Stereotaxic Infusion of Oligomeric Amyloid-beta into the Mouse Hippocampus
Summary
Here, we present a protocol for direct stereotaxic brain infusion of amyloid-beta. This methodology provides an alternative in vivo mouse model to address the short-term effects of amyloid-beta on brain neurons.
Abstract
Alzheimer’s disease is a neurodegenerative disease affecting the aging population. A key neuropathological feature of the disease is the over-production of amyloid-beta and the deposition of amyloid-beta plaques in brain regions of the afflicted individuals. Throughout the years scientists have generated numerous Alzheimer’s disease mouse models that attempt to replicate the amyloid-beta pathology. Unfortunately, the mouse models only selectively mimic the disease features. Neuronal death, a prominent effect in the brains of Alzheimer’s disease patients, is noticeably lacking in these mice. Hence, we and others have employed a method of directly infusing soluble oligomeric species of amyloid-beta – forms of amyloid-beta that have been proven to be most toxic to neurons – stereotaxically into the brain. In this report we utilize male C57BL/6J mice to document this surgical technique of increasing amyloid-beta levels in a select brain region. The infusion target is the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus because this brain structure, along with the basal forebrain that is connected by the cholinergic circuit, represents one of the areas of degeneration in the disease. The results of elevating amyloid-beta in the dentate gyrus via stereotaxic infusion reveal increases in neuron loss in the dentate gyrus within 1 week, while there is a concomitant increase in cell death and cholinergic neuron loss in the vertical limb of the diagonal band of Broca of the basal forebrain. These effects are observed up to 2 weeks. Our data suggests that the current amyloid-beta infusion model provides an alternative mouse model to address region specific neuron death in a short-term basis. The advantage of this model is that amyloid-beta can be elevated in a spatial and temporal manner.
Introduction
Amyloid plaque deposits, which are composed of amyloid-beta (Aβ1-42), are a key feature of the pathology of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Numerous studies have shown that high or toxic levels of recombinant oligomeric Aβ1-42 elicit neuronal death, synaptic dystrophy, loss and dysfunction; as well as learning and memory deficits1-4. Brain regions affected include the hippocampus, the cortex, and subcortical structures such as the basal forebrain and the amygdala5,6. To date, there are multiple transgenic mouse models that attempt to simulate the Aβ1-42 pathology of AD. Depending on the strain these animals prove to be useful in examining select pathological features of AD. Unfortunately, with the exception of 2 transgenic lines, APP23 and 5XFAD, these mice never fully replicate neuronal loss, a key aspect of AD. Even with the neuronal loss observed in APP23 and 5XFAD, the neuronal death observed was subtle, age dependent, and isolated to a few select regions7,8.
The direct infusion of oligomeric Aβ1-42 into the wild-type mouse brain provides an excellent in vivo model which replicates the neuronal death aspect of amyloidopathy1,9,10. Unlike the commonly utilized transgenic mouse models the oligomeric Aβ1-42 infusion model is ideal for acutely elevating Aβ1-42 levels in a spatial and temporal manner. The advantage of using wild-type mice for this model obviates potential compensation or side effects from the mutations introduced in transgenic mouse lines. Past studies have shown that infusing toxic levels of Aβ1-42 into the hippocampus elicits neuron death in the vicinity of the injection site within 1 week1. Moreover, consistent with the observation that Aβ1-42 is toxic for cholinergic neurons11 the basal forebrain cholinergic neuron (BFCN) population which projects to the hippocampus is decreased 20-50% within 7-14 days following beta-amyloid infusion1,10 in mice, effectively allowing for the examinations of isolated neuronal circuitry in the brain. Since BFCN project ipsilaterally to the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus12, for the most part control/vehicle and oligomeric Aβ1-42 solutions can be injected on either side of the brain allowing comparisons to be made between the left and right hemispheres1.
In this report we will provide a detailed surgical and injection methodology for adult wild-type C57BL/6J mice. This mouse strain is chosen because of its wide use in research. Technically, any brain region can be targeted for infusion, however here we will use the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus as the target to illustrate the technique.
Protocol
Representative Results
Discussion
To achieve a successful Aβ1-42 injection the experimenter or surgeon must: 1) use aseptic technique; 2) correctly identify the brain region of interest with accurate coordinates; 3) be able to properly secure the mouse in the stereotaxic frame with the brain leveled in the AP and ML axis; 4) have the ability to operate the micromanipulator with precision; 5) ensure proper post-operative care. If these key steps are followed the mouse should survive the surgery with no observable infection.
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The authors have nothing to disclose.
Acknowledgements
This work was supported by National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke grant NS081333 (to CMT), Alzheimer’s Association grant NIRG-10-171721 and National Institute of Mental Health grant MH096702 (to UH), and National Institute on Aging-funded Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center at Columbia University pilot grant AG008702 (to YYJ and JB).
Materials
| Ketamine HCl (100mg/ml) | Henry Schein Medical | 1049007 | 100 mg ketamine per 1 kg animal |
| Xylazine (20mg/ml) | Henry Schein Medical | not available | 10 mg xylazine per 1 kg animal |
| Buprenex (0.3mg/ml) | Henry Schein Medical | 1217793 | 0.1 mg buprenex per 1 kg animal |
| Aβ1-42 | David Teplow/UCLA | not available | 100 μM; This amyloid was used in the paper |
| Aβ1-42 | Bachem | H-1368 | Can be used in place of amyloid from the Teplow lab |
| Aβ1-42 | American Peptide | 62-0-80B | Can be used in place of amyloid from the Teplow lab |
| Scrambled Aβ1-42 | American Peptide | 62-0-46B | Can be used as control peptide for comparing Aβ1-42 |
| NU4 Antibody (Oligomeric Amyloid Antibody) | Gift from William Klein/Northwestern U. | not available | 1:2000 dilution |
| Anti-Amyloid Oligomeric Antibody (Polyclonal Rabbit) | EMD Millipore | AB9234 | May be used in place of Nu4; needs to be tested by the end user |
| 6E10 Antibody (Monoclonal Mouse) (Amyloid Antibody) | Biolegend | sig-39320 | 1:1000 dilution |
| ChAT Antibody (Polyclonal Goat) | Millipore | AB144P | 1:100 dilution |
| DeadEnd Fluorometric TUNEL system | Promega | G3250 | Follow manufacturer's directions for use |
| Prolong Gold Antifade Reagent with DAPI | Invitrogen | P36935 | Use when coverslipping slides |
| Fluorogold | Fluorochrome, LLC | not available | 2% solution |
| Absolute Ethanol (200 proof) | Fisher Scientific | BP2818-4 | For making 70% ethanol for sanitizing and disinfecting |
| Novex 10-20% Tricine gel | Life Technologies | EC6625BOX | For separating Aβ1-42 |
| Novex Tricine SDS Running Buffer (10X) | Life Technologies | LC1675 | For running 10-20% Tricine gels |
| Novex Tris-Glycine Transfer Buffer (25X) | Life Technologies | LC3675 | For transferring 10-20% Tricine gels |
| SuperSignal Western Blot Enhancer | Thermo Scientific | 46640 | For enhancing Aβ1-42 signal; follow manufacturer's protocol |
| Protran BA79 Nitrocellulose Blotting Membrane, 0.1 μm | GE Healthcare Life Sciences | 10402088 | For transferring 10-20% Tricine gels |
| Xcell SureLock Mini-Cell | Life Technologies | EI0001 | Electrophoresis aparatus for running 10-20% Tricine gels |
| GenTeal Lubricant Eye Gel | Novartis | not available | For keeping the mouse eyes moist during surgery; can be found in local pharmacy stores |
| Refresh Optive Lubricant Eye Drops | Allergan | not available | For keeping the mouse eyes moist during surgery; can be found in local pharmacy stores; Can be used in place of GenTeal |
| Betadine | Stoelting | 50998 | For sanitizing and disinfecting |
| Round/Tapered Spatula | VWR | 82027-490 | For opening animal mouth |
| Bulldog Serrefines Clamps (Jaw Dims. 9X1.6mm; Length 28mm) | Fine Science Tools | 18050-28 | Optional; For keeping scalp skin apart during injection |
| Straight Fine Scissors (Cutting edge 25mm; Length 11.5cm) | Fine Science Tools | 14060-11 | For cutting scalp |
| #3 Scalpel Handle | Fine Science Tools | 10003-12 | |
| #11 Surgical Blade | Fine Science Tools | 10011-00 | For making scalp incision |
| Student Standard Pattern Forcep (Tip Dims. 2.5×1.5mm; Length 11.5cm) | Fine Science Tools | 91100-12 | For holding scalp closed during suturing |
| Trimmer Combo Kit | Kent Scientific | CL9990-1201 | For shaving hair |
| T/Pump Warm Water Recirculator | Kent Scientific | TP-700 | For warming animal during surgery |
| Resusable Warmining Pad (5" x 10") | Kent Scientific | TPZ-0510FEA | For attaching it to the T/Pump warm water recirculator to warm the animal during surgery |
| Cordless Micro Drill | Stoelting | 58610 | Use 0.8mm steel burrs to drill holes in the skull |
| Lab Standard Stereotaxic Instrument with Mouse & Neonatal Rat Adaptor | Stoelting | 51615 | |
| Just for Mouse Stereotaxic Instrument | Stoelting | 51730 | Can use this in place of Stoelting Cat. #51615 |
| Quintessential Stereotaxic Injector | Stoelting | 53311 | |
| Dry Glass Bead Sterilizer | Stoelting | 50287 | For sterilizing stainless steel instruments |
| Sterile Surgical Drape (18" x 26") | Stoelting | 50981 | |
| Hamilton Syringe 50 ml, Model 705 RN SYR, NDL | Hamilton Company | 7637-01 | For brain injection; use different syringes for different solutions |
| 29 Gauge Needle, Small Hub RN NDL | Hamilton Company | 7803-06 | For attaching to the Hamilton syringe for brain injection |
| 1 ml BD Tuberculin Syringes | VWR | BD309659 | For administering anesthesia and saline |
| 30 Gauge Needle (0.5") | VWR | BD305106 | For administering anesthesia and saline |
| Portable Electronic CS Series Scale (Ohaus) | VWR | 65500-202 | For weighing animals to determine anesthesia dose |
| Hot plate (Top Plate Dims. 7.25×7.25in) | VWR | 47751-148 | For warming animals post-surgery |
| Sofsilk Silk Suture C-1 Cutting 3/8, 12 mm | Covidien | S1173 | For closing wound |
| Vetbond Tissue Adhesive (3M) | Santa Cruz Biotechnology | sc-361931 | Optional: for aiding in wound closure; Use with suture. |
| Cotton-Tipped Wooden-Shaft Sterile Applicators | Fisher scientific | 22-029-488 | For cleaning and drying surgical wound |
| Fisherbrand Superfrost Plus Microscope Slides | Fisher Scientific | 12-550-15 | For collecting brain sections |
| VWR Micro Cover Glass 24 X 50 mm | VWR | 48393241 | For mounting microscope slides |
| Thermo Scientific Nalgene Syringe Filter 0.2 μm | Fisher Scientific | 194-2520 | For sterilizing saline solution |
| Sterile dual tip skin markers by Viscot Medical | Medline | VIS1422SRL91 | For marking coordinates on the skull |
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