We thank Bettina Semsch and Jia Sun (Infinigene) for expert care of mice; Florian Salomons and G&#246;ran M&#229;nsson from Biomedicum Imaging Core (BIC) for assistance with image acquisition and consultation. Funding: We thank the following funders for their support of this project: The Swedish Research Council, Karolinska Institutet (KI Foundations, Career Development Grant, Ph.D. student KID funding, and SFO StratNeuro funding, the Center of Innovative Medicine), The Ollie and Elof Ericssons Foundation, the Tornspiran Foundation, the Jeansssons Foundation, Sven and Ebba-Christina Hagbergs Prize and research Grant, Knut and Alice Wallenberg Project Grant, Fredrik and Ingrid Thurings Foundation, Lars Hiertas Minne, The Childhood Cancer Foundation (Barncancerfonden), The &#197;hlen Foundation, &#197;ke Wibergs Foundation, Tore Nilssons Foundation, and the Swedish Foundations Starting Grant to ERA. Figure 4D,E were created with BioRender.com.

<ol>
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The authors declare no competing interests.

There are several steps in this protocol that influence embryonic survival, the quality of the injections, and the readout. The gestational age of embryos is defined as E0.5 at noon the day of the vaginal plug after overnight mating. Performing the ultrasound check for pregnancy at E6.5 in the late afternoon/evening ensures that the embryos are developed enough to be identified by ultrasound. The check (1) allows for prescreening of how many plug-positive mice are actually pregnant, (2) ensures no virus is thawed unnecessarily and wasted in the event of plug-positive mice not being pregnant, and (3) reduces unnecessary interventions on mice (avoids surgery on non-pregnant females).
At E7.5, embryos are sensitive to external forces and should be handled with care. For example, pulling on the uterine horns or squeezing the deciduas can lead to embryo resorption. The uterine tissue should always be kept moist when outside the female abdomen to prevent the tissue from drying. The majority of the deciduas should remain inside the female abdomen, with only 3-4 exposed for injections. Needle sharpness is another crucial determinant for successful injections. Blunt or broken needle tips result in repeated poking of deciduas or compression against the modeling clay before entering the AC, which can increase the resorption rate. Therefore, well-ground and sharp needles should always be stored safely and replaced after a maximum of 2 females.
This protocol describes how to target the neural plate with one single injection of lentivirus. Furthermore, it shows how transduction efficacy can be adapted from single-cell clones to the entire brain. However, other non-neural tissues, including the skin and oral epithelium, are targeted as well. In addition, all cell types (progenitors and differentiated cells) are transduced, making this approach efficient but nonspecific. The use of MiniPromoters in the viral construct leads to the specific expression of the transgene in neurons or astrocytes15. This has the advantage of avoiding the use of dedicated transgenic Cre animals and therefore reduces the amount of labor (strain maintenance and genotyping) and costs.
The limitations of NEPTUNE include its technical difficulty, challenges in obtaining pregnant females at a predictable and consistent rate, and the costs of acquiring specialized instrumentation. Furthermore, nonselective targeting of cells by lentivirus can be seen as both a benefit and a limitation of the technique. Injection of larger volumes into the AC results in exencephaly13, although brain malformations and exencephaly are avoided with the volumes described here15. A negative impact on brain development is thus a risk with in utero nano-injections that must be carefully avoided by injecting correct volumes adapted to the embryonic stage and AC size.
Future adaptations of the technique may focus on viral tropism. Adeno-associated viruses (AAVs) have different serotypes, which have been shown to robustly target different cell types in the CNS17,26. However, AAVs do not integrate into the host cell genome and therefore may be lost in cells with a high division rate. Although there are several ways to increase the specificity of NEPTUNE, transgenic animals are still the gold standard when it comes to gene manipulation in vivo. Cas9 mice and sgRNA-encoding lentivirus have been used for genetic screening in the embryonic epidermis27 and may also be adapted to the developing CNS.
Injections into the AC at E7.5 efficiently target cells of the neuroectoderm before initiation of neurulation and targets the developing brain more efficiently than in utero electroporation. This allows the study of genetic cues important for brain development from an earlier time point. In contrast to classical genetic mouse models, NEPTUNE offers a flexible approach to perform functional gene analysis. Phenotypes following overexpression or gene deletion can be studied within days to weeks compared to months or years. Injections of multiple viral constructs allow for the manipulation of several genes within one embryo and avoid the generation of double or triple knockout animals. Therefore, NEPTUNE not only saves time but also can reduce the number of animals used in research.

The brain and spinal cord are among the first organs to initiate formation during embryogenesis1,2. Although the genes associated with neurodevelopmental disorders are being identified, the functional interrogation of genetic variants has lagged behind3,4. As the generation of conditional knockout mice can take months or years, an alternative technique to rapidly investigate gene function in the developing brain is of interest. In mouse embryos, neurulation - the morphogenetic process by which the neural plate transforms into the neural tube to give rise to the central nervous system (CNS) - occurs between days 8 and 10 post conception5. Prior to the onset of neurulation, the neural plate, as part of the ectoderm, consists of a single layer of columnar cells that will proliferate and differentiate into the numerous neuronal and glial cell types within the CNS6,7. Therefore, to experimentally induce long-lasting alterations to gene expression in the CNS, targeting the neural plate offers obvious advantages, including the accessibility of all progenitor cells.
In neuroscience, in ovo electroporation8,9 and viral transduction of mouse embryos have been used to manipulate embryonic CNS gene expression. The developing chick embryo has been a model of choice for studying gene function during spinal cord development due to the accessibility of the chick embryo in the egg and the resultant ease of manipulating gene expression. In particular, in ovo plasmid electroporation generates experimental and control conditions in each chick spinal cord. Electroporation causes cell membrane permeabilization and directs negatively charged DNA away from the (negative) cathode towards the (positive) anode by applying an electric pulse via two electrodes to the embryo. In mice, in utero electroporation has generally been limited to embryonic stages at which neurulation has completed, and the brain or spinal cord already consists of several cell layers, resulting in low electroporation efficiency10. Plasmid electroporation results in transient gene expression and generally targets few cells.
Ultrasound-guided in utero microinjection has been used to manipulate different embryonic structures such as the skin and brain11,12,13,14. However, injections targeting the developing murine CNS have shown low efficacy or have negatively impacted embryonic survival12,13,14. Therefore, an improved protocol was developed for the delivery of high-titer lentivirus into the amniotic cavity (AC) at E7.5, which was dubbed NEPTUNE for neural plate targeting with in utero&#160;nano-injection15. Injections resulted in a long-lasting targeting efficacy of &#62;95% of the entire brain at E13.5. Furthermore, a staging step was introduced during ultrasound verification of pregnancy to sort females and pregnancies by developmental stage to minimize unnecessary procedures on research animals and maximize injection success. Injection efficiency and survival are tightly linked to the increase in AC size. Therefore, this paper describes how to measure AC size prior to injection to deliver a suitable volume to the AC that will not cause resorption of the embryo. NEPTUNE is a robust alternative to current in utero approaches and can be adapted for several uses, including, but not limited to, gain and loss of function studies, lineage tracing, or screening15,16.

<table border="1" fo:keep-together.within-page="1" fo:keep-with-next.within-page="always">
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td>1 mL Syringe</td>
			<td>BD Bioscience</td>
			<td>309628</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>27 G Needle</td>
			<td>BD Bioscience</td>
			<td>300635</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>3.5 inches capillaries</td>
			<td>Drummond Scientific</td>
			<td>3000203G/X</td>
			<td>Were used to pull in house needles</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>70 MHz MS Series transducer</td>
			<td>Visual Sonics</td>
			<td>MS700</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Aquasonic clear ultrasound gel</td>
			<td>Parker Laboratories</td>
			<td>Mar-50</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Autoclip Applier 9 mm</td>
			<td>Angthos</td>
			<td>12020-09</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>CD1 mice</td>
			<td>Charles River, Germany</td>
			<td>Crl:CD1(ICR)</td>
			<td>Females: from age of 8 weeks old 
			Males: from the age of 12 weeks old</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Cotton Swab</td>
			<td>OneMed Sverige AB</td>
			<td>120788</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>DPBS</td>
			<td>Gibco</td>
			<td>14190094</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Dressing forceps delicate straight 13 cm</td>
			<td>Agnthos</td>
			<td>08-032-130</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>EG-400 Narishige Micropipette Grinder</td>
			<td>Narishige</td>
			<td>NA</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>EZ clips 9 mm</td>
			<td>Angthos</td>
			<td>59027</td>
			<td>clips</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Iris Scissors, Super Cut, straight, 9 cm</td>
			<td>Agnthos</td>
			<td>307-336-090</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Isofluorane</td>
			<td>Baxter Medical AB</td>
			<td>EAN: 50085412586613</td>
			<td>Purchased from Swedish Pharmacy</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Kimwipes</td>
			<td>Kimberly Clarke</td>
			<td>7557</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Membrane Tape</td>
			<td>Visual Sonics</td>
			<td>SA-11053</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Micropipette Puller</td>
			<td>Sutter Instrument</td>
			<td>P-97</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Modeling Clay</td>
			<td>Sense AB</td>
			<td>10209</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Mouse Handling Table</td>
			<td>Visual Sonics</td>
			<td>50249</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Nanoject II Auto Injector Kit</td>
			<td>Drummond</td>
			<td>3-000-205A</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Parafilm</td>
			<td>Bemis</td>
			<td>HS234526C</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Petri dish with central opening (low wall)</td>
			<td>Visual Sonics</td>
			<td>SA-11620</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Petri dish, (&#216;xH): 92 x 16 mm</td>
			<td>Sarstedt</td>
			<td>82.1472.001</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Rely+On Virkon</td>
			<td>DuPont</td>
			<td>130000132037</td>
			<td>disinfectant</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Silicone membrane</td>
			<td>Visual Sonics</td>
			<td>SA-11054</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Steri 250, hot bead sterilizer</td>
			<td>Angthos</td>
			<td>31100</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Surgical Tape (1.25 cm x 9.14 m)</td>
			<td>Medicarrier</td>
			<td>67034</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Vevo Compact Dual (Med. Air &#38; O2) Anesthesia System</td>
			<td>Visual Sonics</td>
			<td>VS-12055</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Vevo Imaging Station 2</td>
			<td>Visual Sonics</td>
			<td>VS-11983</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Vevo2100</td>
			<td>Visual Sonics</td>
			<td>VS-20047</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Vicryl 6-0; C-3 needle, 45 cm purple filament</td>
			<td>Agnthos</td>
			<td>J384H</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

murine neural plate targeting by in utero nano-injection (neptune) at embryonic day 7.5

Manipulating gene expression in the developing mouse brain in utero holds great potential for functional genetics studies. However, it has previously largely been restricted to the manipulation of embryonic stages post-neurulation. A protocol was developed to inject the amniotic cavity at embryonic day (E)7.5 and deliver lentivirus, encoding cDNA or shRNA, targeting &gt;95% of the neural plate and neural crest cells, contributing to the future brain, spinal cord, and peripheral nervous system. This protocol describes the steps necessary to achieve successful transduction, including grinding of the glass capillary needles, pregnancy verification, developmental staging using ultrasound imaging, and optimal injection volumes matched to embryonic stages. 
Following this protocol, it is possible to achieve transduction of &gt;95% of the developing brain with high-titer lentivirus and thus perform whole-brain genetic manipulation. In contrast, it is possible to achieve mosaic transduction using lower viral titers, allowing for genetic screening or lineage tracing. Injection at E7.5 also targets ectoderm and neural crest contributing to distinct compartments of the eye, tongue, and peripheral nervous system. This technique thus offers the possibility to manipulate gene expression in mouse neural-plate- and ectoderm-derived tissues from preneurulation stages, with the benefit of reducing the number of mice used in experiments.

Embryos injected at E7.5 with hPGK-H2B-GFP lentivirus11,12 were collected at E13.5 and examined under the fluorescent dissection microscope (Figure 5A). Successful transduction of the neural plate results in embryos with strong expression of a fluorescent reporter in the brain mainly and in other ectoderm-derived tissues, e.g., the skin (Figure 5A,B). Injection of an excessively high volume (greater than the volumes recommended here, e.g., &#8805;500 nL) increases the pressure in the AC and can result in either complete resorption (data not shown) or neural tube defects such as exencephaly (Figure 5A). Successful injections at E7.5 result in uniform transduction from the forebrain to the hindbrain (Figure 5C-J).
Lentiviral titers around 2 &#215; 1010 infectious units (IFU) achieve over 95% targeting, while titers of ~1 &#215; 109 IFU achieve 15% targeting efficiency15. In addition, structures that have previously been difficult to target using electroporation, such as the choroid plexus17,18, are also targeted (Figure 5 E,F). Transduction efficacy can be modified by adjusting the viral titer delivered into the AC. Injections of low titer result in the transduction of single-cell clones (Figure 5C, Figure 5E, and Figure 5G,H) while usage of high-titer virus transduces nearly 100% of the entire brain (Figure 5D, Figure 5F, Figure 5H, and Figure 5J). Therefore, NEPTUNE can be used for either clonal transduction, lineage tracing, and genetic screening approaches or studying the global effects of gene overexpression or downregulation in the entire brain.
Mammalian eye development is the result of well-organized communication between three derivatives of the embryonic ectoderm: the neural retina (NR) and retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) are derived from the neuroepithelium of the ventral forebrain, while the surface ectoderm gives rise to the future lens and corneal epithelium. However, the central stroma and the posterior endothelium, the other two layers of the cornea, are derived from neural crest cells of the periocular mesenchyme19,20. Coronal sections through E13.5 embryos, injected at E7.5 with high-titer lentivirus showed, similar to the brain, high and uniform transduction of the neural tissue of the eye, as well as the lens, cornea, and mesenchyme (Figure 5K). As neurulation progresses, injections at E8.5 and E9.5 result in the continued targeting of the lens and corneal epithelium (Figure 5L and Figure 5N), while transduction of the neuroectoderm-derived tissues of the eye is less efficient at E8.5 (Figure 5L,M) or not targeted at E9.5 (Figure 5N).
While most viral particles infect the exposed tissues upon injection, some particles transduce non-ectodermal derived tissues that develop later (Figure 6A). Salivary glands and ducts develop around E11.5 from the oral epithelium21 and are targeted with NEPTUNE (Figure 6B). Following injections at E9.5, the lingual epithelium of the tongue is well transduced; however, the underlying mesenchyme is negative (Figure 6C; brackets denote transduced cells; asterisks denote autofluorescence signal not transduced cells). In addition, there are positive clusters within the lingual epithelium, separated by negative sections (Figure 6C, white arrowheads), suggesting transduction of the papilla surface. Neural crest cells have been described in the underlying tongue mesenchyme and within the lingual epithelium, where they are involved in the development of taste papillae and taste buds22. Indeed, injections at E7.5 result in widespread transduction of the tongue mesenchyme at E13.5 (Figure 6D), suggesting that early injections target neural crest cells, contributing to mesenchyme in the tongue.
In vertebrates, the dorsal root ganglia (DRGs) are a central component of the peripheral nervous system (PNS), as all somatosensory input from the body&#39;s periphery (temperature, pain, pressure) is transmitted to the brain via activation of the DRG neurons23. Both neurons and glial cells of the DRG are derived from trunk neural crest cells24. Lentiviral injection, in which the ubiquitous hPGK promoter controls expression of the fluorescent reporter, leads to widespread targeting of the central and peripheral nervous system (Figure 7A), transducing both neurons and progenitors in the spinal cord (Figure 7B), as well as the DRG (Figure 7C). Using a MiniPromoter for doublecortin25 makes it possible to limit GFP expression to neurons only (15 and Figure 7D,E).
<img alt="Figure 5" class="xfigimg" src="/files/ftp_upload/63148/63148fig5v3.jpg" /> 
Figure 5: High efficiency or clonal transduction with NEPTUNE. (A) E13.5 embryos under a dissection microscope illuminated with standard lighting (left panel) and same embryos illuminated for GFP (right panel). Uninjected embryo on the far left, successfully injected embryo on the far right, yielding positive signal in the brain (rightmost embryo). Exencephalic embryo due to excess volume injected (middle embryo). (B) Skin and brain targeting with E7.5 injection. Scale bar = 50 &#181;m. (C, D) E13.5 confocal images of forebrain with low clonal transduction (C) or high-efficiency transduction (D). (C, E, G, I) Clonal transduction of different regions in brain. (D, F, H, J) High-efficiency transduction of different regions in brain. Scale bars = 200 &#181;m. Different transduction efficacies are representative of other areas of the CNS. (E, F) Choroid Plexus targeting, clonally (E) or with high efficiency (F). Scale bars = 200 &#181;m. (G, H) Clonal targeting (G) and high-efficiency (H) targeting of hindbrain, magnified in (I, J). Scale bars = 200 &#181;m. (K) GFP reporter expression in eye at E13.5 after in utero injection at E7.5 (L, M) GFP reporter expression in eye at E15.5 after in utero injection at E8.5 (L), boxed region magnified in (M), or at E9.5 (N). Autofluorescent blood vessels are marked with white stars. Scale bars = 100 &#181;m. Abbreviations: NEPTUNE = neural plate targeting with in utero&#160;nano-injection; C = Cornea; LE = Lens Epithelium; LF = Lens fibers; M = Mesenchyme; NR = Neural Retina; ON = Optic Nerve; RPE = Retinal Pigment Epithelium; GFP = green fluorescent protein; CNS = central nervous system. <a href="https://jove.unicartagenaproxy.elogim.com/files/ftp_upload/63148/63148fig5v3large.jpg" target="_blank">Please click here to view a larger version of this figure.</a>
<img alt="Figure 6" class="xfigimg" src="/files/ftp_upload/63148/63148fig06.jpg" /> 
Figure 6: In utero transduction of non-neural tissues. (A) Confocal image of E15.5 oral cavity. Embryo was injected with fluorescent reporter lentivirus at E9.5. Scale bar = 200 &#181;m. (B, C) (B) Magnification of inset panel; salivary duct epithelium transduced with virus. (C) Magnification of inset panel; dorsal lingual epithelium transduced with GFP reporter virus (white bracket). The underlying mesenchyme derived from neural crest cells is negative. White arrowheads indicate papillae with negative neural crest cells surrounded by virus-transduced epithelial cells (autofluorescent blood cells/vessels are marked with white stars). Scale bars = 50 &#181;m. (D) Schematic and confocal image of E13.5 tongue mesenchyme after injections with fluorescent reporter virus at E7.5. Scale bar = 50 &#181;m. Abbreviations: D = Dorsal; M = Mesenchyme; N = Nasopharynx; SLD = Sublingual Duct; SMD = Submandibular Duct; T = Tongue; V = Ventral; GFP = green fluorescent protein. <a href="https://jove.unicartagenaproxy.elogim.com/files/ftp_upload/63148/63148fig06large.jpg" target="_blank">Please click here to view a larger version of this figure.</a>
<img alt="Figure 7" class="xfigimg" src="/files/ftp_upload/63148/63148fig07.jpg" /> 
Figure 7: Transduction of neural crest-derived dorsal root ganglion cells. (A) NEPTUNE targeting at E7.5 allows targeting of both CNS and PNS. (B) Confocal image of E13.5 spinal cord and DRGs injected with hPGK-H2B-GFP reporter lentivirus at E7.5 shows transduction of both SOX2+ neural progenitors and NeuN+ neurons. Scale bar = 100 &#181;m. (C) Boxed region of B showing the DRG with GFP expression in SOX2+ (white arrows) and NeuN+ (white arrowheads) cell populations. Scale bar = 20 &#181;m. (D) Confocal image of E13.5 spinal cord and DRG injected with DCX-H2B-GFP lentivirus at E7.5, targeting only DCX+ cells. Scale bar = 100 &#181;m. (E) Boxed region of D showing DRG with GFP expression restricted to DCX+ neurons (white arrowheads). DCX- cells are negative for GFP (white arrows). Scale bar = 20 &#181;m. Abbreviations: NEPTUNE = neural plate targeting with in utero&#160;nano-injection; CNS = central nervous system; PNS = peripheral nervous system; DRGs = dorsal root ganglia; GFP = green fluorescent protein. <a href="https://jove.unicartagenaproxy.elogim.com/files/ftp_upload/63148/63148fig07large.jpg" target="_blank">Please click here to view a larger version of this figure.</a>

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Murine Neural Plate Targeting by In Utero Nano-Injection NEPTUNE at Embryonic Day 7.5 at JoVE.com

Murine Neural Plate Targeting by In Utero Nano-Injection NEPTUNE at Embryonic Day 7.5

In this protocol, we describe how to inject the mouse amniotic cavity at E7.5 with lentivirus, leading to uniform transduction of the entire neural plate, with minimal detrimental effects on survival or embryonic development.

Murine Neural Plate Targeting by In Utero Nano-Injection (NEPTUNE) at Embryonic Day 7.5

Manipulating gene expression in the developing mouse brain in utero holds great potential for functional genetics studies. However, it has previously ...

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Universidad de Cartagena UDEC

Research

JoVE Journal

Developmental Biology

3.3K Views.  Karolinska Institutet. In this protocol, we describe how to inject the mouse amniotic cavity at E7.5 with lentivirus, leading to uniform transduction of the entire neural plate, with minimal detrimental effects on survival or embryonic development. 

Video: Murine Neural Plate Targeting by In Utero Nano-Injection NEPTUNE at Embryonic Day 7.5

Neural Differentiation of Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells in Serum-free Monolayer Culture

The ability to differentiate mouse embryonic stem cells (ESC) to neural progenitors allows the study of the mechanisms controlling neural specification as well as the generation of mature neural cell types for further study. In this protocol we describe a method for the differentiation of ESC to neural progenitors using serum-free, monolayer culture. The method is scalable, efficient and results in production of ~70% neural progenitor cells within 4 - 6 days. It can be applied to ESC from various strains grown under a variety of conditions. Neural progenitors can be allowed to differentiate further into functional neurons and glia or analyzed by microscopy, flow cytometry or molecular techniques. The differentiation process is amenable to time-lapse microscopy and can be combined with the use of reporter lines to monitor the neural specification process. We provide detailed instructions on media preparation and cell density optimization to allow the process to be applied to most ESC lines and a variety of cell culture vessels.

This protocol describes in detail the method for generating neural progenitors from embryonic stem cells using a serum-free monolayer method. These progenitors can be used to derive mature neural cell types or to study the process of neural specification and is amenable to multiwell format scaling for compound screening.

The ability to differentiate mouse embryonic stem cells (ESC) to neural progenitors allows the study of the mechanisms controlling neural specification as ...

Accurate and Phenol Free DNA Sexing of Day 30 Porcine Embryos by PCR

Research into prenatal programming in the pig has shown that the sex of the developing embryo or fetus can influence the developmental outcome. Therefore, the ability to determine an embryo&#39;s sex is necessary in many experiments particularly regarding early development. The present protocol demonstrates an inexpensive, rapid and non-toxic preparation of pig genomic DNA for use with PCR. Day 30 embryos must be humanely collected according to the guidelines established by Institutional Animal Policy and Welfare Committees for the present protocol. The preparation of the whole embryo for this PCR based sexing technique simply involves grinding the frozen embryo to a fine powder using a pre-chilled mortar and pestle. PCR-quality DNA is released from a small amount of embryo powder by applying a hot incubation in an alkaline lysis reagent. Next, the DNA solution is mixed with neutralization buffer and used directly for PCR. Two primer pairs are generated to detect specific sex determining region of the Y- chromosome (SRY) and ZFX region of the X- chromosome with high accuracy and specificity. The same protocol can be applied to other elongated embryos (Day 10 to Day 14) earlier than Day 30. Also, this protocol can be carried with 96-welled plates when screening a large number of embryos, making it feasible for automation and high-throughput sex typing.

This protocol describes an accurate, inexpensive, rapid and non-toxic method to determine the sex of Day 30 porcine embryo using PCR method after grinding an embryo into powder without phenol chloroform extraction and DNA column purification.

Research into prenatal programming in the pig has shown that the sex of the developing embryo or fetus can influence the developmental outcome. Therefore, ...

Isolation of Murine Embryonic Hemogenic Endothelial Cells

The specification of hemogenic endothelial cells from embryonic vascular endothelium occurs during brief developmental periods within distinct tissues, and is necessary for the emergence of definitive HSPC from the murine extra embryonic yolk sac, placenta, umbilical vessels, and the embryonic aorta-gonad-mesonephros (AGM) region. The transient nature and small size of this cell population renders its reproducible isolation for careful quantification and experimental applications technically difficult. We have established a fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS)-based protocol for simultaneous isolation of hemogenic endothelial cells and HSPC during their peak generation times in the yolk sac and AGM. We demonstrate methods for dissection of yolk sac and AGM tissues from mouse embryos, and we present optimized tissue digestion and antibody conjugation conditions for maximal cell survival prior to identification and retrieval via FACS. Representative FACS analysis plots are shown that identify the hemogenic endothelial cell and HSPC phenotypes, and describe a methylcellulose-based assay for evaluating their blood forming potential on a clonal level.

Hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPC) derive from specialized (hemogenic) endothelial cells during development, yet little is known about the process by which some endothelial cells specify to become blood forming. We demonstrate a flow-cytometry based method allowing simultaneous isolation of hemogenic endothelial cells and HSPC from murine embryonic tissues.

The specification of hemogenic endothelial cells from embryonic vascular endothelium occurs during brief developmental periods within distinct tissues, ...

Imaging Cleared Embryonic and Postnatal Hearts at Single-cell Resolution

Single clonal tracing and analysis at the whole-heart level can determine cardiac progenitor cell behavior and differentiation during cardiac development, and allow for the study of the cellular and molecular basis of normal and abnormal cardiac morphogenesis. Recent emerging technologies of retrospective single clonal analyses make the study of cardiac morphogenesis at single cell resolution feasible. However, tissue opacity and light scattering of the heart as imaging depth is increased hinder whole-heart imaging at single cell resolution. To overcome these obstacles, a whole-embryo clearing system that can render the heart highly transparent for both illumination and detection must be developed. Fortunately, in the last several years, many methodologies for whole-organism clearing systems such as CLARITY, Scale, SeeDB, ClearT, 3DISCO, CUBIC, DBE, BABB and PACT have been reported. This lab is interested in the cellular and molecular mechanisms of cardiac morphogenesis. Recently, we established single cell lineage tracing via the ROSA26-CreERT2; ROSA26-Confetti system to sparsely label cells during cardiac development. We adapted several whole embryo-clearing methodologies including Scale and CUBIC (clear, unobstructed brain imaging cocktails and computational analysis) to clear the embryo in combination with whole mount staining to image single clones inside the heart. The heart was successfully imaged at single cell resolution. We found that Scale can clear the embryonic heart, but cannot effectively clear the postnatal heart, while CUBIC can clear the postnatal heart, but damages the embryonic heart by dissolving the tissue. The methods described here will permit the study of gene function at a single clone resolution during cardiac morphogenesis, which, in turn, can reveal the cellular and molecular basis of congenital heart defects.

We describe a protocol to volumetrically image fluorescent protein labeled cells deep inside intact embryonic and postnatal hearts. Utilizing tissue-clearing methods in combination with whole mount staining, single fluorescent protein-labeled cells inside an embryonic or postnatal heart can be imaged clearly and accurately.

Single clonal tracing and analysis at the whole-heart level can determine cardiac progenitor cell behavior and differentiation during cardiac development, ...

Reprogramming Mouse Embryonic Fibroblasts with Transcription Factors to Induce a Hemogenic Program

This protocol details the induction of a hemogenic program in mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) via overexpression of transcription factors (TFs). We first designed a reporter screen using MEFs from human CD34-tTA/TetO-H2BGFP (34/H2BGFP) double transgenic mice. CD34+ cells from these mice label H2B histones with GFP, and cease labeling upon addition of doxycycline (DOX). MEFS were transduced with candidate TFs and then observed for the emergence of GFP+ cells that would indicate the acquisition of a hematopoietic or endothelial cell fate. Starting with 18 candidate TFs, and through a process of combinatorial elimination, we obtained a minimal set of factors that would induce the highest percentage of GFP+ cells. We found that Gata2, Gfi1b, and cFos were necessary and the addition of Etv6 provided the optimal induction. A series of gene expression analyses done at different time points during the reprogramming process revealed that these cells appeared to go through a precursor cell that underwent an endothelial to hematopoietic transition (EHT). As such, this reprogramming process mimics developmental hematopoiesis "in a dish," allowing study of hematopoiesis in vitro and a platform to identify the mechanisms that underlie this specification. This methodology also provides a framework for translation of this work to the human system in the hopes of generating an alternative source of patient-specific hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) for a number of applications in the treatment and study of hematologic diseases.

The protocol described here details the induction of a hemogenic program in mouse embryonic fibroblasts via overexpression of a minimal set of transcription factors. This technology may be translated to the human system to provide platforms for future study of hematopoiesis, hematologic disease, and hematopoietic stem cell transplant.

This protocol details the induction of a hemogenic program in mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) via overexpression of transcription factors (TFs). We ...

CRISPR-mediated Loss of Function Analysis in Cerebellar Granule Cells Using In Utero Electroporation-based Gene Transfer

Brain malformation is often caused by genetic mutations. Deciphering the mutations in patient-derived tissues has identified potential causative factors of the diseases. To validate the contribution of a dysfunction of the mutated genes to disease development, the generation of animal models carrying the mutations is one obvious approach. While germline genetically engineered mouse models (GEMMs) are popular biological tools and exhibit reproducible results, it is restricted by time and costs. Meanwhile, non-germline GEMMs often enable exploring gene function in a more feasible manner. Since some brain diseases (e.g., brain tumors) appear to result from somatic but not germline mutations, non-germline chimeric mouse models, in which normal and abnormal cells coexist, could be helpful for disease-relevant analysis. In this study, we report a method for the induction of CRISPR-mediated somatic mutations in the cerebellum. Specifically, we utilized conditional knock-in mice, in which Cas9 and GFP are chronically activated by the CAG (CMV enhancer/chicken &#223;-actin) promoter after Cre-mediated recombination of the genome. The self-designed single-guide RNAs (sgRNAs) and the Cre recombinase sequence, both encoded in a single plasmid construct, were delivered into cerebellar stem/progenitor cells at an embryonic stage using in utero electroporation. Consequently, transfected cells and their daughter cells were labeled with green fluorescent protein (GFP), thus facilitating further phenotypic analyses. Hence, this method is not only showing electroporation-based gene delivery into embryonic cerebellar cells but also proposing a novel quantitative approach to assess CRISPR-mediated loss-of-function phenotypes.

CRISPR-mediated Loss of Function Analysis in Cerebellar Granule Cells Using In Utero Electroporation-based Gene Transfer

Conventional loss-of-function studies of genes using knockout animals have often been costly and time-consuming. Electroporation-based CRISPR-mediated somatic mutagenesis is a powerful tool to understand gene functions in vivo. Here, we report a method to analyze knockout phenotypes in proliferating cells of the cerebellum.

Brain malformation is often caused by genetic mutations. Deciphering the mutations in patient-derived tissues has identified potential causative factors ...

Intravenous and Intra-amniotic In Utero Transplantation in the Murine Model

In utero transplantation (IUT) is a unique and versatile mode of therapy that can be used to introduce stem cells, viral vectors, or any other substances early in the gestation. The rationale behind IUT for therapeutic purposes is based on the small size of the fetus, the fetal immunologic immaturity, the accessibility and proliferative nature of the fetal stem or progenitor cells, and the potential to treat a disease or the onset of symptoms prior to birth. Taking advantage of these normal developmental properties of the fetus, the delivery of hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) via an IUT has the potential to treat congenital hematologic disorders such as sickle cell disease, without the required myeloablative or immunosuppressive conditioning required for postnatal HSC transplants. Similarly, the accessibility of progenitor cells in multiple organs during development potentially allows for a more efficient targeting of stem/progenitor cells following an IUT of viral vectors for gene therapy or genome editing. Additionally, IUT can be used to study normal developmental processes including, but not limited to, the development of immunologic tolerance. The murine model provides a valuable and affordable means to understanding the potential and limitations of IUT prior to pre-clinical large animal studies and an eventual clinical application. Here, we describe a protocol for performing an IUT in the murine fetus through intravenous and intra-amniotic routes. This protocol has been used successfully to elucidate the necessary conditions and mechanisms behind in utero hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, tolerance induction, and in utero gene therapy.

Intravenous and Intra-amniotic In Utero Transplantation in the Murine Model

We describe a protocol for performing an in utero transplantation (IUT) through intravenous and intra-amniotic routes of injection in the murine model. This protocol can be used to introduce cells, viral vectors, and other substances into the unique immune-tolerant fetal environment.

In utero transplantation (IUT) is a unique and versatile mode of therapy that can be used to introduce stem cells, viral vectors, or any other substances ...

Visualizing the Node and Notochordal Plate In Gastrulating Mouse Embryos Using Scanning Electron Microscopy and Whole Mount Immunofluorescence

The post-implantation mouse embryo undergoes major shape changes after the initiation of gastrulation and morphogenesis. A hallmark of morphogenesis is the formation of the transient organizers, the node and notochordal plate, from cells that have passed through the primitive streak. The proper formation of these signaling centers is essential for the development of the body plan and techniques to visualize them are of high interest to mouse developmental biologists. The node and notochordal plate lie on the ventral surface of gastrulating mouse embryos around embryonic day (E) 7.5 of development. The node is a cup-shaped structure whose cells possess a single slender cilium each. The proper subcellular localization and rotation of the cilia in the node pit determines left-right asymmetry. The notochordal plate cells also possess single cilia albeit shorter than those of the node cells. The notochordal plate forms the notochord which acts as an important signaling organizer for somitogenesis and neural patterning. Because the cells of the node and notochordal plate are transiently present on the surface and possess cilia, they can be visualized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Among other techniques used to visualize these structures at the cellular level is whole mount immunofluorescence (WMIF) using the antibodies against the proteins that are highly expressed in the node and notochordal plate. In this report, we describe our optimized protocols to perform SEM and WMIF of the node and notochordal plate in developing mouse embryos to help in the assessment of tissue shape and cellular organization in wild-type and gastrulation mutant embryos.

The node and notochordal plate are transient signaling organizers in developing mouse embryos that can be visualized using several techniques. Here, we describe in detail how to perform two of the techniques to study their structure and morphogenesis: 1) scanning electron microscopy (SEM); and 2) whole mount immunofluorescence (WMIF).

The post-implantation mouse embryo undergoes major shape changes after the initiation of gastrulation and morphogenesis. A hallmark of morphogenesis is ...

Microinjection-based System for In Vivo Implantation of Embryonic Cardiomyocytes in the Avian Embryo

Interpreting the relative impact of cell autonomous patterning versus extrinsic microenvironmental influence on cell lineage determination represents a general challenge in developmental biology research. In the embryonic heart, this can be particularly difficult as regional differences in the expression of transcriptional regulators, paracrine/juxtacrine signaling cues, and hemodynamic force are all known to influence cardiomyocyte maturation. A simplified method to alter a developing cardiomyocyte's molecular and biomechanical microenvironment would, therefore, serve as a powerful technique to examine how local conditions influence cell fate and function. To address this, we have optimized a method to physically transplant juvenile cardiomyocytes into ectopic locations in the heart or the surrounding embryonic tissue. This allows us to examine how microenvironmental conditions influence cardiomyocyte fate transitions at single cell resolution within the intact embryo. Here, we describe a protocol in which embryonic myocytes can be isolated from a variety of cardiac sub-domains, dissociated, fluorescently labeled, and microinjected into host embryos with high precision. Cells can then be directly analyzed in situ using a variety of imaging and histological techniques. This protocol is a powerful alternative to traditional grafting experiments that can be prohibitively difficult in a moving tissue such as the heart. The general outline of this method can also be adapted to a variety of donor tissues and host environments, and its ease of use, low cost, and speed make it a potentially useful application for a variety of developmental studies.

In this method, embryonic cardiac tissues are surgically microdissected, dissociated, fluorescently labeled, and implanted into host embryonic tissues. This provides a platform for studying the individual or tissue level developmental organization under ectopic hemodynamic conditions, and/or altered paracrine/juxtacrine environments.

Interpreting the relative impact of cell autonomous patterning versus extrinsic microenvironmental influence on cell lineage determination represents a ...

Efficient Neural Differentiation using Single-Cell Culture of Human Embryonic Stem Cells

In vitro differentiation of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) has transformed the ability to study human development on both biological and molecular levels and provided cells for use in regenerative applications. Standard approaches for hESC culture using colony type culture to maintain undifferentiated hESCs and embryoid body (EB) and rosette formation for differentiation into different germ layers are inefficient and time-consuming. Presented here is a single-cell culture method using hESCs instead of a colony-type culture. This method allows maintenance of the characteristic features of undifferentiated hESCs, including expression of hESC markers at levels comparable to colony type hESCs. In addition, the protocol presents an efficient method for neural progenitor cell (NPC) generation from single-cell type hESCs that produces NPCs within 1 week. These cells highly express several NPC marker genes and can differentiate into various neural cell types, including dopaminergic neurons and astrocytes. This single-cell culture system for hESCs will be useful in investigating the molecular mechanisms of these processes, studies of certain diseases, and drug discovery screens.

Presented here is a protocol for the generation of a single-cell culture of human embryonic stem cells and their subsequent differentiation into neural progenitor cells. The protocol is simple, robust, scalable, and suitable for drug screening and regenerative medicine applications.

In vitro differentiation of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) has transformed the ability to study human development on both biological and molecular ...

Murine Neural Plate Targeting by In Utero Nano-Injection (NEPTUNE) at Embryonic Day 7.5

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Chapters in this video

Neural Differentiation of Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells in Serum-free Monolayer Culture

Accurate and Phenol Free DNA Sexing of Day 30 Porcine Embryos by PCR

Isolation of Murine Embryonic Hemogenic Endothelial Cells

Imaging Cleared Embryonic and Postnatal Hearts at Single-cell Resolution

Reprogramming Mouse Embryonic Fibroblasts with Transcription Factors to Induce a Hemogenic Program

CRISPR-mediated Loss of Function Analysis in Cerebellar Granule Cells Using In Utero Electroporation-based Gene Transfer

Intravenous and Intra-amniotic In Utero Transplantation in the Murine Model

Visualizing the Node and Notochordal Plate In Gastrulating Mouse Embryos Using Scanning Electron Microscopy and Whole Mount Immunofluorescence

Microinjection-based System for In Vivo Implantation of Embryonic Cardiomyocytes in the Avian Embryo

Efficient Neural Differentiation using Single-Cell Culture of Human Embryonic Stem Cells