University of Texas at Arlington

8 ARTICLES PUBLISHED IN JoVE

Biology

An Introduction to Worm Lab: from Culturing Worms to Mutagenesis

Jyotiska Chaudhuri^*1, Manish Parihar^*1, Andre Pires-daSilva¹

¹Department of Biology, University of Texas at Arlington

Screening for mutants with phenotypic defects is a straightforward method for identifying genes that function in a given biological process. In this article we describe how to culture free living worms (e.g., Pristionchus pacificus) in the laboratory and show two different mutagenesis methods, EMS and TMP/UV.

Bioengineering

Patterning Bioactive Proteins or Peptides on Hydrogel Using Photochemistry for Biological Applications

Taylor B. Dorsey^1,2,3, Alexander Grath^1,2, Cancan Xu⁴, Yi Hong⁴, Guohao Dai^1,2,3

¹Department of Biomedical Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, ²Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, ³Department of Bioengineering, Northeastern University, ⁴Department of Bioengineering, University of Texas at Arlington

In this method, we use photopolymerization and click chemistry techniques to create protein or peptide patterns on the surface of polyethylene glycol (PEG) hydrogels, providing immobilized bioactive signals for the study of cellular responses in vitro.

Medicine

Skeletal Muscle Neurovascular Coupling, Oxidative Capacity, and Microvascular Function with 'One Stop Shop' Near-infrared Spectroscopy

Ryan Rosenberry¹, Susie Chung¹, Michael D. Nelson¹

¹Applied Physiology and Advanced Imaging Laboratory, Department of Kinesiology, University of Texas at Arlington

Here, we describe a simple, non-invasive approach using near-infrared spectroscopy to assess reactive hyperemia, neurovascular coupling and skeletal muscle oxidative capacity in a single clinic or laboratory visit.

Bioengineering

Light-sheet Fluorescence Microscopy to Capture 4-Dimensional Images of the Effects of Modulating Shear Stress on the Developing Zebrafish Heart

Victoria Messerschmidt^*1, Zachary Bailey^*1, Kyung In Baek², Yichen Ding², Jeffrey J. Hsu², Richard Bryant¹, Rongsong Li³, Tzung K. Hsiai², Juhyun Lee¹

¹Department of Bioengineering, The University of Texas at Arlington, ²Department of Medicine (Cardiology) and Bioengineering, UCLA, ³College of Health Science and Environmental Engineering, Shenzhen Technology University

Here, we present a protocol to visualize developing hearts in zebrafish in 4-Dimensions (4-D). 4-D imaging, via light-sheet fluorescence microscopy (LSFM), takes 3-Dimensional (3-D) images over time, to reconstruct developing hearts. We show qualitatively and quantitatively that shear stress activates endocardial Notch signaling during chamber development, which promotes cardiac trabeculation.

Bioengineering

Light-sheet Fluorescence Microscopy for the Study of the Murine Heart

Yichen Ding¹, Zachary Bailey², Victoria Messerschmidt², Jun Nie³, Richard Bryant², Sandra Rugonyi⁴, Peng Fei³, Juhyun Lee^1,2, Tzung K. Hsiai¹

¹Department of Bioengineering, University of California Los Angeles, ²Department of Bioengineering, University of Texas at Arlington, ³School of Optical and Electronic Information, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, ⁴Department of Biomedical Engineering, OSHU

This study uses a dual-sided illumination light-sheet fluorescence microscopy (LSFM) technique combined with optical clearing to study the murine heart.

Biology

Generating Transposon Insertion Libraries in Gram-Negative Bacteria for High-Throughput Sequencing

Misha I. Kazi¹, Richard D. Schargel¹, Joseph M. Boll¹

¹Department of Biology, University of Texas at Arlington

We describe a method to generate saturating transposon mutant libraries in Gram-negative bacteria and subsequent preparation of DNA amplicon libraries for high-throughput sequencing. As an example, we focus on the ESKAPE pathogen, Acinetobacter baumannii, but this protocol is amenable to a wide range of Gram-negative organisms.

Bioengineering

Synthesis of Strong Adhesive Hydrogel, Gelatin O-Nitrosobenzaldehyde

Yuelong Liang^*1,2, Zhengze Huang^*1, Yi Zhang^*3,4, Yi Hong^3,4, Qijiang Mao^1,2,5, Xu Feng¹

¹Department of General Surgery, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, ²Zhejiang Province Medical Research Center of Minimally Invasive Diagnosis and Treatment of Abdominal Diseases, ³Dr. Li Dak Sum & Yip Yio Chin Center for Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine, Department of Orthopedic Surgery of the Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, ⁴Zhejiang University-University of Edinburgh Institute, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Key Laboratory of Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, ⁵Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Laparoscopic Technology

The protocol presented here shows the synthesis of a strong adhesive hydrogel gelatin o-nitrosobenzaldehyde (gelatin-NB). Gelatin-NB has rapid and efficient tissue adhesion ability, which can form a strong physical barrier to protect wound surfaces, so it is expected to be applied to the field of injury repair biotechnology.

Neuroscience

Electromagnetic Source Imaging in Presurgical Evaluation of Children with Drug-Resistant Epilepsy

Ludovica Corona^1,2, Sakar Rijal^1,2, Omer Tanritanir¹, Sadra Shahdadian^1,2, Cynthia G. Keator¹, Linh Tran¹, Saleem I. Malik¹, Madhan Bosemani¹, Daniel Hansen¹, Dave Shahani¹, M. Scott Perry¹, Christos Papadelis^1,2,3

¹Neuroscience Research Center, Jane and John Justin Institute for Mind Health, Cook Children’s Health Care System, ²Department of Bioengineering, University of Texas at Arlington, ³Burnett School of Medicine, Texas Christian University

Magnetoencephalography (MEG) and high-density electroencephalography (HD-EEG) are rarely recorded simultaneously, although they yield confirmatory and complementary information. Here, we illustrate the experimental setup for recording simultaneous MEG and HD-EEG and the methodology for analyzing these data aiming to localize epileptogenic and eloquent brain areas in children with drug-resistant epilepsy.