University of California at Davis

5 ARTICLES PUBLISHED IN JoVE

JoVE Core

Measurement of Bioelectric Current with a Vibrating Probe

¹Dermatology, University of California, Davis

The manufacture, calibration and use of non-invasive vibrating probes to measure bioelectric current in various biological systems is described.

Bioengineering

Electric Field-controlled Directed Migration of Neural Progenitor Cells in 2D and 3D Environments

Xiaoting Meng^*1, Wenfei Li^*2,3, Fraser Young¹, Runchi Gao³, Laura Chalmers³, Min Zhao³, Bing Song¹

¹School of Dentistry, Cardiff Institute of Tissue Engineering & Repair, Cardiff University , ²Shandong Qianfoshan Hospital, Shandong University School of Medicine, ³Dermatology and Ophthalmology Research, Institute for Regenerative Cures, University of California at Davis

This protocol demonstrates methods used to establish 2D and 3D environments in custom-designed electrotactic chambers, which can track cells in vivo/ex vivo using time-lapse recording at the single cell level, in order to investigate galvanotaxis/electrotaxis and other cellular responses to direct current (DC) electric fields (EFs).

Biology

Measurement of Extracellular Ion Fluxes Using the Ion-selective Self-referencing Microelectrode Technique

Guillaume Luxardi¹, Brian Reid¹, Fernando Ferreira^1,2, Pauline Maillard³, Min Zhao^1,4

¹Department of Dermatology, Institute for Regenerative Cures, University of California, Davis, ²Departamento de Biologia, Centro de Biologia Molecular e Ambiental, Universidade do Minho, ³Department of Neurology and Center for Neuroscience, University of California, Davis Imaging of Dementia and Aging Laboratory, ⁴Department of Ophthalmology, Institute for Regenerative Cures, University of California, Davis

Transporters in cell membranes allow differential segregation of ions across cell membranes or cell layers and play crucial roles during tissue physiology, repair and pathology. We describe the ion-selective self-referencing microelectrode that allows the measurement of specific ion fluxes at single cells and tissues in vivo.

Immunology and Infection

Evaluation of Zika Virus-specific T-cell Responses in Immunoprivileged Organs of Infected Ifnar1^-/- Mice

Yongli Zhang^*1,2, Hangjie Zhang^*2, Wenqiang Ma^*3, Kefang Liu^1,2, Min Zhao⁴, Yingze Zhao², Xuancheng Lu⁵, Fuping Zhang⁶, Xiangdong Li³, George F. Gao^1,2,4,6, William J. Liu^1,2

¹School of Laboratory Medicine and Life Sciences, Wenzhou Medical University, ²NHC Key Laboratory of Medical Virology and Viral Diseases, National Institute for Viral Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, ³State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology, College of Biological Sciences, China Agricultural University, ⁴Research Network of Immunity and Health (RNIH), Beijing Institutes of Life Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, ⁵Laboratory Animal Center, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, ⁶CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences

A protocol to evaluate antigen-specific T-cell responses in the immunoprivileged organs of the Ifnar1^-/- murine model for the Zika virus (ZIKV) infection is described. This method is pivotal for investigating the cellular mechanisms of the protection and immunopathogenesis of ZIKV vaccines and is also valuable for their efficacy evaluation.

Environment

An Optimized Rhizobox Protocol to Visualize Root Growth and Responsiveness to Localized Nutrients

Jennifer E. Schmidt¹, Carolyn Lowry², Amelie C.M. Gaudin¹

¹Department of Plant Sciences, University of California at Davis, ²Department of Natural Resources and the Environment, University of New Hampshire

Visualizing and measuring root growth in situ is extremely challenging. We present a customizable rhizobox method to track root development and proliferation over time in response to nutrient enrichment. This method is used to analyze maize genotypic differences in root plasticity in response to an organic nitrogen source.