(C) Surviving hair cells like a function of exposure/post-exposure time. min of exposure SecinH3 to SecinH3 the ototoxic antibiotic neomycin. The number of macrophages in the near SecinH3 vicinity of hurt neuromasts was related to that observed near uninjured neuromasts, suggesting that this early inflammatory response was mediated by local macrophages. Upon entering injured neuromasts, macrophages actively phagocytosed hair cell debris. The injury-evoked migration of macrophages was significantly reduced by inhibition of Src-family kinases. Using chemical-genetic ablation of macrophages before the ototoxic injury, we also examined whether macrophages were essential for the initiation of hair cell regeneration. Results revealed only small differences in hair cell recovery in macrophage-depleted vs. control fish, suggesting that macrophages are not essential for the regeneration of lateral collection hair cells. promoter (i.e., in macrophages and microgliaEllett et al., 2011; Roca and Ramakrishnan, 2013; Svahn et al., 2013). Studies of hair cell regeneration used double transgenic fish, which communicate the Gal4 transcriptional activator driven Rabbit Polyclonal to IL-2Rbeta (phospho-Tyr364) from the macrophage-specific promoter and the gene for the bacterial enzyme nitroreductase fused to mCherry under the regulation of the Gal4-specific UAS enhancer sequence. Adult zebrafish were managed at 27C29C and housed in the Washington University or college Zebrafish Facility. Fertile eggs and larvae were managed in embryo medium (EM: 15 mM NaCl, 0.5 mM KCl, 1 mM CaCl2, 1 mM MgSO4, 0.15 mM KH2PO4, 0.042 mM Na2HPO4, 0.714mM NaHCO3; Westerfield, 2000) and, beginning at 5 days post-fertilization (dpf), were fed rotifers daily. At the end of the experiments, fish were euthanized SecinH3 by quick chilling to 4C. Ototoxic Ablation of Neuromast Hair Cells With Neomycin Lateral collection hair cells were lesioned by incubating fish in the ototoxic antibiotic neomycin (e.g., Harris et al., 2003). Groups of larval fish were placed in 25 mm baskets (Corning Cell Strainer, ~20C30 fish/basket) and transferred into 30 ml EM that contained 100 M neomycin (SigmaCAldrich). Depending on the specific experiment, fish were treated in neomycin for 90 sC30 min and were then either euthanized and fixed or rinsed 3 by immersion in 30 ml EM and managed for an additional 1C48 h. Annexin V Labeling Dying cells transport phosphatidylserine (PtS) to their external membrane surfaces and such cells can be labeled by treatment with annexin V. Fish were incubated in EM that contained Alexa 555 conjugated annexin V (Thermo Fisher Scientific, diluted 1:100) and neomycin was added to the water for a final concentration of 100 M. Fish were euthanized and fixed after 90 sC10 min of neomycin exposure and prepared for microscopy as explained below. Treatment With SFK Inhibitor To examine the influence of inhibiting Src-family kinases within the macrophage response to ototoxic injury, fish were treated in PP2, an inhibitor of Src kinases SecinH3 (Caymen Chemical, 20 M). A 20 mM stock solution was prepared in DMSO and diluted 1:1,000 in EM. Control specimens were managed in parallel in 0.1% DMSO. Fish were treated in these press for 60 min (at 28.5C) and then received 100 M neomycin. Selective Depletion of Macrophages The influence of macrophages on hair cell regeneration was examined using transgenic fish. Macrophages were eliminated incubation for 24 h in 10 mM metronidazole (MTZ, SigmaCAldrich, with 0.1% DMSO). Settings in these studies were fish of the same genotype but incubated 24 h in 0.1% DMSO alone. Immunohistochemical Labeling Fish were fixed over night in 4% paraformaldehyde (in 0.1 M phosphate buffer, pH = 7.4) at 4C. The next day, fish were thoroughly rinsed in PBS, and nonspecific antibody binding was clogged by treatment for 2 h in 5% normal horse serum (NHS) in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) with 1% Triton X-100. This was followed by incubation.