Assay for Neural Induction in the Chick Embryo
Summary
Neural induction is the first step in the formation of the brain. It is a mechanism by which Hensen’s node (organizer), instructs adjacent tissue to adopt a neural fate, i.e. to give rise to the nervous system. This video demonstrates an assay for neural induction in chick embryo.
Abstract
The chick embryo is a valuable tool in the study of early embryonic development. Its transparency, accessibility and ease of manipulation, make it an ideal tool for studying the formation and initial patterning of the nervous system. This video demonstrates how to graft organizer tissue into a host, a method by which Hensen s node (the organizer in the chick embryo) is grafted to a host competent ectoderm. The organizer graft instructs overlying na ve tissue to adopt a neural fate via neural inducing signals. This mechanism is referred to as neural induction, and constitutes the initial step in the formation of brain and spinal cord in amniotes. This method is essentially used for the characterization of putative neural inducing molecules in chick. This video demonstrates the different steps in the assay for neural induction; First, the donnor embryo is explanted and pinned on a dish. Then, the host embryo is prepared for New culture. The graft is excised and transplanted to the host area pellucida margin. The host is cultured for 18-22 hrs. The assembly is fixed and processed for further applications (e.g. in situ hybridization). This method was originally devised by Waddington 1,2 and Gallera 3,4.
Protocol
I. Schematic Overview: This video demonstrates the different steps in assay for neural induction in chick embryo. First, the host embryo is explanted in New culture [NI1]. Then, the donnor embryo is explanted in saline and Hensen’s node (the “organizer” in chick) is labelled with fluorescent dye DiI [NI2]. Hensen’s node is excised from the d…
Discussion
This video demonstrates the different steps in performing an assay for neural induction; This assay is essentially used for the characterization of putative neural inducing molecules in chick, and thus can be used for a wide variety of applications, ranging from embryological micromanipulations 1-4; 6 to unraveling new signaling cascades 7,8, all aiming to the understanding of the initial step in the formation of the brain and remaining nervous system.
Acknowledgements
D.P is recipient of Ruth Kirschstein Award 1F32 DA021977-01A1 from the National Institute on Drug Abuse. This work was supported by the Margaret M. Alkek Foundation to RHF.
Materials
| Material Name | Type | Company | Catalogue Number | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eggs | Animal | Charles River Laboratories | Premium Fertile | Fertilized, HH3+ (14 hr) |
| Stereomicroscope | Microscope | Leica Microsystems | MZ9.5 or similar | |
| Hybridization Incubator | Equipment | Robbins Scientific | M1000 | Use with inverted Pyrex dish and 500 ml ddH2O beaker |
| Marsh Automatic Incubator | Equipment | Lyon | RX | |
| Pyrex dish | ||||
| Watchmaker’s glass 50mm | Tool | VWR | 66112-060 | |
| Glass rings | Tool | Physical Plant facility | cut 4 mm thick sections of glass tubing (27 mm outer diam, 25 mm inner diam). Do not fine polish. | |
| Curved Forceps (1) | Tool | Electron Microscopy Sciences | 72991-4C | |
| Forceps (2) | Tool | Fine Science Tools | 11002-13 | blunt ended using sharpening Stone and 100ul mineral oil |
| Fine scissors | Tool | Fine Science Tools | 14161-10 | |
| Plastic dishes | Tool | Falcon | 353001 | |
| Rubber Bulb | Tool | Electron Microscopy Sciences | 70980 | |
| DiI | Reagent | Invitrogen | D-282 | |
| Aspirator tube assembly | Tool | Sigma | A5177-5EA | |
| Microelectrode puller | Equipment | Sutter Instruments | Sutter Instruments P-97 Flaming/Brown Micropipette | |
| Pasteur Capillary Pipette | Tool | Electron Microscopy Sciences | 70950-12 | round edge under flame |
| Culture chamber | Tool | Pioneer Plastics | 030C | |
| Microcapillary tube | Tool | Sigma | P1049-1PAK | |
| Microdissecting knife | Tool | Fine Science Tools | 10056-12 | Use to puncture cavities prior to in situ hybridization |
| Minuten pins 0.2mm diam | Tool | Fine Science Tools | 26002-20 | Mix 1 part Curing Agent, 9 parts Base; set O/N at 37C |
| Diethylpyrocarbonate (depc) | Reagent | Electron Microscopy Sciences | 15710 | |
| Sylgard 184 Silicon Elastomer Curing Agent and Base | Dow Corning | 0001986475 | Mix 1 part Curing Agent, 9 parts Base; set O/N at 37C | |
| Diethylpyrocarbonate (depc) | Acros Organics | 10025025 | Add 1ml depc to 1l PBS; shake; autoclave | |
| 16% PFA | Electron Microscopy Sciences | 15710 |
References
- Waddington, C. H. Experiments on the development of chick and duck embryos, cultivated in vitro. Phil. Trans. R. Soc. Lond. B. 221, 179-230 (1932).
- Waddington, C. H. Induction by the primitive streak and its derivatives in the chick. J. Exp. Biol. 10, 38-46 (1933).
- Gallera, J. Excision et transplantation des différentes régions de la ligne primitive chez le poulet. C. R. Ass. Anat. 49, 632-639 (1964).
- Gallera, J. Primary induction in birds. Adv. Morph. 9. , 149-180 (1971).
- Serbedzija, G. N., Fraser, S. E., Bronner-Fraser, M. Pathways of neural crest cell migration in the mouse embryo as revealed by vital dye labeling. Development 108. , 605-612 (1990).
- Psychoyos, D., Stern, C. D. Restoration of the organizer after radical ablation of Hensen’s node and the anterior primitive streak in the chick embryo. Development 122. , 3263-3273 (1996).
- Joubin, K., Stern, C. D. Molecular interactions continuously define the organizer during the cell movements of gastrulation. Cell. 98, 559-571 (1999).
- Streit, A., Berliner, A. J., Papanayotou, C., Sirulnik, A., Stern, C. D. Initiation of neural induction by FGF signaling before gastrulation. Nature. , 406-474 (2000).
- Psychoyos, D., Finnell, R. Method for Culture of Early Chick Embryos ex vivo (New Culture. JoVE. 20, 10-3791 (2008).
Cite This Article
Psychoyos, D., Finnell, R. Assay for Neural Induction in the Chick Embryo. J. Vis. Exp. (24), e1027, doi:10.3791/1027 (2009).