of Histopathology, Great Ormond Street Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK.,Pathology Department, Tri-Service General Hospital & National Defence Medical Centre, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Fatma Scerif
- Developmental Biology and Cancer Research & Teaching Department, UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, UK
| | - Simon R Picker
- Developmental Biology and Cancer Research & Teaching Department, UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, UK
| | - Thomas J Stone
- Developmental Biology and Cancer Research & Teaching Department, UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, UK.,Departments of Histopathology, Great Ormond Street Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | - Jessica C Pickles
- Developmental Biology and Cancer Research & Teaching Department, UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, UK.,Departments of Histopathology, Great Ormond Street Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | - Dale A Moulding
- ICH GOS Imaging Facility, UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, UK
| | - Aimee Avery
- Departments of Histopathology, Great Ormond Street Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | - Alex Virasami
- Developmental Biology and Cancer Research & Teaching Department, UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, UK.,Departments of Histopathology, Great Ormond Street Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | - Amy R Fairchild
- Developmental Biology and Cancer Research & Teaching Department, UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, UK.,Departments of Histopathology, Great Ormond Street Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | - Martin Tisdall
- Neurosurgery, Great Ormond Street Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | - William Harkness
- Neurosurgery, Great Ormond Street Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | - J Helen Cross
- Neurosciences Unit, UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, UK
| | - Darren Hargrave
- Developmental Biology and Cancer Research & Teaching Department, UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, UK.,Neuro-Oncology, Great Ormond Street Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | - Francois Guillemot
- Neural Stem Cell Biology Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, UK
| | - Simon M Paine
- Department of Neuropathology, Queens Medical Centre, Nottingham University NHS Trust, Nottingham, UK
| | - Shireena A Yasin
- Developmental Biology and Cancer Research & Teaching Department, UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, UK.,Departments of Histopathology, Great Ormond Street Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | - Thomas S Jacques
- Developmental Biology and Cancer Research & Teaching Department, UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, UK.,Departments of Histopathology, Great Ormond Street Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
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21
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Lee K, Lai HM, Soerensen MH, Hui ES, Ma VW, Cho WC, Ho Y, Chang RC. Optimised tissue clearing minimises distortion and destruction during tissue delipidation. Neuropathol Appl Neurobiol 2021; 47:441-453. [PMID: 33107057 PMCID: PMC8048831 DOI: 10.1111/nan.12673] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2020] [Revised: 09/04/2020] [Accepted: 10/15/2020] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
AIMS A variety of tissue clearing techniques have been developed to render intact tissue transparent. For thicker samples, additional partial tissue delipidation is required before immersion into the final refractive index (RI)-matching solution, which alone is often inadequate to achieve full tissue transparency. However, it is difficult to determine a sufficient degree of tissue delipidation, excess of which can result in tissue distortion and protein loss. Here, we aim to develop a clearing strategy that allows better monitoring and more precise determination of delipidation progress. METHODS We combined the detergent sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) with OPTIClear, a RI-matching solution, to form a strategy termed Accurate delipidation with Optimal Clearing (Accu-OptiClearing). Accu-OptiClearing allows for a better preview of the final tissue transparency achieved when immersed in OPTIClear alone just before imaging. We assessed for the changes in clearing rate, protein loss, degree of tissue distortion, and preservation of antigens. RESULTS Partial delipidation using Accu-OptiClearing accelerated tissue clearing and better preserved tissue structure and antigens than delipidation with SDS alone. Despite achieving similar transparency in the final OPTIClear solution, more lipids were retained in samples cleared with Accu-OptiClearing compared to SDS. CONCLUSIONS Combining the RI-matching solution OPTIClear with detergents, Accu-OptiClearing, can avoid excessive delipidation, leading to accelerated tissue clearing, less tissue damage and better preserved antigens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Krit Lee
- Laboratory of Neurodegenerative DiseasesSchool of Biomedical SciencesLKS Faculty of MedicineThe University of Hong KongPokfulam, Hong Kong SARChina
| | - Hei Ming Lai
- School of Biomedical SciencesLKS Faculty of MedicineThe University of Hong KongPokfulam, Hong Kong SARChina
- Department of PsychiatryFaculty of MedicineThe Chinese University of Hong KongHong Kong SARChina
| | - Maja Hoejvang Soerensen
- Laboratory of Neurodegenerative DiseasesSchool of Biomedical SciencesLKS Faculty of MedicineThe University of Hong KongPokfulam, Hong Kong SARChina
| | - Edward Sai‐Kam Hui
- Department of Diagnostic RadiologyLKS Faculty of MedicineThe University of Hong KongPokfulam, Hong Kong SARChina
| | - Victor Wan‐San Ma
- Department of Clinical OncologyQueen Elizabeth HospitalKowloon, Hong Kong SARChina
| | | | - Yuen‐Shan Ho
- School of NursingThe Hong Kong Polytechnic UniversityHung Hom, Hong Kong SARChina
| | - Raymond Chuen‐Chung Chang
- Laboratory of Neurodegenerative DiseasesSchool of Biomedical SciencesLKS Faculty of MedicineThe University of Hong KongPokfulam, Hong Kong SARChina
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive SciencesThe University of Hong KongPokfulam, Hong Kong SARChina
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22
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Kim MS, Ahn JH, Mo JE, Song HY, Cheon D, Yoo SH, Choi HJ. Optimizing tissue clearing and imaging methods for human brain tissue. J Int Med Res 2021; 49:3000605211001729. [PMID: 33771067 PMCID: PMC8166401 DOI: 10.1177/03000605211001729] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2021] [Accepted: 02/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES To identify optimum sample conditions for human brains, we compared the clearing efficiency, antibody staining efficiency, and artifacts between fresh and cadaver samples. METHODS Fresh and cadaver samples were cleared using X-CLARITY™. Clearing efficiency and artifact levels were calculated using ImageJ, and antibody staining efficiency was evaluated after confocal microscopy imaging. Three staining methods were compared: 4-day staining (4DS), 11-day staining (11DS), and 4-day staining with a commercial kit (4DS-C). The optimum staining method was then selected by evaluating staining time, depth, method complexity, contamination, and cost. RESULTS Fresh samples outperformed cadaver samples in terms of the time and quality of clearing, artifacts, and 4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) staining efficiency, but had a glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) staining efficiency that was similar to that of cadaver samples. The penetration depth and DAPI staining improved in fresh samples as the incubation period lengthened. 4DS-C was the best method, with the deepest penetration. Human brain images containing blood vessels, cell nuclei, and astrocytes were visualized three-dimensionally. The chemical dye staining depth reached 800 µm and immunostaining depth exceeded 200 µm in 4 days. CONCLUSIONS We present optimized sample preparation and staining protocols for the visualization of three-dimensional macrostructure in the human brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Min Sun Kim
- Functional Neuroanatomy of Metabolism Regulation Laboratory, Department of Anatomy, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Jang Ho Ahn
- Functional Neuroanatomy of Metabolism Regulation Laboratory, Department of Anatomy, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Ji Eun Mo
- Functional Neuroanatomy of Metabolism Regulation Laboratory, Department of Anatomy, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Ha Young Song
- Functional Neuroanatomy of Metabolism Regulation Laboratory, Department of Anatomy, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Deokhyeon Cheon
- Functional Neuroanatomy of Metabolism Regulation Laboratory, Department of Anatomy, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Seong Ho Yoo
- Institute of Forensic Medicine and Department of Forensic Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Hyung Jin Choi
- Functional Neuroanatomy of Metabolism Regulation Laboratory, Department of Anatomy, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
- BK21Plus Biomedical Science Project Team, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
- Wide River Institute of Immunology, Seoul National University, Hongcheon, South Korea
- Neuroscience Research Institute, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
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23
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Molbay M, Kolabas ZI, Todorov MI, Ohn T, Ertürk A. A guidebook for DISCO tissue clearing. Mol Syst Biol 2021; 17:e9807. [PMID: 33769689 PMCID: PMC7995442 DOI: 10.15252/msb.20209807] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2020] [Revised: 12/29/2020] [Accepted: 01/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Histological analysis of biological tissues by mechanical sectioning is significantly time-consuming and error-prone due to loss of important information during sample slicing. In the recent years, the development of tissue clearing methods overcame several of these limitations and allowed exploring intact biological specimens by rendering tissues transparent and subsequently imaging them by laser scanning fluorescence microscopy. In this review, we provide a guide for scientists who would like to perform a clearing protocol from scratch without any prior knowledge, with an emphasis on DISCO clearing protocols, which have been widely used not only due to their robustness, but also owing to their relatively straightforward application. We discuss diverse tissue-clearing options and propose solutions for several possible pitfalls. Moreover, after surveying more than 30 researchers that employ tissue clearing techniques in their laboratories, we compiled the most frequently encountered issues and propose solutions. Overall, this review offers an informative and detailed guide through the growing literature of tissue clearing and can help with finding the easiest way for hands-on implementation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muge Molbay
- Institute for Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine (iTERM)Helmholtz CenterNeuherberg, MunichGermany
- Institute for Stroke and Dementia ResearchKlinikum der Universität MünchenLudwig‐Maximilians‐University MunichMunichGermany
- Munich Medical Research School (MMRS)MunichGermany
| | - Zeynep Ilgin Kolabas
- Institute for Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine (iTERM)Helmholtz CenterNeuherberg, MunichGermany
- Institute for Stroke and Dementia ResearchKlinikum der Universität MünchenLudwig‐Maximilians‐University MunichMunichGermany
- Graduate School for Systemic Neurosciences (GSN)MunichGermany
| | - Mihail Ivilinov Todorov
- Institute for Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine (iTERM)Helmholtz CenterNeuherberg, MunichGermany
- Institute for Stroke and Dementia ResearchKlinikum der Universität MünchenLudwig‐Maximilians‐University MunichMunichGermany
- Graduate School for Systemic Neurosciences (GSN)MunichGermany
| | - Tzu‐Lun Ohn
- Institute for Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine (iTERM)Helmholtz CenterNeuherberg, MunichGermany
- Institute for Stroke and Dementia ResearchKlinikum der Universität MünchenLudwig‐Maximilians‐University MunichMunichGermany
| | - Ali Ertürk
- Institute for Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine (iTERM)Helmholtz CenterNeuherberg, MunichGermany
- Institute for Stroke and Dementia ResearchKlinikum der Universität MünchenLudwig‐Maximilians‐University MunichMunichGermany
- Munich Cluster for Systems Neurology (SyNergy)MunichGermany
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24
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Sepulveda-Falla D, Chavez-Gutierrez L, Portelius E, Vélez JI, Dujardin S, Barrera-Ocampo A, Dinkel F, Hagel C, Puig B, Mastronardi C, Lopera F, Hyman BT, Blennow K, Arcos-Burgos M, de Strooper B, Glatzel M. A multifactorial model of pathology for age of onset heterogeneity in familial Alzheimer's disease. Acta Neuropathol 2021; 141:217-233. [PMID: 33319314 PMCID: PMC7847436 DOI: 10.1007/s00401-020-02249-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2020] [Revised: 11/22/2020] [Accepted: 11/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Presenilin-1 (PSEN1) mutations cause familial Alzheimer's disease (FAD) characterized by early age of onset (AoO). Examination of a large kindred harboring the PSEN1-E280A mutation reveals a range of AoO spanning 30 years. The pathophysiological drivers and clinical impact of AoO variation in this population are unknown. We examined brains of 23 patients focusing on generation and deposition of beta-amyloid (Aβ) and Tau pathology profile. In 14 patients distributed at the extremes of AoO, we performed whole-exome capture to identify genotype-phenotype correlations. We also studied kinome activity, proteasome activity, and protein polyubiquitination in brain tissue, associating it with Tau phosphorylation profiles. PSEN1-E280A patients showed a bimodal distribution for AoO. Besides AoO, there were no clinical differences between analyzed groups. Despite the effect of mutant PSEN1 on production of Aβ, there were no relevant differences between groups in generation and deposition of Aβ. However, differences were found in hyperphosphorylated Tau (pTau) pathology, where early onset patients showed severe pathology with diffuse aggregation pattern associated with increased activation of stress kinases. In contrast, late-onset patients showed lesser pTau pathology and a distinctive kinase activity. Furthermore, we identified new protective genetic variants affecting ubiquitin-proteasome function in early onset patients, resulting in higher ubiquitin-dependent degradation of differentially phosphorylated Tau. In PSEN1-E280A carriers, altered γ-secretase activity and resulting Aβ accumulation are prerequisites for early AoO. However, Tau hyperphosphorylation pattern, and its degradation by the proteasome, drastically influences disease onset in individuals with otherwise similar Aβ pathology, hinting toward a multifactorial model of disease for FAD. In sporadic AD (SAD), a wide range of heterogeneity, also influenced by Tau pathology, has been identified. Thus, Tau-induced heterogeneity is a common feature in both AD variants, suggesting that a multi-target therapeutic approach should be used to treat AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diego Sepulveda-Falla
- Institute of Neuropathology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.
- Neuroscience Group of Antioquia, Faculty of Medicine, University of Antioquia, Medellín, Colombia.
| | - Lucia Chavez-Gutierrez
- VIB Center for Brain and Disease Research, 3000, Leuven, Belgium
- Department of Neurology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Erik Portelius
- Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Dept. of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, The Sahlgrenska Academy At the University of Gothenburg, Mölndal, Sweden
- Clinical Neurochemistry Laboratory, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Mölndal, 431 80, Mölndal, Sweden
| | - Jorge I Vélez
- Department of Genome Sciences, John Curtin School of Medical Research, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
- Universidad del Norte, Barranquilla, Colombia
| | - Simon Dujardin
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, MassGeneral Institute for Neurodegenerative Disease, Charlestown, USA
| | - Alvaro Barrera-Ocampo
- Institute of Neuropathology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
- Facultad de Ciencias Naturales, Departamento de Ciencias Farmaceuticas, Universidad Icesi, Grupo Natura, Calle 18 No. 122 -135, Cali, Colombia
| | - Felix Dinkel
- Institute of Neuropathology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Christian Hagel
- Institute of Neuropathology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Berta Puig
- Institute of Neuropathology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Claudio Mastronardi
- Department of Genome Sciences, John Curtin School of Medical Research, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
- GIPSI Group, Department of Psychiatry, Medical Research Institute, University of Antioquia, Medellín, Colombia
| | - Francisco Lopera
- Neuroscience Group of Antioquia, Faculty of Medicine, University of Antioquia, Medellín, Colombia
| | - Bradley T Hyman
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, MassGeneral Institute for Neurodegenerative Disease, Charlestown, USA
| | - Kaj Blennow
- Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Dept. of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, The Sahlgrenska Academy At the University of Gothenburg, Mölndal, Sweden
- Clinical Neurochemistry Laboratory, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Mölndal, 431 80, Mölndal, Sweden
| | - Mauricio Arcos-Burgos
- GIPSI Group, Department of Psychiatry, Medical Research Institute, University of Antioquia, Medellín, Colombia
| | - Bart de Strooper
- VIB Center for Brain and Disease Research, 3000, Leuven, Belgium
- Department of Neurology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- UK Dementia Research Institute, University College London, Queen Square, London, WC1N 3BG, UK
| | - Markus Glatzel
- Institute of Neuropathology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.
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25
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Zhao J, Lai HM, Qi Y, He D, Sun H. Current Status of Tissue Clearing and the Path Forward in Neuroscience. ACS Chem Neurosci 2021; 12:5-29. [PMID: 33326739 DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.0c00563] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Due to the complexity and limited availability of human brain tissues, for decades, pathologists have sought to maximize information gained from individual samples, based on which (patho)physiological processes could be inferred. Recently, new understandings of chemical and physical properties of biological tissues and multiple chemical profiling have given rise to the development of scalable tissue clearing methods allowing superior optical clearing of across-the-scale samples. In the past decade, tissue clearing techniques, molecular labeling methods, advanced laser scanning microscopes, and data visualization and analysis have become commonplace. Combined, they have made 3D visualization of brain tissues with unprecedented resolution and depth widely accessible. To facilitate further advancements and applications, here we provide a critical appraisal of these techniques. We propose a classification system of current tissue clearing and expansion methods that allows users to judge the applicability of individual ones to their questions, followed by a review of the current progress in molecular labeling, optical imaging, and data processing to demonstrate the whole 3D imaging pipeline based on tissue clearing and downstream techniques for visualizing the brain. We also raise the path forward of tissue-clearing-based imaging technology, that is, integrating with state-of-the-art techniques, such as multiplexing protein imaging, in situ signal amplification, RNA detection and sequencing, super-resolution imaging techniques, multiomics studies, and deep learning, for drawing the complete atlas of the human brain and building a 3D pathology platform for central nervous system disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiajia Zhao
- Department of Neurosurgery, The National Key Clinical Specialty, The Engineering Technology Research Center of Education Ministry of China, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory on Brain Function Repair and Regeneration, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
- The Second Clinical Medical College, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - Hei Ming Lai
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, NT, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Yuwei Qi
- Department of Neurosurgery, The National Key Clinical Specialty, The Engineering Technology Research Center of Education Ministry of China, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory on Brain Function Repair and Regeneration, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
- The Second Clinical Medical College, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - Dian He
- Department of Neurosurgery, The National Key Clinical Specialty, The Engineering Technology Research Center of Education Ministry of China, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory on Brain Function Repair and Regeneration, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
- The Second Clinical Medical College, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - Haitao Sun
- Department of Neurosurgery, The National Key Clinical Specialty, The Engineering Technology Research Center of Education Ministry of China, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory on Brain Function Repair and Regeneration, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
- The Second Clinical Medical College, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
- Microbiome Medicine Center, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Clinical Biobank Center, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510282, China
- Key Laboratory of Mental Health of the Ministry of Education, Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Center for Brain Science and Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
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26
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Liang X, Luo H. Optical Tissue Clearing: Illuminating Brain Function and Dysfunction. Theranostics 2021; 11:3035-3051. [PMID: 33537072 PMCID: PMC7847687 DOI: 10.7150/thno.53979] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2020] [Accepted: 12/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Tissue optical clearing technology has been developing rapidly in the past decade due to advances in microscopy equipment and various labeling techniques. Consistent modification of primary methods for optical tissue transparency has allowed observation of the whole mouse body at single-cell resolution or thick tissue slices at the nanoscale level, with the final aim to make intact primate and human brains or thick human brain tissues optically transparent. Optical clearance combined with flexible large-volume tissue labeling technology can not only preserve the anatomical structure but also visualize multiple molecular information from intact samples in situ. It also provides a new strategy for studying complex tissues, which is of great significance for deciphering the functional structure of healthy brains and the mechanisms of neurological pathologies. In this review, we briefly introduce the existing optical clearing technology and discuss its application in deciphering connection and structure, brain development, and brain diseases. Besides, we discuss the standard computational analysis tools for large-scale imaging dataset processing and information extraction. In general, we hope that this review will provide a valuable reference for researchers who intend to use optical clearing technology in studying the brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaohan Liang
- Britton Chance Center for Biomedical Photonics, Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics-Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 430074, Wuhan, Hubei, China
- MoE Key Laboratory for Biomedical Photonics, Collaborative Innovation Center for Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering Sciences, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 430074, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Haiming Luo
- Britton Chance Center for Biomedical Photonics, Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics-Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 430074, Wuhan, Hubei, China
- MoE Key Laboratory for Biomedical Photonics, Collaborative Innovation Center for Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering Sciences, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 430074, Wuhan, Hubei, China
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27
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Bekkouche BMB, Fritz HKM, Rigosi E, O'Carroll DC. Comparison of Transparency and Shrinkage During Clearing of Insect Brains Using Media With Tunable Refractive Index. Front Neuroanat 2020; 14:599282. [PMID: 33328907 PMCID: PMC7714936 DOI: 10.3389/fnana.2020.599282] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2020] [Accepted: 10/26/2020] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Improvement of imaging quality has the potential to visualize previously unseen building blocks of the brain and is therefore one of the great challenges in neuroscience. Rapid development of new tissue clearing techniques in recent years have attempted to solve imaging compromises in thick brain samples, particularly for high resolution optical microscopy, where the clearing medium needs to match the high refractive index of the objective immersion medium. These problems are exacerbated in insect tissue, where numerous (initially air-filled) tracheal tubes branching throughout the brain increase the scattering of light. To date, surprisingly few studies have systematically quantified the benefits of such clearing methods using objective transparency and tissue shrinkage measurements. In this study we compare a traditional and widely used insect clearing medium, methyl salicylate combined with permanent mounting in Permount (“MS/P”) with several more recently applied clearing media that offer tunable refractive index (n): 2,2′-thiodiethanol (TDE), “SeeDB2” (in variants SeeDB2S and SeeDB2G matched to oil and glycerol immersion, n = 1.52 and 1.47, respectively) and Rapiclear (also with n = 1.52 and 1.47). We measured transparency and tissue shrinkage by comparing freshly dissected brains with cleared brains from dipteran flies, with or without addition of vacuum or ethanol pre-treatments (dehydration and rehydration) to evacuate air from the tracheal system. The results show that ethanol pre-treatment is very effective for improving transparency, regardless of the subsequent clearing medium, while vacuum treatment offers little measurable benefit. Ethanol pre-treated SeeDB2G and Rapiclear brains show much less shrinkage than using the traditional MS/P method. Furthermore, at lower refractive index, closer to that of glycerol immersion, these recently developed media offer outstanding transparency compared to TDE and MS/P. Rapiclear protocols were less laborious compared to SeeDB2, but both offer sufficient transparency and refractive index tunability to permit super-resolution imaging of local volumes in whole mount brains from large insects, and even light-sheet microscopy. Although long-term permanency of Rapiclear stored samples remains to be established, our samples still showed good preservation of fluorescence after storage for more than a year at room temperature.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Elisa Rigosi
- Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
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Rapid immunostaining method for three-dimensional volume imaging of biological tissues by magnetic force-induced focusing of the electric field. Brain Struct Funct 2020; 226:297-309. [PMID: 33175320 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-020-02160-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2020] [Accepted: 10/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Recent surges in tissue clearing technology have greatly advanced 3-dimensional (3D) volume imaging. Cleared tissues need to be stained with fluorescence probes for imaging but the current staining methods are too laborious and inefficient for thick 3D samples, which impedes the broad application of clearing technology. To overcome these limitations, we developed an advanced staining platform named EFIC in which a magnetic force focuses the electric field by bending it onto the sample. Such that EFIC applies a significantly lower electric field to maintain nanoscale structural integrity while effectively drives staining probes into pre-cleared 3D samples. We found that EFIC achieved a rapid and uniform staining of various proteins and vascular networks of the brain as well as other organs over the entire depth of imaging. EFIC stained tau deposits and the vascular structure in the post-mortem human brain of Alzheimer's disease and intracerebral hemorrhage, respectively, enabling quantitative analysis. The effectiveness of EFIC was further extended by the successful staining of various targets in non-cleared 3D brain samples. Together, EFIC represents a versatile and reliable staining platform for rapidly analyzing 3D molecular signatures and can be applied to sectioning-free 3D histopathology for diagnostic purposes.
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29
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Parra-Damas A, Saura CA. Tissue Clearing and Expansion Methods for Imaging Brain Pathology in Neurodegeneration: From Circuits to Synapses and Beyond. Front Neurosci 2020; 14:914. [PMID: 33122983 PMCID: PMC7571329 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2020.00914] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2020] [Accepted: 08/07/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Studying the structural alterations occurring during diseases of the nervous system requires imaging heterogeneous cell populations at the circuit, cellular and subcellular levels. Recent advancements in brain tissue clearing and expansion methods allow unprecedented detailed imaging of the nervous system through its entire scale, from circuits to synapses, including neurovascular and brain lymphatics elements. Here, we review the state-of-the-art of brain tissue clearing and expansion methods, mentioning their main advantages and limitations, and suggest their parallel implementation for circuits-to-synapses brain imaging using conventional (diffraction-limited) light microscopy -such as confocal, two-photon and light-sheet microscopy- to interrogate the cellular and molecular basis of neurodegenerative diseases. We discuss recent studies in which clearing and expansion methods have been successfully applied to study neuropathological processes in mouse models and postmortem human brain tissue. Volumetric imaging of cleared intact mouse brains and large human brain samples has allowed unbiased assessment of neuropathological hallmarks. In contrast, nanoscale imaging of expanded cells and brain tissue has been used to study the effect of protein aggregates on specific subcellular structures. Therefore, these approaches can be readily applied to study a wide range of brain processes and pathological mechanisms with cellular and subcellular resolution in a time- and cost-efficient manner. We consider that a broader implementation of these technologies is necessary to reveal the full landscape of cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying neurodegenerative diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arnaldo Parra-Damas
- Institut de Neurociències, Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular, Facultat de Medicina, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.,Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Carlos A Saura
- Institut de Neurociències, Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular, Facultat de Medicina, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.,Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
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30
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Arms L, Robson AL, Woldu A, Martin A, Palmer W, Flynn J, Hua S. Considerations for using optical clearing techniques for 3D imaging of nanoparticle biodistribution. Int J Pharm 2020; 588:119739. [PMID: 32783979 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpharm.2020.119739] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2020] [Revised: 07/29/2020] [Accepted: 08/04/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
A key consideration in the clinical translation of nanomedicines is determining their in vivo biodistribution in preclinical studies, which is important for predicting and correlating therapeutic efficacy and safety. There are a number of techniques available for analyzing the in vivo biodistribution of nanoparticles, with each having its own advantages and limitations. However, conventional techniques are limited by their inability to image the three-dimensional (3D) association of nanoparticles with cells, vasculature and other biological structures in whole organs at a subcellular level. Recently, optical clearing techniques have been used to evaluate the biodistribution of nanoparticles by 3D organ imaging. Optical clearing is a procedure that is increasingly being used to improve the imaging of biological tissues, whereby light scattering substances are removed to better match the refractive indices of different tissue layers. The use of optical clearing techniques has the potential to transform the way we evaluate the biodistribution of new and existing nanomedicines, as it allows the visualization of the interaction of nanoparticles with the biological environment in intact tissues. This review will compare the main optical clearing techniques and will address the considerations for the use of these techniques to evaluate nanoparticle biodistribution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren Arms
- Therapeutic Targeting Research Group, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia; School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia
| | - Annie-Louise Robson
- Therapeutic Targeting Research Group, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia; School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia
| | - Ameha Woldu
- School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia
| | - Antony Martin
- School of Environmental and Life Sciences, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia; Hunter Medical Research Institute, New Lambton Heights, NSW, Australia
| | - William Palmer
- School of Environmental and Life Sciences, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia; Hunter Medical Research Institute, New Lambton Heights, NSW, Australia
| | - Jamie Flynn
- School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia; Hunter Medical Research Institute, New Lambton Heights, NSW, Australia
| | - Susan Hua
- Therapeutic Targeting Research Group, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia; School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia; Hunter Medical Research Institute, New Lambton Heights, NSW, Australia.
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31
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Schega Y, Flinner N, Hansmann ML. Quantitative assessment of optical clearing methods on formalin-fixed human lymphoid tissue. Pathol Res Pract 2020; 216:153136. [PMID: 32823235 DOI: 10.1016/j.prp.2020.153136] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2020] [Revised: 07/14/2020] [Accepted: 07/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Rising interest in three-dimensional volume imaging of biological tissues for diagnostic and research purposes, calls for appropriate optical clearing methods as an indispensable requirement for high-resolution imaging on a cellular level. In recent years, many clearing protocols have emerged, though most of them focus on murine central nervous tissue. Peripheral organs or tissues of human origin have only been investigated sparsely. Therefore, we tested eight established clearing methods (BABB, Ce3D, CUBIC, ECi, ChemScale, ChemScaleQQ5, SeeDB2 and PACT) on formaldehyde-fixed human tonsils. This application-oriented taxonomy can help researchers restrict the space of their survey on clearing techniques for lymphatic tissue as it provides information on each method in regard to its efficacy, clearing speed, preservation of fluorescence labelling, toxicity, expenditure and monetary costs. We found that all of the applied clearing protocols could render the sample tissues transparent. Ce3D and PACT achieved the highest degrees of tissue transparency. Since it requires less preparing and processing time and is lower in toxicity, we recommend Ce3D for the clearing of human lymphoid tissue.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yvonne Schega
- University Clinic Frankfurt am Main, Department of Pathology, Goethe University, Germany
| | - Nadine Flinner
- Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies (FIAS), Germany; Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Department for Informatics, Germany
| | - Martin-Leo Hansmann
- University Clinic Frankfurt am Main, Department of Pathology, Goethe University, Germany; Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies (FIAS), Germany.
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32
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Ueda HR, Dodt HU, Osten P, Economo MN, Chandrashekar J, Keller PJ. Whole-Brain Profiling of Cells and Circuits in Mammals by Tissue Clearing and Light-Sheet Microscopy. Neuron 2020; 106:369-387. [PMID: 32380050 PMCID: PMC7213014 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2020.03.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 124] [Impact Index Per Article: 31.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2019] [Revised: 01/11/2020] [Accepted: 03/04/2020] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Tissue clearing and light-sheet microscopy have a 100-year-plus history, yet these fields have been combined only recently to facilitate novel experiments and measurements in neuroscience. Since tissue-clearing methods were first combined with modernized light-sheet microscopy a decade ago, the performance of both technologies has rapidly improved, broadening their applications. Here, we review the state of the art of tissue-clearing methods and light-sheet microscopy and discuss applications of these techniques in profiling cells and circuits in mice. We examine outstanding challenges and future opportunities for expanding these techniques to achieve brain-wide profiling of cells and circuits in primates and humans. Such integration will help provide a systems-level understanding of the physiology and pathology of our central nervous system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hiroki R Ueda
- Department of Systems Pharmacology, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan; Laboratory for Synthetic Biology, RIKEN BDR, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan.
| | - Hans-Ulrich Dodt
- Department of Bioelectronics, FKE, Vienna University of Technology-TU Wien, Vienna, Austria; Section of Bioelectronics, Center for Brain Research, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Pavel Osten
- Cold Spring Harbor Laboratories, Cold Spring Harbor, NY 11724, USA
| | - Michael N Economo
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | - Philipp J Keller
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA, USA
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33
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Ueda HR, Ertürk A, Chung K, Gradinaru V, Chédotal A, Tomancak P, Keller PJ. Tissue clearing and its applications in neuroscience. Nat Rev Neurosci 2020; 21:61-79. [PMID: 31896771 PMCID: PMC8121164 DOI: 10.1038/s41583-019-0250-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 304] [Impact Index Per Article: 76.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/18/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
State-of-the-art tissue-clearing methods provide subcellular-level optical access to intact tissues from individual organs and even to some entire mammals. When combined with light-sheet microscopy and automated approaches to image analysis, existing tissue-clearing methods can speed up and may reduce the cost of conventional histology by several orders of magnitude. In addition, tissue-clearing chemistry allows whole-organ antibody labelling, which can be applied even to thick human tissues. By combining the most powerful labelling, clearing, imaging and data-analysis tools, scientists are extracting structural and functional cellular and subcellular information on complex mammalian bodies and large human specimens at an accelerated pace. The rapid generation of terabyte-scale imaging data furthermore creates a high demand for efficient computational approaches that tackle challenges in large-scale data analysis and management. In this Review, we discuss how tissue-clearing methods could provide an unbiased, system-level view of mammalian bodies and human specimens and discuss future opportunities for the use of these methods in human neuroscience.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hiroki R Ueda
- Department of Systems Pharmacology, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
- Laboratory for Synthetic Biology, RIKEN BDR, Suita, Japan.
| | - Ali Ertürk
- Institute for Stroke and Dementia Research, Klinikum der Universität München, Ludwig-Maximilian University of Munich, Munich, Germany
- Institute of Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Neuherberg, Germany
- Munich Cluster for Systems Neurology (SyNergy), Munich, Germany
| | - Kwanghun Chung
- Institute for Medical Engineering and Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Eli & Edythe Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Center for NanoMedicine, Institute for Basic Science, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Graduate Program of Nano Biomedical Engineering, Yonsei-IBS Institute, Yonsei University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Viviana Gradinaru
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Alain Chédotal
- Institut de la Vision, Sorbonne Université, INSERM, CNRS, Paris, France
| | - Pavel Tomancak
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden, Germany
- IT4Innovations, Technical University of Ostrava, Ostrava, Czech Republic
| | - Philipp J Keller
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA, USA
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34
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Porter DDL, Morton PD. Clearing techniques for visualizing the nervous system in development, injury, and disease. J Neurosci Methods 2020; 334:108594. [PMID: 31945400 PMCID: PMC10674098 DOI: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2020.108594] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2019] [Revised: 01/09/2020] [Accepted: 01/10/2020] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Modern clearing techniques enable high resolution visualization and 3D reconstruction of cell populations and their structural details throughout large biological samples, including intact organs and even entire organisms. In the past decade, these methods have become more tractable and are now being utilized to provide unforeseen insights into the complexities of the nervous system. While several iterations of optical clearing techniques have been developed, some are more suitable for specific applications than others depending on the type of specimen under study. Here we review findings from select studies utilizing clearing methods to visualize the developing, injured, and diseased nervous system within numerous model systems and species. We note trends and imbalances in the types of research questions being addressed with clearing methods across these fields in neuroscience. In addition, we discuss restrictions in applying optical clearing methods for postmortem tissue from humans and large animals and emphasize the lack in continuity between studies of these species. We aim for this review to serve as a key outline of available tissue clearing methods used successfully to address issues across neuronal development, injury/repair, and aging/disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Demisha D L Porter
- Virginia Tech Graduate Program in Translational Biology, Medicine and Health, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Roanoke, VA, USA
| | - Paul D Morton
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, USA.
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35
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Foster DS, Nguyen AT, Chinta M, Salhotra A, Jones RE, Mascharak S, Titan AL, Ransom RC, da Silva OL, Foley E, Briger E, Longaker MT. A Clearing Technique to Enhance Endogenous Fluorophores in Skin and Soft Tissue. Sci Rep 2019; 9:15791. [PMID: 31673001 PMCID: PMC6823366 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-50359-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2019] [Accepted: 09/06/2019] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Fluorescent proteins are used extensively in transgenic animal models to label and study specific cell and tissue types. Expression of these proteins can be imaged and analyzed using fluorescent and confocal microscopy. Conventional confocal microscopes cannot penetrate through tissue more than 4–6 μm thick. Tissue clearing procedures overcome this challenge by rendering thick specimens into translucent tissue. However, most tissue clearing techniques do not satisfactorily preserve expression of endogenous fluorophores. Using simple adjustments to the BABB (Benzoic Acid Benzyl Benzoate) clearing methodology, preservation of fluorophore expression can be maintained. Modified BABB tissue clearing is a reliable technique to clear skin and soft tissue specimens for the study of dermal biology, wound healing and fibrotic pathologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deshka S Foster
- Hagey Laboratory for Pediatric Regenerative Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA.,Department of Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Alan T Nguyen
- Hagey Laboratory for Pediatric Regenerative Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Malini Chinta
- Hagey Laboratory for Pediatric Regenerative Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Ankit Salhotra
- Hagey Laboratory for Pediatric Regenerative Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - R Ellen Jones
- Hagey Laboratory for Pediatric Regenerative Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Shamik Mascharak
- Hagey Laboratory for Pediatric Regenerative Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Ashley L Titan
- Hagey Laboratory for Pediatric Regenerative Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA.,Department of Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - R Chase Ransom
- Hagey Laboratory for Pediatric Regenerative Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Oscar L da Silva
- Hagey Laboratory for Pediatric Regenerative Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Eliza Foley
- Hagey Laboratory for Pediatric Regenerative Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Emma Briger
- Hagey Laboratory for Pediatric Regenerative Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Michael T Longaker
- Hagey Laboratory for Pediatric Regenerative Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA. .,Department of Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA.
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36
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Zach P, Mrzílková J, Pala J, Uttl L, Kútna V, Musil V, Sommerová B, Tůma P. New Design of the Electrophoretic Part of CLARITY Technology for Confocal Light Microscopy of Rat and Human Brains. Brain Sci 2019; 9:E218. [PMID: 31470513 PMCID: PMC6770398 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci9090218] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2019] [Revised: 08/15/2019] [Accepted: 08/28/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND CLARITY is a method of rendering postmortem brain tissue transparent using acrylamide-based hydrogels so that this tissue could be further used for immunohistochemistry, molecular biology, or gross anatomical studies. Published papers using the CLARITY method have included studies on human brains suffering from Alzheimer's disease using mouse spinal cords as animal models for multiple sclerosis. METHODS We modified the original design of the Chung CLARITY system by altering the electrophoretic flow-through cell, the shape of the platinum electrophoresis electrodes and their positions, as well as the cooling and recirculation system, so that it provided a greater effect and can be used in any laboratory. RESULTS The adapted CLARITY system is assembled from basic laboratory components, in contrast to the original design. The modified CLARITY system was tested both on rat brain stained with a rabbit polyclonal anti-Iba-1 for microglial cells and on human nucleus accumbens stained with parvalbumin and tyrosine hydroxylase for visualization of specific neurons by confocal laser scanning microscopy. CONCLUSIONS Our design has the advantage of simplicity, functional robustness, and minimal requirement for specialized additional items for the construction of the CLARITY apparatus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Petr Zach
- Department of Anatomy, Third Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Ruská 87, 100 00 Prague 10, Czech Republic
- National Institute of Mental Health, Topolová 748, 250 67 Klecany, Czech Republic
| | - Jana Mrzílková
- Department of Anatomy, Third Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Ruská 87, 100 00 Prague 10, Czech Republic
| | - Jan Pala
- National Institute of Mental Health, Topolová 748, 250 67 Klecany, Czech Republic
- Department of Pathophysiology, Third Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Ruská 87, 100 00 Prague 10, Czech Republic
| | - Libor Uttl
- National Institute of Mental Health, Topolová 748, 250 67 Klecany, Czech Republic
| | - Viera Kútna
- National Institute of Mental Health, Topolová 748, 250 67 Klecany, Czech Republic
| | - Vladimír Musil
- Centre of Scientific Information, Third Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Ruská 87, 100 00 Prague 10, Czech Republic
| | - Blanka Sommerová
- Department of Hygiene, Third Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Ruská 87, 100 00 Prague 10, Czech Republic
| | - Petr Tůma
- Department of Hygiene, Third Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Ruská 87, 100 00 Prague 10, Czech Republic.
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Le BD, Stein JL. Mapping causal pathways from genetics to neuropsychiatric disorders using genome-wide imaging genetics: Current status and future directions. Psychiatry Clin Neurosci 2019; 73:357-369. [PMID: 30864184 PMCID: PMC6625892 DOI: 10.1111/pcn.12839] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2018] [Revised: 02/22/2019] [Accepted: 03/05/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Imaging genetics aims to identify genetic variants associated with the structure and function of the human brain. Recently, collaborative consortia have been successful in this goal, identifying and replicating common genetic variants influencing gross human brain structure as measured through magnetic resonance imaging. In this review, we contextualize imaging genetic associations as one important link in understanding the causal chain from genetic variant to increased risk for neuropsychiatric disorders. We provide examples in other fields of how identifying genetic variant associations to disease and multiple phenotypes along the causal chain has revealed a mechanistic understanding of disease risk, with implications for how imaging genetics can be similarly applied. We discuss current findings in the imaging genetics research domain, including that common genetic variants can have a slightly larger effect on brain structure than on risk for disorders like schizophrenia, indicating a somewhat simpler genetic architecture. Also, gross brain structure measurements share a genetic basis with some, but not all, neuropsychiatric disorders, invalidating the previously held belief that they are broad endophenotypes, yet pinpointing brain regions likely involved in the pathology of specific disorders. Finally, we suggest that in order to build a more detailed mechanistic understanding of the effects of genetic variants on the brain, future directions in imaging genetics research will require observations of cellular and synaptic structure in specific brain regions beyond the resolution of magnetic resonance imaging. We expect that integrating genetic associations at biological levels from synapse to sulcus will reveal specific causal pathways impacting risk for neuropsychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brandon D. Le
- Department of Genetics & UNC Neuroscience Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA
| | - Jason L. Stein
- Department of Genetics & UNC Neuroscience Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA
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38
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Choi J, Lee E, Kim JH, Sun W. FxClear, A Free-hydrogel Electrophoretic Tissue Clearing Method for Rapid De-lipidation of Tissues with High Preservation of Immunoreactivity. Exp Neurobiol 2019; 28:436-445. [PMID: 31308802 PMCID: PMC6614074 DOI: 10.5607/en.2019.28.3.436] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2019] [Revised: 04/19/2019] [Accepted: 05/10/2019] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Over the last two decades, several tissue clearing methodologies have been established that render tissues optically transparent and allow imaging of unsectioned tissues of significant volumes, thus improving the capacity to study the relationships between cell and 3D tissue architecture. Despite these technical advances, the important unsolved challenges that these methods face include complexity, time, consistency of tissue size before and after clearing, and ability to immunolabel various antibodies in cleared tissue. Here, we established very simple and fast tissue clearing protocol, FxClear, which involves acrylamide-free electrophoretic tissue clearing (ETC). By removal of the acrylamide infusion step, we were able to achieve fast reaction time, smaller tissue expansion, and higher immunoreactivity. Especially, immunoreactivity and fluorescence intensity were increased in FxClear-processed tissues compared to un-cleared tissues. Our protocol may be suitable for small-sized biopsy samples for 3D pathological examinations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jungyoon Choi
- Department of Anatomy and Division of Brain Korea 21 Plus Program for Biomedical Science, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul 02841, Korea
| | - Eunsoo Lee
- Department of Anatomy and Division of Brain Korea 21 Plus Program for Biomedical Science, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul 02841, Korea
| | - June Hoan Kim
- Department of Anatomy and Division of Brain Korea 21 Plus Program for Biomedical Science, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul 02841, Korea
| | - Woong Sun
- Department of Anatomy and Division of Brain Korea 21 Plus Program for Biomedical Science, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul 02841, Korea
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39
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Gradinaru V, Treweek J, Overton K, Deisseroth K. Hydrogel-Tissue Chemistry: Principles and Applications. Annu Rev Biophys 2019; 47:355-376. [PMID: 29792820 PMCID: PMC6359929 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-biophys-070317-032905] [Citation(s) in RCA: 80] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Over the past five years, a rapidly developing experimental approach has enabled high-resolution and high-content information retrieval from intact multicellular animal (metazoan) systems. New chemical and physical forms are created in the hydrogel-tissue chemistry process, and the retention and retrieval of crucial phenotypic information regarding constituent cells and molecules (and their joint interrelationships) are thereby enabled. For example, rich data sets defining both single-cell-resolution gene expression and single-cell-resolution activity during behavior can now be collected while still preserving information on three-dimensional positioning and/or brain-wide wiring of those very same neurons-even within vertebrate brains. This new approach and its variants, as applied to neuroscience, are beginning to illuminate the fundamental cellular and chemical representations of sensation, cognition, and action. More generally, reimagining metazoans as metareactants-or positionally defined three-dimensional graphs of constituent chemicals made available for ongoing functionalization, transformation, and readout-is stimulating innovation across biology and medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Viviana Gradinaru
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125, USA;
| | - Jennifer Treweek
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125, USA;
| | - Kristin Overton
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA;
| | - Karl Deisseroth
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA; .,Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA.,H oward Hughes Medical Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA
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40
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Wang H, Khoradmehr A, Tamadon A. FACT or PACT: A Comparison between Free-Acrylamide and Acrylamide-Based Passive Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate Tissue Clearing for whole Tissue Imaging. CELL JOURNAL 2019; 21:103-114. [PMID: 30825283 PMCID: PMC6397597 DOI: 10.22074/cellj.2019.5989] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2018] [Accepted: 08/26/2018] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
Major biological processes rely on the spatial organization of cells in complex, highly orchestrated three-dimensional (3D)
tissues. Until the recent decade, most of information on spatial neural representation primarily came from microscopic imaging
of “2D” (5-50 μm) tissue using traditional immunohistochemical techniques. However, serially sectioned and imaged tissue
sections for tissue visualization can lead to unique non-linear deformations, which dramatically hinders scientists’ insight into
the structural organization of intact organs. An emerging technique known as CLARITY renders large-scale biological tissues
transparent for 3D phenotype mapping and thereby, greatly facilitates structure-function relationships analyses. Since then,
numerous modifications and improvements have been reported to push the boundaries of knowledge on tissue clearing
techniques in research on assembled biological systems. This review aims to outline our current knowledge on next-generation
protocols of fast free-of-acrylamide clearing tissue (FACT) and passive CLARITY (PACT). The most important question is what
method we should select for tissue clearing, FACT or PACT. This review also highlights how FACT differs from PACT on
spanning multiple dimensions of the workflow. We systematically compared a number of factors including hydrogel formation,
clearing solution, and clearing temperatures between free-acrylamide and acrylamide-based passive sodium dodecyl sulfate
(SDS) tissue clearing and discussed negative effects of polyacrylamide on clearing, staining, and imaging in detail. Such
information may help to gain a perspective for interrogating neural circuits spatial interactions between molecules and cells
and provide guidance for developing novel tissue clearing strategies to probe deeply into intact organ.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huimei Wang
- Department of Integrative Medicine and Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Institute of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Fudan Institutes of Integrative Medicine, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Arezoo Khoradmehr
- Research and Clinical Center for Infertility, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran
| | - Amin Tamadon
- The Persian Gulf Marine Biotechnology Research Center, The Persian Gulf Biomedical Sciences Research Institute, Bushehr University of Medical Sciences, Bushehr, Iran. Electronic Address:
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Mohammad Rezazadeh F, Saedi S, Rahmanifar F, Namavar MR, Dianatpour M, Tanideh N, Akhlaghi A, Niazi A, Arabi Monfared A, Tsutsui K, Jafarzadeh Shirazi MR, Tamadon A. Fast free of acrylamide clearing tissue (FACT) for clearing, immunolabelling and three-dimensional imaging of partridge tissues. Microsc Res Tech 2018; 81:1374-1382. [DOI: 10.1002/jemt.23078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2018] [Revised: 04/29/2018] [Accepted: 06/07/2018] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Saman Saedi
- Department of Animal Science, College of Agriculture; Shiraz University; Shiraz Iran
| | - Farhad Rahmanifar
- Department of Basic Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine; Shiraz University; Shiraz Iran
| | - Mohammad Reza Namavar
- Clinical Neurology Research Center, and Histomorphometry & Stereology Research Center; Shiraz University of Medical Sciences; Shiraz Iran
| | - Mehdi Dianatpour
- Stem Cells Technology Research Center; Shiraz University of Medical Sciences; Shiraz Iran
- Department of Medical Genetics, School of Pharmacy; Shiraz University of Medical Sciences; Shiraz Iran
| | - Nader Tanideh
- Stem Cells Technology Research Center; Shiraz University of Medical Sciences; Shiraz Iran
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine; Shiraz University of Medical Sciences; Shiraz Iran
| | - Amir Akhlaghi
- Department of Animal Science, College of Agriculture; Shiraz University; Shiraz Iran
| | - Ali Niazi
- Institute of Biotechnology; Shiraz University; Shiraz Iran
| | - Ali Arabi Monfared
- Central Research Laboratory; Shiraz University of Medical Sciences; Shiraz Iran
| | - Kazuyoshi Tsutsui
- Department of Biology; Waseda University; Shinjuku-ku Tokyo, 162-8480 Japan
| | | | - Amin Tamadon
- The Persian Gulf Marine Biotechnology Research Center; The Persian Gulf Biomedical Sciences Research Institute, Bushehr University of Medical Sciences; Bushehr Iran
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42
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Morawski M, Kirilina E, Scherf N, Jäger C, Reimann K, Trampel R, Gavriilidis F, Geyer S, Biedermann B, Arendt T, Weiskopf N. Developing 3D microscopy with CLARITY on human brain tissue: Towards a tool for informing and validating MRI-based histology. Neuroimage 2018; 182:417-428. [PMID: 29196268 PMCID: PMC6189522 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2017.11.060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2017] [Revised: 11/22/2017] [Accepted: 11/26/2017] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Recent breakthroughs in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) enabled quantitative relaxometry and diffusion-weighted imaging with sub-millimeter resolution. Combined with biophysical models of MR contrast the emerging methods promise in vivo mapping of cyto- and myelo-architectonics, i.e., in vivo histology using MRI (hMRI) in humans. The hMRI methods require histological reference data for model building and validation. This is currently provided by MRI on post mortem human brain tissue in combination with classical histology on sections. However, this well established approach is limited to qualitative 2D information, while a systematic validation of hMRI requires quantitative 3D information on macroscopic voxels. We present a promising histological method based on optical 3D imaging combined with a tissue clearing method, Clear Lipid-exchanged Acrylamide-hybridized Rigid Imaging compatible Tissue hYdrogel (CLARITY), adapted for hMRI validation. Adapting CLARITY to the needs of hMRI is challenging due to poor antibody penetration into large sample volumes and high opacity of aged post mortem human brain tissue. In a pilot experiment we achieved transparency of up to 8 mm-thick and immunohistochemical staining of up to 5 mm-thick post mortem brain tissue by a combination of active and passive clearing, prolonged clearing and staining times. We combined 3D optical imaging of the cleared samples with tailored image processing methods. We demonstrated the feasibility for quantification of neuron density, fiber orientation distribution and cell type classification within a volume with size similar to a typical MRI voxel. The presented combination of MRI, 3D optical microscopy and image processing is a promising tool for validation of MRI-based microstructure estimates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Markus Morawski
- Paul Flechsig Institute of Brain Research, University of Leipzig, Liebigstr. 19, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.
| | - Evgeniya Kirilina
- Department of Neurophysics, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Stephanstraße 1a, 04103, Leipzig, Germany; Center for Cognitive Neuroscience Berlin, Free University Berlin, Habelschwerdter Allee 45, 14195, Berlin, Germany.
| | - Nico Scherf
- Department of Neurophysics, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Stephanstraße 1a, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Carsten Jäger
- Department of Neurophysics, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Stephanstraße 1a, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Katja Reimann
- Paul Flechsig Institute of Brain Research, University of Leipzig, Liebigstr. 19, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Robert Trampel
- Department of Neurophysics, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Stephanstraße 1a, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Filippos Gavriilidis
- Department of Neurophysics, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Stephanstraße 1a, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Stefan Geyer
- Department of Neurophysics, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Stephanstraße 1a, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Bernd Biedermann
- Paul Flechsig Institute of Brain Research, University of Leipzig, Liebigstr. 19, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Thomas Arendt
- Paul Flechsig Institute of Brain Research, University of Leipzig, Liebigstr. 19, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Nikolaus Weiskopf
- Department of Neurophysics, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Stephanstraße 1a, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
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Liu AKL, Lim EJ, Ahmed I, Chang RCC, Pearce RKB, Gentleman SM. Review: Revisiting the human cholinergic nucleus of the diagonal band of Broca. Neuropathol Appl Neurobiol 2018; 44:647-662. [PMID: 30005126 PMCID: PMC6282557 DOI: 10.1111/nan.12513] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2018] [Accepted: 07/06/2018] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Although the nucleus of the vertical limb of the diagonal band of Broca (nvlDBB) is the second largest cholinergic nucleus in the basal forebrain, after the nucleus basalis of Meynert, it has not generally been a focus for studies of neurodegenerative disorders. However, the nvlDBB has an important projection to the hippocampus and discrete lesions of the rostral basal forebrain have been shown to disrupt retrieval memory function, a major deficit seen in patients with Lewy body disorders. One reason for its neglect is that the anatomical boundaries of the nvlDBB are ill defined and this area of the brain is not part of routine diagnostic sampling protocols. We have reviewed the history and anatomy of the nvlDBB and now propose guidelines for distinguishing nvlDBB from other neighbouring cholinergic cell groups for standardizing future clinicopathological work. Thorough review of the literature regarding neurodegenerative conditions reveals inconsistent results in terms of cholinergic neuronal loss within the nvlDBB. This is likely to be due to the use of variable neuronal inclusion criteria and omission of cholinergic immunohistochemical markers. Extrapolating from those studies showing a significant nvlDBB neuronal loss in Lewy body dementia, we propose an anatomical and functional connection between the cholinergic component of the nvlDBB (Ch2) and the CA2 subfield in the hippocampus which may be especially vulnerable in Lewy body disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- A K L Liu
- Neuropathology Unit, Division of Brain Sciences, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - E J Lim
- Neuropathology Unit, Division of Brain Sciences, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - I Ahmed
- Department of Eye Pathology, Institute of Ophthalmology, University College London, London, UK
| | - R C-C Chang
- Laboratory of Neurodegenerative Diseases, LKS Faculty of Medicine, School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong.,State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong
| | - R K B Pearce
- Neuropathology Unit, Division of Brain Sciences, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - S M Gentleman
- Neuropathology Unit, Division of Brain Sciences, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK
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44
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Du H, Hou P, Zhang W, Li Q. Advances in CLARITY-based tissue clearing and imaging. Exp Ther Med 2018; 16:1567-1576. [PMID: 30186373 PMCID: PMC6122402 DOI: 10.3892/etm.2018.6374] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2018] [Accepted: 06/22/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
CLARITY is a novel tissue clearing technique that transforms intact biological tissues into a nanoporous hydrogel-tissue hybrid, preserving anatomical structures, proteins and nucleic acids. The hydrogel-based structure is transparent after the removal of lipids and permits several rounds of immunostaining and imaging. This technique provides an ideal way for researchers to examine the central nervous system (i.e., mouse brain and spinal cord) intact. CLARITY was selected as one of ten breakthroughs in 2013 by Science. However, the original CLARITY technique still has severe technical limitations which impede its application in wider fields. Therefore, many modified clearing methods based on CLARITY have emerged. As all CLARITY-based tissue clearing techniques involve similar procedures, the present review attempted to divide these methods into individual procedures in order to provide new ways to test and combine tissue clearing methods. Furthermore, the combination of clearing methods could help to determine the optimal method for clearing and imaging large samples.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hao Du
- Department of Anatomy, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing 400038, P.R. China
| | - Peihong Hou
- Department of Anatomy, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing 400038, P.R. China
| | - Wenbo Zhang
- Institute of Neuroscience, Department of Human Anatomy, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400016, P.R. China
| | - Qiyu Li
- Department of Anatomy, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing 400038, P.R. China
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45
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Zhang WL, Liu SH, Zhang WC, Hu W, Jiang M, Tamadon A, Feng Y. Skeletal Muscle CLARITY: A Preliminary Study of Imaging The Three-Dimensional Architecture of Blood Vessels and Neurons. CELL JOURNAL 2018; 20:132-137. [PMID: 29633589 PMCID: PMC5893283 DOI: 10.22074/cellj.2018.5266] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2017] [Accepted: 08/31/2017] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Objective Passive CLARITY is a whole-tissue clearing protocol, based on sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) clearing, for imaging
intact tissue containing transgenic or immunolabeled fluorescent proteins. In this study, we present an improved passive
CLARITY protocol with efficient immunolabeling without the need for electrophoresis or complex instrumentation.
Materials and Methods In this experimental study, after perfusion of C57BL/6N mice with phosphate-buffered saline (PBS)
and then with acrylamide-paraformaldehyde (PFA), the quadriceps femoris muscle was removed. The muscle samples
were post-fixed and degassed to initiate polymerization. After removing the excess hydrogel around the muscle, lipids were
washed out with the passive CLARITY technique. The transparent whole intact muscles were labeled for vessel and neuron
markers, and then imaged by confocal microscopy. Three-dimensional images were reconstructed to present the muscle
tissue architecture.
Results We established a simple clearing protocol using wild type mouse muscle and labeling of vasculatures and
neurons. Imaging the fluorescent signal was achieved by protein fixation, adjusting the pH of the SDS solution and
using an optimum temperature (37˚C) for tissue clearing, all of which contributed to the superiority of our protocol.
Conclusion We conclude that this passive CLARITY protocol can be successfully applied to three-dimensional
cellular and whole muscle imaging in mice, and will facilitate structural analyses and connectomics of large assemblies
of muscle cells, vessels and neurons in the context of three-dimensional systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wen Li Zhang
- Department of Digestive Diseases of Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Shao Hua Liu
- Department of Sports Medicine, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Wei Chen Zhang
- Department of Nephrology, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Wei Hu
- State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and Institute of Brain Science, Brain Science Collaborative Innovation Center, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.,Department of Integrative Medicine and Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Shanghai Medical College, Institutes of Integrative Medicine of Fudan University, Shanghai China
| | - Min Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and Institute of Brain Science, Brain Science Collaborative Innovation Center, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Amin Tamadon
- State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and Institute of Brain Science, Brain Science Collaborative Innovation Center, Fudan University, Shanghai, China. .,Department of Integrative Medicine and Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Shanghai Medical College, Institutes of Integrative Medicine of Fudan University, Shanghai China
| | - Yi Feng
- State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and Institute of Brain Science, Brain Science Collaborative Innovation Center, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.,Department of Integrative Medicine and Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Shanghai Medical College, Institutes of Integrative Medicine of Fudan University, Shanghai China.
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46
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Lai HM, Liu AKL, Ng HHM, Goldfinger MH, Chau TW, DeFelice J, Tilley BS, Wong WM, Wu W, Gentleman SM. Next generation histology methods for three-dimensional imaging of fresh and archival human brain tissues. Nat Commun 2018; 9:1066. [PMID: 29540691 PMCID: PMC5852003 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-03359-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2017] [Accepted: 02/02/2018] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Modern clearing techniques for the three-dimensional (3D) visualisation of neural tissue microstructure have been very effective when used on rodent brain but very few studies have utilised them on human brain material, mainly due to the inherent difficulties in processing post-mortem tissue. Here we develop a tissue clearing solution, OPTIClear, optimised for fresh and archival human brain tissue, including formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded material. In light of practical challenges with immunostaining in tissue clearing, we adapt the use of cresyl violet for visualisation of neurons in cleared tissue, with the potential for 3D quantification in regions of interest. Furthermore, we use lipophilic tracers for tracing of neuronal processes in post-mortem tissue, enabling the study of the morphology of human dendritic spines in 3D. The development of these different strategies for human tissue clearing has wide applicability and, we hope, will provide a baseline for further technique development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hei Ming Lai
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 852, Hong Kong
- Neuropathology Unit, Division of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, Burlington Danes Building, Hammersmith Campus, Du Cane Road, London, W12 0NN, UK
| | - Alan King Lun Liu
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 852, Hong Kong
- Neuropathology Unit, Division of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, Burlington Danes Building, Hammersmith Campus, Du Cane Road, London, W12 0NN, UK
| | - Harry Ho Man Ng
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 852, Hong Kong
| | - Marc H Goldfinger
- Neuropathology Unit, Division of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, Burlington Danes Building, Hammersmith Campus, Du Cane Road, London, W12 0NN, UK
| | - Tsz Wing Chau
- Neuropathology Unit, Division of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, Burlington Danes Building, Hammersmith Campus, Du Cane Road, London, W12 0NN, UK
| | - John DeFelice
- Neuropathology Unit, Division of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, Burlington Danes Building, Hammersmith Campus, Du Cane Road, London, W12 0NN, UK
| | - Bension S Tilley
- Neuropathology Unit, Division of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, Burlington Danes Building, Hammersmith Campus, Du Cane Road, London, W12 0NN, UK
| | - Wai Man Wong
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 852, Hong Kong
| | - Wutian Wu
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 852, Hong Kong.
- GMH Institute of CNS Regeneration, Jinan University, 601 Huangpu Avenue West, Guangzhou, 510632, China.
- Re-Stem Biotechnology Co., Ltd, 2588 Wuzhong Road, Suzhou, 215310, China.
| | - Steve M Gentleman
- Neuropathology Unit, Division of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, Burlington Danes Building, Hammersmith Campus, Du Cane Road, London, W12 0NN, UK.
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Harrison CH, Buckland GR, Brooks SE, Johnston DA, Chatelet DS, Liu AKL, Gentleman SM, Boche D, Nicoll JAR. A novel method to visualise the three-dimensional organisation of the human cerebral cortical vasculature. J Anat 2018. [PMID: 29520782 DOI: 10.1111/joa.12805] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Current tissue-clearing protocols for imaging in three dimensions (3D) are typically applied to optimally fixed, small-volume rodent brain tissue - which is not representative of the tissue found in diagnostic neuropathology laboratories. We present a method to visualise the cerebral cortical vasculature in 3D in human post-mortem brain tissue which had been preserved in formalin for many years. Tissue blocks of cerebral cortex from two control cases, two Alzheimer's brains and two cases from Alzheimer's patients immunised against Aβ42 were stained with fluorescent Lycopersicon esculentum agglutinin (Tomato lectin), dehydrated and cleared using an adapted three-dimensional imaging of solvent cleared organs (3DISCO) protocol to visualise the vascular endothelium. Tissue was imaged using light sheet and confocal microscopy and reconstructed in 3D using amira software. The method permits visualisation of the arrangement of the parallel penetrating cortical vasculature in the human brain. The presence of four vascular features including anastomosis, U-shaped vessels, spiralling and loops were revealed. In summary, we present a low cost and simple method to visualise the human cerebral vasculature in 3D compatible with prolonged fixation times (years), allowing study of vascular involvement in a range of normative and pathological states.
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Affiliation(s)
- C H Harrison
- Clinical Neurosciences, Clinical and Experimental Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
| | - G R Buckland
- Clinical Neurosciences, Clinical and Experimental Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
| | - S E Brooks
- Biomedical Imaging Unit, Southampton General Hospital, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
| | - D A Johnston
- Biomedical Imaging Unit, Southampton General Hospital, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
| | - D S Chatelet
- Biomedical Imaging Unit, Southampton General Hospital, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
| | - A K L Liu
- Neuropathology Unit, Division of Brain Sciences, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - S M Gentleman
- Neuropathology Unit, Division of Brain Sciences, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - D Boche
- Clinical Neurosciences, Clinical and Experimental Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
| | - J A R Nicoll
- Clinical Neurosciences, Clinical and Experimental Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK.,Department of Cellular Pathology, University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, Southampton, UK
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48
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Wong HS, Yeung PKK, Lai HM, Lam KSL, Wutian W, Chung SK. Simple and Rapid Tissue Clearing Method for Three‐Dimensional Histology of the Pancreas. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2018; 77:19.20.1-19.20.10. [DOI: 10.1002/cpcb.34] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Hang Sheung Wong
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong Pokfulam Hong Kong SAR China
| | - Patrick Ka Kit Yeung
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong Pokfulam Hong Kong SAR China
| | - Hei Ming Lai
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong Pokfulam Hong Kong SAR China
| | - Karen Siu Ling Lam
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, The University of Hong Kong Hong Kong China
- Department of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong Hong Kong China
| | - Wu Wutian
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong Pokfulam Hong Kong SAR China
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong Hong Kong SAR China
- Research Centre of Heart, Brain, Hormone and Healthy Aging, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong Hong Kong SAR China
- Joint Laboratory of Jinan University and The University of Hong Kong, GHM Institute of CNS Regeneration, Jinan University Guangzhou China
| | - Sookja Kim Chung
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong Pokfulam Hong Kong SAR China
- Research Centre of Heart, Brain, Hormone and Healthy Aging, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong Hong Kong SAR China
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong Hong Kong SAR China
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49
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Ando K, Laborde Q, Brion JP, Duyckaerts C. 3D imaging in the postmortem human brain with CLARITY and CUBIC. HANDBOOK OF CLINICAL NEUROLOGY 2018; 150:303-317. [PMID: 29496149 DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-444-63639-3.00021-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Recent innovations in tissue clearing and imaging technologies have enabled us to analyse biological systems directly in three-dimensions using thick samples. In this review, we discuss two of these recently reported tissue-clearing technologies (CLARITY and CUBIC) that are compatible with archival formalin-fixed human brain materials that have been fixed in formalin for a long period of time. We will discuss the pros and cons of these two technologies, examples of visualisation of Alzheimer neuropathological hallmarks and the exact protocols that we regularly use in the laboratory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kunie Ando
- Laboratory of Histology, Neuroanatomy and Neuropathology, ULB Neuroscience Institute, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium; Laboratoire de Neuropathologie Escourolle, Hôpital de la Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France.
| | - Quentin Laborde
- Laboratoire de Neuropathologie Escourolle, Hôpital de la Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France
| | - Jean-Pierre Brion
- Laboratory of Histology, Neuroanatomy and Neuropathology, ULB Neuroscience Institute, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Charles Duyckaerts
- Laboratoire de Neuropathologie Escourolle, Hôpital de la Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France
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50
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Palmer WM, Flynn JR, Martin AP, Reed SL, Grof CPL, White RG, Furbank RT. 3D Clearing and Molecular Labeling in Plant Tissues. Methods Mol Biol 2018; 1770:285-304. [PMID: 29978409 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4939-7786-4_17] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Plant histology and imaging traditionally involve the transformation of tissues into thin sections to minimize light scatter in opaque material, allowing optical clarity and high-resolution microscopy. Recently, new techniques in 3D tissue clearing, including PEA-CLARITY, have been developed to minimize light scatter within intact, whole samples. These techniques can achieve equivalent microscopic resolution to that of thin section imaging with the added benefit of maintaining the original 3D structure and position of biomolecules of interest. Furthermore, PEA-CLARITY is compatible with standard stains and immunohistochemistry, allowing molecular interrogation of intact, 3D tissues. This chapter outlines the current methods available for 3D histology in plants and details the materials, equipment, reagents, and procedure for the PEA-CLARITY technique.
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Affiliation(s)
- William M Palmer
- School of Environmental and Life Sciences, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia.
| | - Jamie R Flynn
- School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia
| | - Antony P Martin
- School of Environmental and Life Sciences, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia
| | - Stephanie L Reed
- School of Environmental and Life Sciences, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia
| | - Christopher P L Grof
- School of Environmental and Life Sciences, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia
| | | | - Robert T Furbank
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis, Australian National University, Acton, ACT, Australia
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