New Mexico State University

4 ARTICLES PUBLISHED IN JoVE

Biology

RNAi-mediated Gene Knockdown and In Vivo Diuresis Assay in Adult Female Aedes aegypti Mosquitoes

Lisa L. Drake¹, David P. Price², Sarah E. Aguirre¹, Immo A. Hansen¹

¹Biology Department, New Mexico State University, ²Molecular Biology Department, New Mexico State University

In this protocol we combine RNAi-mediated gene silencing with an in vivo diuresis assay to study the effects knockdown of genes of interest has on mosquito fluid excretion.

Biology

Depletion of Ribosomal RNA for Mosquito Gut Metagenomic RNA-seq

Phanidhar Kukutla¹, Matthew Steritz¹, Jiannong Xu¹

¹Department of Biology, New Mexico State University

A ribosomal RNA (rRNA) depletion protocol was developed to enrich messenger RNA (mRNA) for RNA-seq of the mosquito gut metatranscriptome. Sample specific rRNA probes, which were used to remove rRNA via subtraction, were created from the mosquito and its gut microbes. Performance of the protocol can result in the removal of approximately 90-99% of rRNA.

Biology

Fat Body Organ Culture System in Aedes Aegypti, a Vector of Zika Virus

Hae-Na Chung¹, Stacy D. Rodriguez¹, Victoria K. Carpenter², Julia Vulcan¹, C. Donovan Bailey¹, Madhugiri Nageswara-Rao¹, Yiyi Li³, Geoffrey M. Attardo⁴, Immo A. Hansen^1,5

¹Department of Biology, New Mexico State University, ²Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University, ³Department of Computer Sciences, New Mexico State University, ⁴Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, Yale School of Public Health, ⁵Institute of Applied Biosciences, New Mexico State University

The fat body is the central metabolic organ in insects. We present a live organ culture system that enables the user to study the responses of isolated fat body tissue to various stimuli.

Rapid Formation and Testing of Self-expanding NiTi Frames with a Small Form Factor Suitable for Minimally Invasive Implants

Seyedhamidreza Alaie¹, Jesus Eduardo Mata De la O², Subhi J. Al'Aref³

¹Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, New Mexico State University, ²Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, New Mexico State University, ³Department of Internal Medicine - Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences

This work illustrates a low-cost fabrication technique for shape-setting nitinol wires/frames with a small form factor using sacrificial fixtures. The technique is demonstrated for the fabrication of self-expanding frames designed for minimally invasive implants with complex shapes.