这项工作提出了一种新颖的加工和成像协议,用于厚的三维组织横截面分析,可以充分利用共聚焦成像模式。该协议保留抗原性,并代表一个强大的系统来分析皮肤组织学和潜在的其他组织类型。
处理感兴趣的组织以产生支持科学论证的微观图像可能是具有挑战性的。获取高质量的显微图像并不完全取决于显微镜的质量,而且还取决于组织处理的方法,其通常涉及多个关键动作或步骤。此外,皮肤和其他组织中的间充质细胞类型代表组织制备和成像的新挑战。在这里,我们提出了一个完整的过程,从组织收获到显微镜。我们的技术,称为“水平整体安装”,是新手可以快速熟练的技术,并允许在用低温恒温器切割的60-300微米厚的部分进行抗原保存和检测。这种厚度的部分提供了在三维环境中组织微架构的增强的可视化。此外,协议保留间叶细胞,以增强图像质量与标准低温恒温器或石蜡切片相比,从而提高免疫染色的功效和可靠性。我们认为,这个协议将有益于所有实验室,可视化的皮肤,可能的其他组织和器官。
显微成像设备的革命提供了复杂的高分辨率成像仪器。然而,当获得完整的三维(3D)组织横截面的显微图像时,样品制备提出了相当大的挑战,并且可能是定义图像质量的限制因素。为了保持组织形态和靶蛋白的抗原性,为了最小化加工诱发的人工制品,并且最大化最终的图像质量,每个单独的步骤都值得仔细考虑。例如,皮肤的传统分析需要与被适当地定向的表皮和真皮,与毛囊的视图的图像,从而允许的干细胞区室的贡献皮肤稳态1,2中的解剖分析。这需要对皮肤如何嵌入和切片进行全面的分析。重要的是,毛囊可以更厚大于100μm,这大大超过了标准石蜡或冰冻切片厚度,从而导致相比于整体安装件或厚的横截面3,4,5分析的较低的标准。
总之,用于显微镜分析的样品制备的每个步骤是影响图像分析的关键决定因素。在这里,提出了一种用于粗,3D组织横截面分析的新颖处理方案,我们称之为“水平整体安装”。该协议高度保留抗原性,并通过使用标准共聚焦成像设备实现对皮肤厚部的全面开发。这是使用皮肤进行厚组织横截面加工和成像的完整指南,包括组织收获和多聚甲醛(PFA)辅助冷冻保存(步骤1),用低温恒温器生成100μm厚的组织横截面(步骤2)和免疫荧光标记和安装(步骤3和4)。代表性的结果比较了两种不同组织学制备技术的共焦图像 – 经典的冷冻切片和厚的3D组织横截面 – 突出了该方案的潜在用户的“水平整体安装”的优点。
Here, we present the “horizontal whole mount” technique, which has several advantages over classical frozen sections. One advantage of our technique is that it can easily be performed with standard histology equipment and a confocal microscope. Second, the tissue integrity is preserved in a superior manner when compared to standard cryosections. For example, adipocytes within the hypodermal layer (i.e., dermal white adipocytes (DWAT))9 are severely disrupted in standard cryosections, which makes studying tissues that are adipose-laden impossible. Our technique allows for the full analysis of the adipocytes in this layer and may be adapted to other tissues with high adipocyte contents. Furthermore, this allows for the improved detection of mesenchymal cells in lineage-tracing studies 2,10.
Standard cryosections, by their very nature, can never reveal the true 3D aspects of a tissue through confocal microscopy. This means that thicker sections are advantageous in the analysis of skin, since hair follicles, as well as their substructures, can traverse a depth that exceeds the standard thickness of 10 µm used in classical crysosections. We are intrigued that other tissues, such as the intestine and brain, for example, possess similar challenges with regard to viewing the tissue as a 3D structure2,7,11,12,13. Intriguingly, our technique has already been shown to be beneficial for use in certain applications in the intestines14. We believe that our horizontal whole-mount protocol has the potential be applied to any other tissue requiring 3D analysis.
The authors have nothing to disclose.
作者承认了赛默飞世尔科技的赞助,并感谢伦敦国王学院的尼康影像中心在共焦图像采集期间的支持。
PBS | homemade | ||
Gelatin, from cold water fish skin | Sigma | G7765 | 250ML |
Glycerol | BDH Laboratory Supplies | 444482V | |
O.C.T. compound | VWR chemicals | 361603E | |
Peel-A-Way embedding molds | Sigma | E6032-1CS | Square S-22 |
Non-Fat Powdered Milk | Bio Basic Inc. | NB0669 | |
Triton X-100 | Sigma | T9284 | 500ML |
4′,6-Diamidino-2-phenylindole, dilactate (DAPI) | Invitrogen | D3571 | |
FITC Rat Anti-Human CD49f | BD Pharmingen | 555735 | |
Mouse/Rat Integrin alpha 8 Antibody | R&D Systems | AF4076 | |
Alexa Fluor 488 donkey anti-rat IgG | Life Technologies | A21208 | |
Alexa Fluor 555 donkey anti-goat IgG | Life Technologies | A21432 | |
CryoStar NX70 | Thermo Fisher Scientific | ||
100mm Culture dishes | |||
Disposable scalpels | Swann-Morton | Ref 0501 | |
pointed metal forceps | |||
1.5 ml microcentrifuge tubes | VWR | 211-2130 | |
12 Well plates | Sigma | CLS3513 | |
Dissecting microscope | Nikon | ||
20 ul and 1000 ul Pipette | Gilson | ||
1000µl XL Graduated TipOne Filter Tip (Sterile) | Star Lab | S1122-1830 | |
20µl Bevelled TipOne Filter Tip (Sterile) | Star Lab | S1120-1810 | |
Rocking shaker plate | |||
Microscope slides, menzel Glaeser | Thermos Scientific | 631-9483 | Superfrost Plus |
Cover Glasses, Menzel Glaeser | Thermos Scientific | MENZBB024060AB | 24 x 60 mm |
Confocal microscope | Nikon |