Kyushu University

5 ARTICLES PUBLISHED IN JoVE

Bioengineering

Perfusable Vascular Network with a Tissue Model in a Microfluidic Device

Yuji Nashimoto¹, Yukako Teraoka¹, Ramin Banan Sadeghian¹, Akiko Nakamasu², Yuichiro Arima³, Sanshiro Hanada³, Hidetoshi Kotera¹, Koichi Nishiyama³, Takashi Miura², Ryuji Yokokawa¹

¹Department of Micro Engineering, Kyoto University, ²Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, ³International Research Center for Medical Sciences (IRCMS), Kumamoto University

The protocol describes how to engineer a perfusable vascular network in a spheroid. The spheroid's surrounding microenvironment is devised to induce angiogenesis and connect the spheroid to the microchannels in a microfluidic device. The method allows the perfusion of the spheroid, which is a long-awaited technique in three-dimensional cultures.

Chemistry

Novel Techniques for Observing Structural Dynamics of Photoresponsive Liquid Crystals

Masaki Hada¹, Shohei Saito², Ryuma Sato³, Kiyoshi Miyata⁴, Yasuhiko Hayashi¹, Yasuteru Shigeta³, Ken Onda⁴

¹Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University, ²Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, ³Center for Computational Sciences, University of Tsukuba, ⁴Graduate School of Science, Kyushu University

Here, we present the protocols of differential-detection analyses of time-resolved infrared vibrational spectroscopy and electron diffraction which enable observations of the deformations of local structures around photoexcited molecules in a columnar liquid crystal, giving an atomic perspective on the relationship between the structure and the dynamics of this photoactive material.

Environment

Xylem Water Distribution in Woody Plants Visualized with a Cryo-scanning Electron Microscope

Kenichi Yazaki¹, Mayumi Y. Ogasa², Katsushi Kuroda³, Yasuhiro Utsumi⁴, Peter Kitin⁵, Yuzou Sano⁶

¹Department of Plant Ecology, Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute (FFPRI), ²Kansai Research Center, Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute (FFPRI), ³Department of Wood Properties and Processing, Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute (FFPRI), ⁴Faculty of Agriculture, Kyushu University, ⁵Department of Bacteriology, University of Wisconsin, ⁶Research Faculty of Agriculture, Hokkaido University

Observing the water distribution within the xylem provides significant information regarding water flow dynamics in woody plants. In this study, we demonstrate the practical approach to observe xylem water distribution in situ by using a cryostat and cryo-SEM, which eliminates artifactual changes in the water status during sample preparation.

Biology

The Large-Scale Cultivation of Nematodes to Study Their Collective Behaviors

Ryuki Imamura^*1, Yurina Nakane^*1, Hu Jiajing¹, Hiroshi Ito², Takuma Sugi¹

¹Program of Biomedical Science, Graduate School of Integrated Sciences for Life, Hiroshima University, ²Faculty of Design, Kyushu University

Here, a system is reported for studying the collective behaviors of nematodes by culturing them in bulk using dog food agar medium. This system allows researchers to propagate large numbers of dauer worms and can be applied to Caenorhabditis elegans and other related species.

Immunology and Infection

Engineering of Human Blood-Induced Microglia-like Cells for Reverse-Translational Brain Research

Sota Kyuragi^*1, Shogo Inamine^*1, Masahiro Ohgidani^1,2, Takahiro A. Kato¹

¹Department of Neuropsychiatry, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, ²Department of Functional Anatomy and Neuroscience, Asahikawa Medical University

This study delineates a novel approach for the establishment of human monocyte-derived microglia-like (iMG) cells that enable the indirect assessment of brain inflammation. This presents a cellular model that may be beneficial to research focusing on potential inflammation of the brain and associated neuropsychiatric disorders.