Drosophila Preparation and Longitudinal Imaging of Heart Function In Vivo Using Optical Coherence Microscopy (OCM)

作者： Jing Men1,2, Jason Jerwick2,3, Penghe Wu1,2, Mingming Chen3,4, Aneesh Alex2,3, Yutao Ma4, Rudolph E. Tanzi5, Airong Li5, Chao Zhou1,2,3 1Bioengineering Program,Lehigh University, 2Center for Photonics and Nanoelectronics,Lehigh University, 3Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering,Lehigh University, 4State Key Laboratory of Software Engineering,Wuhan University, 5Genetics and Aging Research Unit, Department of Neurology,Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School

简介：

Overview

This article describes protocols for preparing Drosophila at various developmental stages and conducting longitudinal optical imaging of heartbeats using a custom optical coherence microscopy (OCM) system. The study quantitatively characterizes cardiac morphological and dynamical changes through analysis of heart structural and functional parameters from OCM images.

Key Study Components

Area of Science

• Neuroscience
• Cardiac imaging
• Developmental biology

Background

• Drosophila serves as a model organism for studying cardiac development.
• Optical coherence microscopy allows noninvasive imaging of small animal hearts.
• The technique provides high spatial and temporal resolution.
• Understanding Drosophila cardiac function may reveal insights into human cardiac diseases.

Purpose of Study

• To image Drosophila heart function longitudinally in vivo.
• To provide metrics on cardiac diameter, heart rate, and activity during metamorphosis.
• To explore genetic similarities between Drosophila and vertebrates in cardiac development.

Methods Used

• Preparation of Drosophila at different developmental stages.
• Longitudinal imaging using a custom optical coherence microscopy system.
• Analysis of heart structural and functional parameters from OCM images.
• Application of the technique to other systems, such as optogenetic pacing.

Main Results

• Quantitative characterization of cardiac morphological changes.
• Assessment of heart rate and activity period during metamorphosis.
• Revealing mechanisms of cardiac development and disease.
• Potential applications in studying weakened pacemaker function.

Conclusions

• The OCM technique is effective for noninvasive imaging of Drosophila hearts.
• Findings may contribute to understanding human cardiac diseases.
• This method can be adapted for various experimental setups.

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