PUBLICATION

Visualizing morphogenesis in transgenic zebrafish embryos using BODIPY TR methyl ester dye as a vital counterstain for GFP

Authors
Cooper, M.S., Szeto, D.P., Sommers-Herivel, G., Topczewski, J., Solnica-Krezel, L., Kang, H.C., Johnson, I., and Kimelman, D.
ID
ZDB-PUB-041228-16
Date
2005
Source
Developmental Dynamics : an official publication of the American Association of Anatomists   232(2): 359-368 (Journal)
Registered Authors
Cooper, Mark S., Kimelman, David, Solnica-Krezel, Lilianna, Szeto, Daniel P., Topczewski, Jacek
Keywords
green fluorescent protein, visualization, confocal microscopy, transgenic zebrafish, vital imaging, vital staining, BODIPY TR dye, time-lapse, germ layers, organogenesis, stem cells, mesoscopic
MeSH Terms
  • Animals
  • Animals, Genetically Modified*
  • Boron Compounds/pharmacology*
  • Coloring Agents/pharmacology
  • Esters/pharmacology
  • Genetic Techniques*
  • Green Fluorescent Proteins/chemistry
  • Green Fluorescent Proteins/pharmacology
  • Luminescent Proteins/chemistry
  • Microscopy, Confocal/methods*
  • Microscopy, Fluorescence
  • Software
  • Spectrophotometry
  • Time Factors
  • Transgenes
  • Zebrafish
PubMed
15614774 Full text @ Dev. Dyn.
Abstract
Green fluorescent protein (GFP) technology is rapidly advancing the study of morphogenesis, by allowing researchers to specifically focus on a subset of labeled cells within the living embryo. However, when imaging GFP-labeled cells using confocal microscopy, it is often essential to simultaneously visualize all of the cells in the embryo using dual-channel fluorescence to provide an embryological context for the cells expressing GFP. Although various counterstains are available, part of their fluorescence overlaps with the GFP emission spectra, making it difficult to clearly identify the cells expressing GFP. In this study, we report that a new fluorophore, BODIPY TR methyl ester dye, serves as a versatile vital counterstain for visualizing the cellular dynamics of morphogenesis within living GFP transgenic zebrafish embryos. The fluorescence of this photostable synthetic dye is spectrally separate from GFP fluorescence, allowing dual-channel, three-dimensional (3D) and four-dimensional (4D) confocal image data sets of living specimens to be easily acquired. These image data sets can be rendered subsequently into uniquely informative 3D and 4D visualizations using computer-assisted visualization software. We discuss a variety of immediate and potential applications of BODIPY TR methyl ester dye as a vital visualization counterstain for GFP in transgenic zebrafish embryos. Developmental Dynamics 232:360-369, 2005. (c) 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Genes / Markers
Figures
Expression
Phenotype
Mutations / Transgenics
Human Disease / Model
Sequence Targeting Reagents
Fish
Antibodies
Orthology
Engineered Foreign Genes
Mapping