University of Akron

4 ARTICLES PUBLISHED IN JoVE

Bioengineering

Expression, Isolation, and Purification of Soluble and Insoluble Biotinylated Proteins for Nerve Tissue Regeneration

Aleesha M. McCormick¹, Natalie A. Jarmusik¹, Elizabeth J. Endrizzi¹, Nic D. Leipzig¹

¹Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Akron

Developing biotinylatable fusion proteins has many potential applications in various fields of research. Recombinant protein engineering is a straight forward procedure that is cost-effective, providing high yields of custom-designed proteins.

Education

Application of Design Aspects in Uniaxial Loading Machine Development

Robert P. Thoerner¹, Jonathan D. King¹, Marnie M. Saunders¹

¹Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Akron

Here we present a protocol to develop a pure uniaxial loading machine. Critical design aspects are employed to ensure accurate and reproducible testing results.

JoVE Journal

A Model Membrane Platform for Reconstituting Mitochondrial Membrane Dynamics

Yifan Ge¹, Sivakumar Boopathy¹, Adam Smith², Luke H. Chao^1,3

¹Department of Molecular Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital, ²Department of Chemistry, University of Akron, ³Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School

Mitochondrial fusion is an important homeostatic reaction underlying mitochondrial dynamics. Described here is an in vitro reconstitution system to study mitochondrial inner-membrane fusion that can resolve membrane tethering, docking, hemifusion, and pore opening. The versatility of this approach in exploring cell membrane systems is discussed.

Chemistry

Depolymerizable Olefinic Polymers Based on Fused-Ring Cyclooctene Monomers

Devavrat Sathe¹, Junfeng Zhou¹, Hanlin Chen¹, Junpeng Wang¹

¹School of Polymer Science and Polymer Engineering, University of Akron

Here, we describe protocols for the preparation of trans-cyclobutane fused cyclooctenes (tCBCO), their polymerization to prepare depolymerizable olefinic polymers, and the depolymerization of these polymers under mild conditions. Additionally, protocols for the preparation of depolymerizable networks and compression molding of rigid linear plastics based on this system are described.