Institute of Chemical and Bioengineering, ETH Zurich, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland.
Lab Chip. 2018 May 1;18(9):1359-1368. doi: 10.1039/c7lc01185g.
Live-imaging of C. elegans is essential for the study of conserved cellular pathways (e.g. EGFR/Wnt signaling) and morphogenesis in vivo. However, the usefulness of live imaging as a research tool has been severely limited by the need to immobilize worms prior to and during imaging. Conventionally, immobilization is achieved by employing both physical and chemical interventions. These are known to significantly affect many physiological processes, and thus limit our understanding of dynamic developmental processes. Herein we present a novel, easy-to-use microfluidic platform for the long-term immobilization of viable, normally developing C. elegans, compatible with image acquisition at high resolution, thereby overcoming the limitations associated with conventional worm immobilization. The capabilities of the platform are demonstrated through the continuous assessment of anchor cell (AC) invasion and distal tip cell (DTC) migration in larval C. elegans and germ cell apoptosis in adult C. elegans in vivo for the first time.
活体成像对于研究保守的细胞通路（例如 EGFR/Wnt 信号通路）和体内形态发生至关重要。然而，活体成像作为一种研究工具的实用性受到了严重限制，因为在成像之前和成像过程中需要使线虫固定。传统上，通过物理和化学干预来实现固定。这些方法会显著影响许多生理过程，从而限制了我们对动态发育过程的理解。在这里，我们提出了一种新颖的、易于使用的微流控平台，用于长期固定有活力的、正常发育的秀丽隐杆线虫，该平台与高分辨率的图像采集兼容，从而克服了与传统线虫固定相关的限制。该平台的功能通过连续评估幼虫秀丽隐杆线虫的锚定细胞（AC）入侵和远端尖端细胞（DTC）迁移以及成年秀丽隐杆线虫的生殖细胞凋亡来首次在体内得到证实。
