allowing Protocols

Category: Primary Cell Isolation and Culture Protocols: Laser Capture Microdissection Protocols: Tissue Preparation for LCM Protocols

LCM isolates specific cells or tissues from samples mounted on microscope slides. The samples are viewed through a thermoplastic film that is attached to a microcentrifuge tube lid. Localized heat, caused by the application of a laser pulse, fuses the membrane to the cells of interest, which can then be harvested for further analysis. RNA and proteins can be purified from the isolated cells, allowing detailed analysis of gene expression. This protocol is divided into three stages. - [Read (LCM): Preparation and Sectioning of Frozen Tissue Blocks and Purification of RNA from Isolated Cel]

Category: Fungi Protocols: Fungi Genetics Protocols

Protocol describes a safe and convenient method of extracting DNA from Coccidioides immitis fungi in which the culture is killed by steaming, allowing removal from the containment facilities, as soon as possible. The method was first developed with the non-pathogen Neurospora crassa, has worked well for both C. immitis and H. capsulatum, and should be useful for extracting DNA from any pathogenic fungus. - [Read A Safe Method of Extracting DNA from Coccidioides immitis Protocol]

Category: Cell Biology and Cell Culture

This chemotaxis assay protocol is based on the premise of creating a gradient of the chemotactic agent and allowing cells to migrate through a membrane towards the chemotactic agent. A chemotaxis assay can determine whether your protein or small molecule of interest has chemotactic activity on a specific cell type. Chemotaxis is then the ability of a protein to direct the migration of a specific cell. - [Read Chemotaxis Assay Protocol]

Category: Plant Biology Protocols: Arabidopsis Genetics Protocols

Method is for preparing chromosomes from single flower buds of A. thaliana. It does not kill the plants allowing the determination of their chromosome number throughout development. Includes: Preparations of Arabidopsis; Preparation of Chromosome; Staining Chromosomes. - [Read Chromosome Spreads from Flower Buds of Arabidopsis thaliana Protocol]

Category: Cell Culture Protocols: Cell Staining Protocols

Counterstains are used to help differentiate the various cell types of subcellular structures seen in cell staining. They are essential for tissue sections, allowing the identification of the cell types, but also may be helpful in other staining reactions. - [Read Counterstains Protocol]

Category: Microscopy Protocols: Live-Cell Imaging Protocols

Specimen chambers have had many designs published over the years describing systems that offer excellent optical properties while allowing specimens to be maintained for varying amounts of time. Ranging in complexity from the simple preparation of a sealed coverslip on a microscope slide to sophisticated perfusion chambers that enable tight control of virtually all environmental variables culture chambers are designed to to allow living specimens to be observed with minimal invasion at high res. - [Read Culture Chambers for Live-Cell Imaging]

Category: RNAi Technology Protocols: RNAi Drosophila Protocols

Protocol describes how subcellular-sized particles are accelerated to high velocity to carry double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) into Drosophila embryos.  The major advantage of this procedure over microinjection (Microinjection of dsRNA into Drosophila Embryos) is that particle bombardment is easier and faster to perform.  In addition, the mechanical trauma received is far less than by microinjection, allowing better survival of embryos and fewer phenotypic artifacts. - [Read Delivery of dsRNA into Drosophila Embryos by Gene Gun Protocol]

Category: Plant Biology Protocols: Plant Proteins, Peptides and Antigens

Protocol describes a method for performing isoelectric fractionation of a maize embryo sample using a multicompartment electrolyzer(MCE). This prefractionation of proteins having pIs within a certain pH interval is essential for allowing high loads of protein to be resolved on narrow and ultra-narrow immobilized pH gradients used in 2D electrophoresis. The isoelectric membranes in the MCE act like isoelectric traps capturing all the protein species having pIs encompassing the pI value of each... - [Read Fractionation of Maize Embryo Proteins for 2-D Gel Electrophoresis Using Multicompartment Electrolyz]

Category: Chromatography Protocols: Affinity Chromatography Protocols

Protein complexes can be isolated by several different approaches.  For example, a protein can be tagged with an epitope such as Flag or TAP and then overexpressed in a target cell, allowing the interacting proteins to be purified.  Similarly, epitope tags can be homologously recombined into the endogenous locus ("knocked-in"), allowing protein complexes containing the tagged proteins to be isolated at their natural expression level. - [Read Overview of Affinity Purification in Combination with Mass Spectrometry Protocol]

Category: Cell Biology and Cell Culture: Flow Cytometry Protocols

Paraformaldehyde Fixation of Cells protocol. This fixation method is good for cells labeled by fluorochrome-conjugated antibodies to membrane antigens.  It will stabilize the light scatter and labeling for up to a week in most instances, allowing you to be more flexible in scheduling cytometer time.  Furthermore, it inactivates most biohazardous agents, so it is important from a safety standpoint as well. Iowa University. - [Read Paraformaldehyde Fixation of Cells]

Category: Primary Cell Isolation and Culture Protocols: Mammalian Cell Culture Protocols

Protocol to be used as reference to help standardization of both the isolation procedure and the quality of the cultures allowing a better comparison of the results obtained from different laboratories. - [Read Rat Chromaffin Cells Primary Cultures: Standardization and Quality Assessment for Single-Cell Assay]

Category: Neuroscience Protocols: Neuronal Stains Protocols

Protargol-S (silver proteinate) is used with the addition of copper metal.  The copper replaces the silver in the connective tissue, allowing a greater differentiation between the nerve fibers and the connective tissue.  The silver is reduced with hydroquinone to the visible metallic form.  The sections are toned with gold chloride, the gold chloride is reduced with oxalic acid, increasing the deposit of metallic gold on the sections. - [Read Staining of Nerve Fibers Protocol]

Category: Transfection Protocols: Transient Transfection Protocols

Transient transfection into 293T cells is a convenient way to overexpress and obtain both cellular and extracellular (secreted or membrane) proteins. 293 is a human renal epithelial cell line which is transformed by adenovirus E1A gene product. 293T is a derivative which also express SV40 large T antigen, allowing episomal replication of plasmids containing the SV40 origin and early promoter region. They (both) have the unusual property of being highly transfectable. - [Read Transient Transfection Into 293T Cells Protocol]