University Hospital of Cologne

3 ARTICLES PUBLISHED IN JoVE

Immunology and Infection

Murine Model of CD40-activation of B cells

Tanja M. Liebig¹, Anne Fiedler¹, Nela Klein-Gonzalez¹, Alexander Shimabukuro-Vornhagen¹, Michael von Bergwelt-Baildon¹

¹Laboratory for Tumor and Transplantation Immunology, Department I of Internal Medicine, University Hospital of Cologne

In this video, we demonstrate the procedure of CD40-activation and expansion of murine B cells from splenocytes of C57BL/6 mice, which can be used as a model antigen-presenting cell (APC) to study induction of immunity.

Preparation of Acute Myocardial Tissue Slices from Biopsies of Human Neonates and Infants with Congenital Heart Disease for Physiological Measurements

Moritz Haustein¹, Rewa Nazzal¹, Jan Trieschmann², Gerardus Bennink³, Juergen Hescheler², Frank Pillekamp⁴, Tobias Hannes^1,5

¹Department of Pediatric Cardiology, University Hospital of Cologne, ²Institute for Neurophysiology, University of Cologne, ³Department of Cardio-thoracic Surgery, University Hospital of Cologne, ⁴Department of General Pediatrics, Neonatology and Pediatric Cardiology, University Children's Hospital, Heinrich Heine University, ⁵Children's Hospital for Wales, University Hospital of Wales

Cardiac slices are a unique model for cardiovascular research and bridge the gap between single-cell and whole-heart models. This protocol describes the preparation of viable cardiac slices from myocardial tissue samples excised during surgery for congenital heart disease.

Developmental Biology

Visualizing the Node and Notochordal Plate In Gastrulating Mouse Embryos Using Scanning Electron Microscopy and Whole Mount Immunofluorescence

Cally Xiao^1,2,3, Frank Nitsche⁴, Hisham Bazzi^2,3

¹Graduate Program in Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, University of Cologne, ²Department of Dermatology and Venereology, University Hospital of Cologne, ³Cologne Cluster of Excellence in Cellular Stress Responses in Aging-Associated Diseases (CECAD), University of Cologne, ⁴Department of General Ecology, Institute for Zoology, Biocenter Cologne, University of Cologne

The node and notochordal plate are transient signaling organizers in developing mouse embryos that can be visualized using several techniques. Here, we describe in detail how to perform two of the techniques to study their structure and morphogenesis: 1) scanning electron microscopy (SEM); and 2) whole mount immunofluorescence (WMIF).