Development of an in Situ Hybridization Method for Neurohypophysial Hormone Mrnas Using Synthetic Title Oligonucleotide Probes
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Development of an in situ Hybridization Method for Neurohypophysial Hormone mRNAs Using Synthetic Title Oligonucleotide Probes Author(s) Hyodo, Susumu; Fujiwara, Mamoru; Kozono, Shigeru; Sato, Moriyuki; Urano, Akihisa Citation Zoological Science, 5(2), 397-406 Issue Date 1988-04-15 Doc URL http://hdl.handle.net/2115/43964 Type article File Information ZS5-2_397-406.pdf Instructions for use Hokkaido University Collection of Scholarly and Academic Papers : HUSCAP ZOOLOGICAL SCIENCE 5: 397-406 (1988) © 1988 Zoological Society of Japan Development of an in situ Hybridization Method for Neurohypophysial Hormone mRNAs Using Synthetic Oligonucleotide Probes Susumu Hyodo, Mamoru Fujiwara, Shigeru Kozono, Moriyuki Sato1 and Akihisa Urano Department of Regulation Biology, Faculty of Science, Saitama University, Urawa, Saitama 338, and lTokyo Research Laboratories, Kyowa Hakko Kogyo Co., Machida, Tokyo 194, Japan ABSTRACT—Vasopressin (AVP) and oxytocin (OXT) mRNAs are highly homologous. We de veloped an in situ hybridization method to discriminate the AVP and the OXT mRNAs using synthetic 22mer deoxyoligonucleotides as probes which have several advantages over the use of cDNAs, e.g., highly specific, easy to obtain a designed probe, and easily accessible to cellular mRNAs. The probes were radiolabeled at the 5' ends with 32P, applied to rehydrated paraffin sections of rat and/or toad hypothalami, and were visualized by autoradiography. RNase treatment before incubation with the probes and measurement of melting temperature showed that the probes actually paired with tissue RNAs. The specificity of hybridization signals was checked by the following tests: absorption test, competition test, a use of alternate probes complementary to the different regions of the same mRNA, cross species hybridization, and comparisons with the immunohistochemical localization of AVP and OXT in adjacent or the same tissue sections. These tests showed that the oligonucleotide probes specifically discriminate the AVP mRNA from the highly homologous OXT mRNA. Furthermore, cross species hybridization clarified that an oligonucleotide probe can discriminate nucleotide se quences which include 2 mismatching bases. The use of multiple probes complementary to different loci in the same mRNA showed not only the specificities of the hybridization signals, but also its usefulness to enhance hybridization signals. INTRODUCTION mOst P^aus'*J'e candidate for this examination. The structures of rat AVP and OXT genes Arginine vasopressin (AVP) and oxytocin recently clarified [1] show that the AVP mRNA (OXT) are mammalian neurohypophysial hor- and the OXT mRNA share an extremely homolo- mones produced mainly in magnocellular neurons gous region, the exon B, the homology of which is in the supraoptic (SON) and the paraventricular about 95 %. Since cDNAs can hybridize with nuclei (PVN). They are released from neurosecre- mRNAs the homology of which is approximately tory terminals into blood capillaries in the 65 % [2], the presence of the AVP mRNA has neurohypophysis, and play important physiologi- been detected with a spliced cDNA probe com- cal roles, e.g., regulation of plasma osmolarity and plementary to the glycoprotein encoding region blood pressure by AVP, and oxytocic action and which is not present in the OXT mRNA [3-7], stimulation of milk ejection by OXT. It is while the OXT mRNA has been localized with a therefore important to examine expressions of probe complementary to the 3'-end of neurophysin AVP and OXT genes in magnocellular neurons in (NP) and the 3'-untranslated region [3]. A prob- various physiological statuses. A recently de- lem arising here is the occurrence of vasotocin veloped in situ hybridization (ISH) method is the (AVT) especially in fetal brains of mammals [8,9]. A possibility that the cDNA probes hybridize with Accepted October 13, 1987 the AVT mRNA makes it difficult to apply the Received August 12, 1987 ISH method in a study of ontogeny of the 398 S. Hyodo, M. Fujiwara et al. neurosecretory system. Moreover, the use of include acetic acid, 4% paraformaldehyde (PFA) cDNA probes entirely depends on their availabil in 0.05 M phosphate buffer (pH7.3), a buffered ity that requires facilities for recombinant DNA solution containing 2% PFA and 1% glutaralde- techniques. One of possible ways to overcome hyde (GLA), and that including 2% PFA, 1% these problems is the use of synthetic deoxyoligo- GLA and 1% picric acid (PA). As is described in nucleotides as probes for ISH, the technique the Results section, the mixture of PFA, GLA and developed in our laboratory [10-12]. The use of PA (PGP solution) yielded satisfactory results in oligonucleotides as probes for ISH further can both ISH and immunohistochemical staining have several advantages over the use of cDNAs, among these fixatives. Therefore, the PGP solu that is, highly specific [2, 13, 14], easy to obtain a tion was routinely used in the present study. designed probe, easy to prepare and to label in an After fixation, the hypothalami were washed in ordinary laboratory [15] and easily accessible to 70% ethanol at 4°C for 24 hr twice. They were cellular mRNAs [16-18]. then dehydrated through graded ethanols, and We designed 22mer oligonucleotide probes to were embedded in paraplast. Serial transverse discriminate localization of AVP and OXT sections were cut at 8 or 10 ^m, separated into mRNAs in paraffin sections. We further revised several groups, and were mounted on gelatinized our previous ISH protocol [10, 11] by checking slides. Some hypothalamic tissues were washed in each staining step. A fixative solution was also cold 0.05 M phosphate buffer (pH 7.3) after fixa carefully screened to stain the same or adjacent tion, rapidly frozen in butanol cooled in dry tissue sections by both ISH and immunohisto- ice-acetone, and were cut at 20 yum on a frozen chemical methods, because demonstration of AVP microtome. They were also mounted on gelatin and OXT is crucial for better understanding of ized slides. their gene expressions. Specificity of the present method was confirmed by various tests including Preparation of synthetic oligonucleotide probes cross species hybridization with the mRNAs of Four 22 mer oligonucleotide probes (Fig. 1) toad neurohypophysial hormones, nucleotide were synthesized by the phosphoramidite method sequences of which were recently determined by [20] and were purified by polyacrylamide gel Nojiri et al. [19]. Through the specificity tests, we electrophoresis. They are complementary to the tried to elucidate technical limitations of the regions in the rat AVP mRNA encoding AVP (2- present method and to confirm its general applica 9) and AVP-NP (1-8), to that in the rat OXT bility in gene expression studies of many other mRNA encoding OXT-NP (1-8), and to that in peptides and proteinaceous hormones. the toad AVT mRNA encoding AVT (-1 to 7). They are thus referred to as AVP, AVP-NP, OXT-NP and AVT-OXT probes, respectively. MATERIALS AND METHODS The nucleotide sequence of AVT/OXT probe is exactly complementary to the corresponding re Preparation of tissue sections gion of OXT mRNA, while the nucleotide at Male Wistar-Imamichi rats (6-8 weeks old) and position 9 of this probe is mismatched with the adult Japanese toads of both sexes captured in the counterpart of AVP mRNA (i.e., 95% homology). autumn were obtained from commercial sources. The AVP probe has 2 mismatching positions with They were killed by decapitation, and the hypothal- the AVT mRNA (91% homology), and 6 mis ami and the pituitaries were rapidly taken out and matching positions with the OXT mRNA (73% immersed in fixative solutions at 4°C for 2 days. homology). The AVP-NP and OXT-NP probes Since a preliminary experiment showed that fixa differ at 10 positions (55% homology). The tion by perfusion markedly decreased hybridiza homology of the corresponding region of toad tion signals, we preferred fixation of tissues by mesotocin mRNA with the AVT-OXT probe is immersion. Fixatives tested were: Bouin's solu 77%, and that with the AVP probe is 73%. tion, modified Bouin's solution which does not The probes were labeled at the 5' ends with T4 Detection of Neuropeptide mRNAs 399 AVP mRNA Sig | AVP | AVP-NP GP 1 6XSSC, the sections were washed in 6 X SSC firstly AVP(2-9} AVP-NP(l-B) at 4°C for 10 min, then at about 20°C for 20 min AVP Cys Tyr Phe Gin Asn Cys Pro Arg Gly twice, and again at 4°C for 10 min. The sections AVP nRNA 5' UGC UAC UUC CAG AAC UGC CCA AGA GGA 3' Probe 3' G AAG GTC TTG ACG GGT TCT CCT 5' were then dehydrated through graded ethanols Template AC TTC CAG AAC TGC (70, 90 and 100%) containing 0.3 M ammonium AVP-NP Ala Tyr Ser Asp Met Glu Leu Arg AVP-NP mRNA GCC ACA UCC GAC AUG GAG CUG AGA acetate and were air-dried. Thereafter, the sec Probe GG TGT AGG CTG TAC CTC GAC TC tions were dipped in Sakura NR-M2 emulsion OXT nRNA Sig | OXT | OXT-NP diluted 3:2 with 0.3 M ammonium acetate, air- OXT-NP(l-8) dried for 30 min, and were exposed for 1 to 3 OXT-NP Ala Ala Leu Asp Leu Asp Met Arg OXT-NP mRNA GCU GCG CUA GAC CUG GAU AUG CGC weeks. After development in Kodak D-19 and Probe GA CGC GAT CTG GAC CTA TAC GC fixation, they were dehydrated and were coverslip AVT mRNA Sig AVT AVT-NP GP ped with Permount (Fisher). AVT ((-l}-7) AVT Ala Cys Tyr He Gin Asn Cys Pro AVT mRNA GCC UGC UAC AUC CAG AAC UGC CCC Methodological checks Probe GG ACG ATG TAG GTC TTG ACG GG Proteinase treatment The proteinase treat Fig. 1. Design of synthetic oligonucleotide probes in ment after rehydration has been considered to the present experiments.