Quantitative whole-brain 3D imaging of tyrosine hydroxylase-labeled neuron architecture in the mouse MPTP model of Parkinson's disease.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a basal ganglia movement disorder characterized by progressive degeneration of the nigrostriatal dopaminergic system. Immunohistochemical methods have been widely used for characterization of dopaminergic neuronal injury in animal models of PD, including the MPTP (1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine) mouse model. However, conventional immunohistochemical techniques applied to tissue sections have inherent limitations with respect to loss of 3D resolution, yielding insufficient information on the architecture of the dopaminergic system. To provide a more comprehensive and non-biased map of MPTP-induced changes in central dopaminergic pathways, we used iDISCO immunolabeling, light-sheet fluorescence microscopy (LSFM) and deep-learning computational methods for whole-brain three-dimensional visualization and automated quantitation of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH)-positive neurons in the adult mouse brain. Mice terminated 7 days after acute MPTP administration demonstrated widespread alterations in TH expression. Compared to vehicle controls, MPTP-dosed mice showed a significant loss of TH-positive neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta and ventral tegmental area. Also, MPTP dosing reduced overall TH signal intensity in basal ganglia nuclei, i.e. the substantia nigra, caudate-putamen, globus pallidus and subthalamic nucleus. In contrast, increased TH signal intensity was predominantly observed in limbic regions, including several subdivisions of the amygdala and hypothalamus. In conclusion, mouse whole-brain 3D imaging is ideal for unbiased automated counting and densitometric analysis of TH-positive cells. The LSFM-deep learning pipeline tracked brain-wide changes in catecholaminergic pathways in the MPTP mouse model of PD, and may be applied for preclinical characterization of compounds targeting dopaminergic neurotransmission.

The central fibroblast growth factor receptor/beta klotho system: Comprehensive mapping in Mus musculus and comparisons to nonhuman primate and human samples using an automated in situ hybridization platform.

Central activation of fibroblast growth factor (FGF) receptors regulates peripheral glucose homeostasis and reduces food intake in preclinical models of obesity and diabetes. The current work was undertaken to advance our understanding of the receptor expression, as sites of ligand action by FGF19, FGF21, and FGF1 in the mammalian brain remains unresolved. Recent advances in automated RNAscope in situ hybridization and droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) technology allowed us to interrogate central FGFR/beta klotho (Klb) system at the cellular level in the mouse, with relevant comparisons to nonhuman primate and human brain. FGFR1-3 gene expression was broadly distributed throughout the CNS in Mus musculus, with FGFR1 exhibiting the greatest heterogeneity. FGFR4 expression localized only in the medial habenula and subcommissural organ of mice. Likewise, Klb mRNA was restricted to the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCh) and select midbrain and hindbrain nuclei. ddPCR in the rodent hypothalamus confirmed that, although expression levels are indeed low for Klb, there is nonetheless a bonafide subpopulation of Klb+ cells in the hypothalamus. In NHP and human midbrain and hindbrain, Klb + cells are quite rare, as is expression of FGFR4. Collectively, these data provide the most robust central map of the FGFR/Klb system to date and highlight central regions that may be of critical importance to assess central ligand effects with pharmacological dosing, such as the putative interactions between the endocrine FGFs and FGFR1/Klb, or FGF19 with FGFR4.