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Quantitative imaging of sleep behavior in Caenorhabditis elegans and larval Drosophila melanogaster

Nature Protocols volume 14, pages 1455–1488 (2019)Cite this article

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Abstract

Sleep is nearly universal among animals, yet remains poorly understood. Recent work has leveraged simple model organisms, such as Caenorhabditis elegans and Drosophila melanogaster larvae, to investigate the genetic and neural bases of sleep. However, manual methods of recording sleep behavior in these systems are labor intensive and low in throughput. To address these limitations, we developed methods for quantitative imaging of individual animals cultivated in custom microfabricated multiwell substrates, and used them to elucidate molecular mechanisms underlying sleep. Here, we describe the steps necessary to design, produce, and image these plates, as well as analyze the resulting behavioral data. We also describe approaches for experimentally manipulating sleep. Following these procedures, after ~2 h of experimental preparation, we are able to simultaneously image 24 C. elegans from the second larval stage to adult stages or 20 Drosophila larvae during the second instar life stage at a spatial resolution of 10 or 27 µm, respectively. Although this system has been optimized to measure activity and quiescence in Caenorhabditis larvae and adults and in Drosophila larvae, it can also be used to assess other behaviors over short or long periods. Moreover, with minor modifications, it can be adapted for the behavioral monitoring of a wide range of small animals.

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Fig. 1: Protocol outline.
Fig. 2: Imaging system.
Fig. 3: Blue-light-stimulus assembly.
Fig. 4: Preparing and filling the WorMotel.
Fig. 5: WorMotel imaging setup.
Fig. 6: LarvaLodge imaging software setup.
Fig. 7: Closed-loop activation setup.
Fig. 8: Screenshots of image processing (WorMotel, part 1).
Fig. 9: Screenshots of image processing (WorMotel, part 2).
Fig. 10: Screenshots of LarvaLodge image processing.
Fig. 11: Sample data: UV and heat-shock (SIS with wild-type and rbr-2.
Fig. 12: Sample data: developmentally timed sleep with wild-type and rbr-2 worms.
Fig. 13: Sample data: activation of sleep-promoting neurons in fly larvae.

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Data availability

All code is included in the Supplementary Data. The sample data presented in this protocol are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

We thank P. McClanahan for assistance with the method for fabrication of flat WorMotel bases and for recording the video of pharyngeal pumping in the WorMotel. This work was supported by NIH grants K08NS090461 (M.S.K.), R01NS088432 (D.M.R. and C.F.-Y.), and R01NS084835 (C.F.-Y.); the Ellison Medical Foundation (C.F.-Y.); the European Commission Horizon 2020 program (C.F.-Y.); a Burroughs Wellcome Career Award for Medical Scientists (M.S.K.); a March of Dimes Basil O’Connor Scholar Award (M.S.K.); and a Sloan Research Fellowship (M.S.K.). K. Davis is a trainee in the NIH Translational Research Training Program (T32 ES019851, PI: T. Penning, Penn CEET).

Author information

Author notes

  1. These authors contributed equally: Matthew A. Churgin, Milan Szuperak, Kristen C. Davis.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Bioengineering, School of Engineering and Applied Science, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Matthew A. Churgin & Christopher Fang-Yen

  2. Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Milan Szuperak & Matthew S. Kayser

  3. Department of Neurology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Kristen C. Davis & David M. Raizen

  4. Center for Excellence in Environmental Toxicology (CEET), Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Kristen C. Davis

  5. Chronobiology Program, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    David M. Raizen & Matthew S. Kayser

  6. Center for Sleep and Circadian Neurobiology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    David M. Raizen & Matthew S. Kayser

  7. Department of Neuroscience, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Christopher Fang-Yen & Matthew S. Kayser

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Contributions

M.A.C., M.S., K.C.D., D.M.R., C.F.-Y., and M.S.K. were all involved with development of the protocol and the writing of the manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Matthew S. Kayser.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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Journal peer review information Nature Protocols thanks Henrik Bringmann and other anonymous reviewer(s) for their contribution to the peer review of this work.

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Related links

Key reference(s) using this protocol

Churgin, M. A. et al. Elife 6, e26652 (2017): https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.26652

Szuperak, M. et al. Elife 7, e33220 (2018): https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.33220

Integrated supplementary information

Supplementary Figure 1 Monitoring of second and third instar larvae.

The LarvaLodge can be used for long term behavioral experiments using 2nd instar larvae (green box) or short term using 3rd instars (red box). Scale bar = 5 mm.

Supplementary Figure 2 Preparing the LarvaLodge.

(a) Image of a LarvaLodge. Wells were filled with 3% agar, 2% sucrose medium. Well diameters are 11 mm across. (b) Magnified image of two wells after yeast paste was applied to the surface. Scale bar = 5 mm.

Supplementary Figure 3 UV treatment of worms.

To protect the untreated controls on the WorMotel, we use a combination of a piece of folded paper and aluminum foil tent. (a) Paper is used under the aluminum foil because UV rays could bounce off of aluminum foil alone and still reach worms underneath. The folded piece of paper fits on the WorMotel chip to cover as many rows of the chip as desired. (b) Side view shows how the folded piece fits down in between rows of wells to hold it securely in place. (c) View from above the chip of where the aluminum foil sits, folded to fit over the paper. (d) Side view of the placement of the aluminum foil tent. (e) View of the paper and aluminum foil from the open end; the aluminum foil tent fits over the paper loosely so that putting the aluminum foil tent on does not disrupt the paper.

Supplementary Figure 4 Image exposure range.

Examples of (a) optimally exposed, (b) overexposed, and (c) underexposed images of a WorMotel. Well centers are spaced 4.5 mm apart.

Supplementary information

Supplementary Text and Figures

Supplementary Figures 1–4

Reporting Summary

Supplementary Data

Supplementary Video 1

Continuous monitoring in a WorMotel of a single wild-type C. elegans hermaphrodite from the embryo stage to the adult stage. The newly hatched first-larval-stage animal is about 200 μm long, and the adult animal is about 1,000 μm long. The well diameter is 3.5 mm.

Supplementary Video 2

Monitoring pharyngeal pumping of a single adult C. elegans hermaphrodite by increasing the magnification. The adult worm is about 1,200 μm long.

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Churgin, M.A., Szuperak, M., Davis, K.C. et al. Quantitative imaging of sleep behavior in Caenorhabditis elegans and larval Drosophila melanogaster. Nat Protoc 14, 1455–1488 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41596-019-0146-6

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