Automated four-dimensional long term imaging enables single cell tracking within organotypic brain slices to study neurodevelopment and degeneration.

ABSTRACT: Current approaches for dynamic profiling of single cells rely on dissociated cultures, which lack important biological features existing in tissues. Organotypic slice cultures preserve aspects of structural and synaptic organisation within the brain and are amenable to microscopy, but established techniques are not well adapted for high throughput or longitudinal single cell analysis. Here we developed a custom-built, automated confocal imaging platform, with improved organotypic slice culture and maintenance. The approach enables fully automated image acquisition and four-dimensional tracking of morphological changes within individual cells in organotypic cultures from rodent and human primary tissues for at least 3 weeks. To validate this system, we analysed neurons expressing a disease-

SUBMITTER: Linsley JW 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6494885 | biostudies-literature | 2019

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature