Time-lapse imaging of Drosophila testis for monitoring actin dynamics and sperm release.

Here we describe a simple step-by-step protocol for collecting high-resolution, time-lapse images of intact Drosophila testis ex vivo for a limited period using a confocal microscope, with minimum photo-toxic damage, to monitor spermatid individualization, coiling, and release. The F-actin dynamics during spermatid morphogenesis can be further investigated through laser ablations, Fluorescence-Recovery-After-Photobleaching, and drug treatments, using this protocol. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Dubey et al. (2016), Dubey et al. (2019), and Kapoor et al. (2021).