Japan Science and Technology Agency

4 ARTICLES PUBLISHED IN JoVE

Biology

Long-term, High-resolution Confocal Time Lapse Imaging of Arabidopsis Cotyledon Epidermis during Germination

Kylee M. Peterson¹, Keiko U. Torii^1,2,3

¹Department of Biology, University of Washington, ²Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Washington, ³PRESTO, Japan Science and Technology Agency

We describe a protocol using chamber slides and media to immobilize plant cotyledons for confocal imaging of the epidermis over several days of development, documenting stomatal differentiation. Fluorophore-tagged proteins can be tracked dynamically by expression and subcellular localization, increasing understanding of their possible roles during cell division and cell-type differentiation.

Bioengineering

Photopatterning Proteins and Cells in Aqueous Environment Using TiO₂ Photocatalysis

Hideaki Yamamoto^1,2, Takanori Demura³, Kohei Sekine³, Sho Kono³, Michio Niwano^2,4, Ayumi Hirano-Iwata^2,5, Takashi Tanii⁶

¹Frontier Research Institute for Interdisciplinary Sciences, Tohoku University, ²CREST, Japan Science and Technology Agency, ³School of Fundamental Science and Engineering, Waseda University, ⁴Research Institute of Electrical Communication, Tohoku University, ⁵Graduate School of Biomedical Engineering, Tohoku University, ⁶Faculty of Science and Engineering, Waseda University

We describe a protocol for modifying cell affinity of a scaffold surface in aqueous environment. The method takes advantage of titanium dioxide photocatalysis to decompose organic film in the photo-irradiated region. We show that it can be used to create microdomains of scaffolding proteins, both ex situ and in situ.

Engineering

Capillary-based Centrifugal Microfluidic Device for Size-controllable Formation of Monodisperse Microdroplets

Masamune Morita¹, Hitoyoshi Yamashita^1,2, Masayuki Hayakawa¹, Hiroaki Onoe³, Masahiro Takinoue^1,4

¹Department of Computational Intelligence and Systems Science, Interdisciplinary Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Tokyo Institute of Technology, ²Graduate School of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, ³Department of Mechanical Engineering, Keio University, ⁴PRESTO, Japan Science and Technology Agency

Here, we demonstrate a simple production method for size-controllable, monodisperse, water-in-oil (W/O) microdroplets using a capillary-based centrifugal microfluidic device. This method requires only a small sample volume and enables high-yield production. We expect this method will be useful for rapid biochemical and cellular analyses.

Chemistry

Self-Assembly of Hybrid Lipid Membranes Doped with Hydrophobic Organic Molecules at the Water/Air Interface

Xingyao Feng¹, Teng Ma², Daisuke Tadaki¹, Ayumi Hirano-Iwata^1,2

¹Research Institute of Electrical Communication, Tohoku University, ²Advanced Institute for Materials Research, Tohoku University

We report a protocol for producing a hybrid lipid membrane at the water/air interface by doping the lipid bilayer with copper (II) 2,9,16,23-tetra-tert-butyl-29H,31H-phthalocyanine (CuPc) molecules. The resulting hybrid lipid membrane has a lipid/CuPc/lipid sandwich structure. This protocol can also be applied to the formation of other functional nanomaterials.