Surgical Ablation Assay for Studying Eye Regeneration in Planarians

Summary

This protocol shows how to consistently excise planarian eyes (optic cups) without disturbing surrounding tissues. Using an insulin needle and syringe, either one or both eyes can be ablated to facilitate investigations into the mechanisms regulating eye regeneration, the evolution of visual regeneration, and the neural basis of light-induced behavior.

Abstract

In the study of adult stem cells and regenerative mechanisms, planarian flatworms are a staple in vivo model system. This is due in large part to their abundant pluripotent stem cell population and ability to regenerate all cell and tissue types after injuries that would be catastrophic for most animals. Recently, planarians have gained popularity as a model for eye regeneration. Their ability to regenerate the entire eye (comprised of two tissue types: pigment cells and photoreceptors) allows for the dissection of the mechanisms regulating visual system regeneration. Eye ablation has several advantages over other techniques (such as decapitation or hole punch) for examining eye-specific pathways and mechanisms, the most important of which is that regeneration is largely restricted to eye tissues alone. The purpose of this video article is to demonstrate how to reliably remove the planarian optic cup without disturbing the brain or surrounding tissues. The handling of worms and maintenance of an established colony is also described. This technique uses a 31 G, 5/16-inch insulin needle to surgically scoop out the optic cup of planarians immobilized on a cold plate. This method encompasses both single and double eye ablation, with eyes regenerating within 1-2 weeks, allowing for a wide range of applications. In particular, this ablation technique can be easily combined with pharmacological and genetic (RNA interference) screens for a better understanding of regenerative mechanisms and their evolution, eye stem cells and their maintenance, and phototaxic behavioral responses and their neurological basis.

Introduction

Planarians are a powerful model organism for studying adult stem cell-mediated regeneration. These non-parasitic freshwater flatworms possess the ability to regenerate any and all missing tissues, including their central nervous system and brain¹. Studied as far back as the 1700s², technological advances in the planarian field during the past 10-15 years (such as a sequenced genome, in situ hybridization, immunohistochemistry, RNA interference (RNAi), and transcriptomics) have updated this historical model organism. Specifically, planarians have recently gained popularity as an emerging model for eye research

Protocol

1. Animal Culture and Handling

NOTE: This protocol uses Schmidtea mediterranea, a diploid planarian species with a sequenced genome^16,17 that is commonly used for regeneration research. However, the assay is equally successful with other species, such as Girardia tigrina and Girardia dorotocephala (which are commercially available).

1. Maintain worms in "worm water" made from 0.5 g/L sea salts in ultrapure (or filtered deionized) water. Use sterile polypropylene or glass containers to hold the worm water. See

Results

For the first 1-2 h post surgery, animals may exhibit decreased movement compared to intact worms (however they will still move). If desired, worms will eat within 24 h of surgery (for instance, for RNAi feeding). When following eye regeneration in the same individuals over time, make sure to take a photograph of each worm both prior to surgery (intact) and at 1 h post ablation (hpa). By 4 days post ablation (dpa) regenerating pigment cells should be visible, and by 14 dpa the entire eye .......

Discussion

This eye ablation technique improves on the current methods (such as hole punch) by excluding brain tissues and restricting excision mainly to the eye tissues. With practice, this technique can be performed by most individuals, from technicians experienced in microsurgeries to inexperienced but conscientious undergraduate students. It is recommended that this technique be practiced many times prior to using ablations in experiments, including (when possible) confirmation of complete removal of all eye tissues by immunohi.......

Materials

List of materials used in this article

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
Instant Ocean sea salts	Spectrum Brands	SS15-10	"10 Gallon" box  (net weight 3 lbs)
Kimwipes EX-L lint-free tissue wipe	Kimberly-Clark	34155	4.5 x 8.5 in
Whatman #2 filter paper	Sigma	WHA1002125	Circles, 125 mm diameter, white
Easy Touch Insulin syringe (with needle)	Pet Health Market	17175-04	U-100 1 cc syringe, 31 G 5/16 in needle
100 mm Petri dish	VWR	25384-342	100 mm x 15 mm
60 mm Petri dish	VWR	25384-092	60 mm x 15 mm
Dumont #5  forceps	Fine Science Tools	11254-20	Inox, straight tip , 11 cm
Transfer pipettes	Samco Scientific	225	Graduated, large bulb, 7.5 mL, non sterile
Parafilm M paraffin film	Brand	701606	4 in x 125 ft roll
12-well untreated tissue culture plate	VWR	15705-059	Untreated, flat bottom, sterile, Falcon brand
Plastic food containers (for colony)	Ziploc	Large rectangle	2.25 qt (2.12 L), 10" x 6 -3/4 " x 3 -3/16"
Planaria (Girardia tigrina)	Carolina Biological	132954	Sold as "Brown" Planaria; most often they are G. tigrina (aka Dugesia tigrina), but sometimes are G. dorotocephala (aka Dugesia dorotocephala); either will work.
Planaria (Schmidtea mediterranea)	n/a	n/a	S. mediterranea are not commercially available. At this time animals are only obtainable from laboratories that use them and have extra animals.
Brown paper towels	Grainger	2U229	9-3/16 x 9-3/8" 1-Ply Multifold Paper Towel, UNBLEACHED
Wash bottle (for worm water), optional	VWR	16650-275	Wash Bottles, Low-Density Polyethylene, Wide Mouth, 500 mL
Anti-synapsin antibody, optional	Developmental Studies Hybridoma Bank	3C11	Supernatant
Anti-arrestin antibody, optional	n/a	n/a	Not commercially available. Kind gift from Michael Levin, Tufts University
Nalgene Lowboy carboy with spigot (for storing worm water), optional	Nalge Nunc International Corporation	2324-0015	15 L,  polypropylene, low profile makes it easier to fill plastic colony containers
Custom Peltier plate, optional	Williams Machine, Foxboro, MA	n/a	Design specifics courtesy of Junji Morokuma, Tufts University:  Peltier plate is constructed of a standard thermoelectric heat pump (for example, All Electronics Corp Catalog # PJT-1, 30 mm2).  The square heat pump is covered with a thin mirrored surface, then placed inside a 30 mm2 square hole in a circular plexiglass form (~50 mm in diameter). This form is of similar thickness to the heat pump, and fits flush into a well tooled in the center of a round heat sink (~115 mm in diameter). The form/heat pump is  "anchored" to the sink with silicone base heat sink compound. The leads are threaded through holes drilled through both the form and the the heat sink. The bottom half of the heat sink is tooled into a "foot" that fits into the opening of your microscope's base plate.
DC power source (for Peltier plate), optional	B & K Precision	1665	Regulated Low Voltage DC Power Supply, 1-18 V (DC), 1-10 amps.
Other common supplies
Gloves
Razor blade
Scissors
Dissecting scope with gooseneck lighting
Chopstick rests, optional