Gladstone Institutes
2 ARTICLES PUBLISHED IN JoVE
Immunology and Infection
Measuring Physiological Responses of Drosophila Sensory Neurons to Lipid Pheromones Using Live Calcium Imaging
Shruti Shankar 1,2, Meredith E.K. Calvert 3,4, Joanne Y. Yew 1,2,5
1Temasek Life Sciences Laboratory, 2Department of Biological Science, National University of Singapore, 3Bioimaging and Biocomputing Facility, Temasek Life Sciences Laboratory, 4Histology and Light Microscopy Core, Gladstone Institutes, 5Pacific Biosciences Research Center, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa
The forelegs and proboscis of Drosophila contain a rich repertoire of gustatory sensory neurons. Here, we present a method using calcium imaging to measure physiological responses from sensory neurons in the foreleg and proboscis of live flies upon exogenous application of a gustatory pheromone.
Bioengineering
Engineering and Characterization of an Optogenetic Model of the Human Neuromuscular Junction
Martin Liberman 1, Miguel Chavez 1, Trevor R. Nash 1,2, Olaia F. Vila 1,3, Gordana Vunjak-Novakovic 1,2,4
1Department of Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University, 2Department of Medicine, Columbia University, 3Gladstone Institutes, 4College of Dental Medicine, Columbia University
We describe a reproducible, automated, and unbiased imaging system for characterizing neuromuscular junction function using human engineered skeletal muscle tissue and optogenetic motoneurons. This system allows for the functional quantification of neuromuscular connectivity over time and detects diminished neuromuscular function caused by neurotoxins and myasthenia gravis patient serum.
