title: Microfluidic self-assembly of live Drosophila embryos for versatile high-throughput analysis of embryonic morphogenesis.
abstract: A method for assembling Drosophila embryos in a microfluidic device was developed for studies of thermal perturbation of early embryonic development. Environmental perturbation is a complimentary method to injection of membrane-impermeable macromolecules for assaying genetic function and investigating robustness in complex biochemical networks. The development of a high throughput method for perturbing embryos would facilitate the isolation and mapping of signaling pathways. We immobilize Drosophila embryos inside a microfluidic device on minimal potential-energy wells created through surface modification, and thermally perturb these embryos using binary laminar flows of warm and cold solutions. We self-assemble embryos onto oil adhesive pads with an alcohol surfactant carrier fluid (detachment: 0.1 mL/min), and when the surfactant is removed, the embryo-oil adhesion increases to approximately 25 mL/min flow rates, which allows for high velocities required for sharp gradients of thermal binary flows. The microfluidic thermal profile was numerically characterized by simulation and experimentally characterized by fluorescence thermometry. The effects of thermal perturbation were observed to induce abnormal morphogenetic movements in live embryos by using time-lapse differential interference contrast (DIC) microscopy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, 1 University Station, ENS 12, Austin, TX 78712-0238, USA.
authors.forename: Gabriel T
authors.initials: GT
authors.lastname: Dagani
authors.forename: Kate
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Monzo
authors.forename: Jean R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Fakhoury
authors.forename: Chung-Chu
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: John C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Sisson
authors.forename: Xiaojing
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002138:Calibration; D003198:Computer Simulation; D004129:Dimethylpolysiloxanes / Q000737:chemistry; D004330:Drosophila / Q000166:cytology / Q000196:embryology*; D004625:Embryo, Nonmammalian; D004867:Equipment Design; D000431:Ethanol / Q000737:chemistry; D000432:Methanol / Q000737:chemistry; D046210:Microfluidic Analytical Techniques / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D009024:Morphogenesis; D009821:Oils / Q000737:chemistry; D011108:Polymers / Q000737:chemistry; D013500:Surface Tension; D013696:Temperature; D014867:Water / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D004129:Dimethylpolysiloxanes; D009821:Oils; D011108:Polymers; D014867:Water; D000431:Ethanol; D000432:Methanol