University of California, San Francisco

11 ARTICLES PUBLISHED IN JoVE

Biology

Assessing Signaling Properties of Ectodermal Epithelia During Craniofacial Development

¹Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of California San Francisco

This article describes a tissue transplantation technique that was designed to test the signaling and patterning properties of surface cephalic ectoderm during craniofacial development.

Neuroscience

In vivo Imaging of the Mouse Spinal Cord Using Two-photon Microscopy

Dimitrios Davalos¹, Katerina Akassoglou^1,2

¹Gladstone Institute of Neurological Disease, University of California, San Francisco , ²Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco

A minimally invasive protocol to stabilize the mouse spinal column and perform repetitive in vivo spinal cord imaging using two-photon microscopy is described. This method combines a spinal stabilization device and an anesthetic regimen to minimize respiratory-induced movements and produce raw imaging data that require no alignment or other post-processing.

Medicine

Creating Rigidly Stabilized Fractures for Assessing Intramembranous Ossification, Distraction Osteogenesis, or Healing of Critical Sized Defects

Yan-yiu Yu¹, Chelsea Bahney¹, Diane Hu¹, Ralph S. Marcucio¹, Theodore Miclau, III¹

¹Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of California, San Francisco

This article describes a method for stabilizing long bone fractures that is based on the application of modified Ilizarov external fixators ^1-3. After application of the fixators and creation of the bone injury, healing can be assessed, distraction osteogenesis can be performed, or non-union or critical sized defect can be created and used to study therapeutic interventions.

Biology

Synthesis of an In vivo MRI-detectable Apoptosis Probe

Justin Lam¹, Paul C. Simpson^2,3, Phillip C. Yang¹, Rajesh Dash¹

¹Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Medicine, Stanford University Medical Center, ²Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco , ³San Francisco VAMC

Early detection of apoptosis may identify at-risk cell populations in a variety of diseases. Here we demonstrate a method to link an early apoptosis-detection protein (Annexin V) to a MRI-detectable iron oxide nanoparticle (SPIO). This method may be extended to other proteins of interest to generate MRI-detectable molecular imaging probes.

Medicine

An Orthotopic Bladder Tumor Model and the Evaluation of Intravesical saRNA Treatment

Moo Rim Kang^*1, Glen Yang^*1, Klaus Charisse², Hila Epstein-Barash², Muthiah Manoharan², Long-Cheng Li¹

¹Department of Urology and Helen Diller Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, San Francisco , ²Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Establishing an orthotopic bladder tumor model to evaluate antitumor effects of intravesically delivered saRNA and monitoring tumor growth by ultrasound and bioluminescent imaging.

Medicine

Repair of a Critical-sized Calvarial Defect Model Using Adipose-derived Stromal Cells Harvested from Lipoaspirate

David D. Lo^*1,2, Jeong S. Hyun^*1,3, Michael T. Chung¹, Daniel T. Montoro¹, Andrew Zimmermann¹, Monica M. Grova^1,4, Min Lee⁵, Derrick C. Wan¹, Michael T. Longaker¹

¹Department of Surgery, Stanford University , ²Department of Surgery, Duke University , ³Department of Surgery, Saint Joseph Mercy Hospital, ⁴School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco , ⁵School of Dentistry, University of California, Los Angeles

This protocol describes the isolation of adipose-derived stromal cells from lipoaspirate and the creation of a 4 mm critical-sized calvarial defect to evaluate skeletal regeneration.

Biology

An Analytical Tool that Quantifies Cellular Morphology Changes from Three-dimensional Fluorescence Images

Carolina L. Haass-Koffler^1,2, Mohammad Naeemuddin¹, Selena E. Bartlett^1,3

¹Medications Development, Ernest Gallo Clinic and Research Center, University of California, San Francisco , ²Clinical Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, University of California, San Francisco , ³Translational Research Institute and the Institute for Health and Biomedical Innovation, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia

We developed a software platform that utilizes Imaris Neuroscience, ImarisXT and MATLAB to measure the changes in morphology of an undefined shape taken from three-dimensional confocal fluorescence of single cells. This novel approach can be used to quantify changes in cell shape following receptor activation and therefore represents a possible additional tool for drug discovery.

Neuroscience

Forebrain Electrophysiological Recording in Larval Zebrafish

Scott C. Baraban¹

¹Epilepsy Research Laboratory, Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco

A simple method to record extracellular field potentials in the larval zebrafish forebrain is described. The method provides a robust in vivo read-out of seizure-like activity. This technique can be used with genetically modified zebrafish larvae carrying epilepsy-related genes or seizures evoked by administration of convulsant drugs.

Biology

Isolation and Differentiation of Stromal Vascular Cells to Beige/Brite Cells

Ulrike Liisberg Aune^1,2,3, Lauren Ruiz¹, Shingo Kajimura¹

¹UCSF Diabetes Center and Department of Cell and Tissue Biology, University of California, San Francisco , ²Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Denmark, ³National Institute of Nutrition and Seafood Research, Bergen, Norway

Primary white preadipocytes isolated from white adipose tissues in mice can be differentiated into beige/brite cells. Presented here is a reliable cellular model system to study the molecular regulation of "browning" of white fat.

Bioengineering

Magnetically-Assisted Remote Controlled Microcatheter Tip Deflection under Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Steven W. Hetts¹, Maythem Saeed¹, Alastair Martin¹, Prasheel Lillaney¹, Aaron Losey², Erin Jeannie Yee¹, Ryan Sincic³, Loi Do¹, Lee Evans¹, Vincent Malba¹, Anthony F. Bernhardt¹, Mark W. Wilson¹, Anand Patel¹, Ronald L. Arenson⁴, Curtis Caton⁵, Daniel L. Cooke¹

¹Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, University of California, San Francisco , ²School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco , ³Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, UCSF Medical Center, ⁴University of California, San Francisco , ⁵Hansen Medical, Mountain View, CA

Current applied to an endovascular microcatheter with microcoil tip made by laser lathe lithography can achieve controllable deflections under magnetic resonance (MR) guidance, which may improve speed and efficacy of navigation of vasculature during various endovascular procedures.

Medicine

The Goeckerman Regimen for the Treatment of Moderate to Severe Psoriasis

Rishu Gupta^1,2, Maya Debbaneh^2,3, Daniel Butler^2,4, Monica Huynh^2,5, Ethan Levin², Argentina Leon², John Koo², Wilson Liao²

¹Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, ²Psoriasis and Skin Treatment Center Dermatology, University of California, San Francisco , ³University of California Irvine School of Medicine, ⁴University of Arizona College of Medicine, ⁵Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine

Psoriasis is a chronic, immune-mediated inflammatory skin disease. The Goeckerman regimen, formulated for the treatment of psoriasis, consists of exposure to ultraviolet B (UVB) light and application of crude coal tar (CCT). The following protocol is for the administration of Goeckerman therapy for the treatment of moderate-to-severe psoriasis.