Manual measurement and manipulation of the cell surface requires access to the cells, usually in an open chamber. Temperature-controlled chambers or stage inserts are preferred for maintaining physiological activity during the experiment. For example, heated culture dishes with coverslip glass bottoms (Bioptechs) permit high-resolution fluorescence microscopy of living cells during force application. - [Read Chambers for Examination of Live Cells under Mechanical Stress Protocol]
Cryogenic preservation (storage below -100°C) of cell cultures is widely used to maintain backups or reserves of cells without the associated effort and expense of feeding and caring for them. The success of the freezing process depends on four critical areas: Proper handling and gentle harvesting of the cultures; Correct use of the cryoprotective agent; A controlled rate of freezing; Storage under proper cryogenic conditions. - [Read Cryogenic Preservation and Storage of Animal Cells Protocol]
This protocol describes a method for constant-flow microinjection using the Pneumatic PicoPump (World Precision Instruments). This type of system is very simple and can be assembled on a relatively low budget. In this method, a constant flow of sample is delivered from the tip of the pipette, and the amount of sample injected into the cell is determined by how long the pipette remains in the cell. - [Read Gene Delivery by Direct Injection (Microinjection) Using a Controlled-Flow System Protocol]
This protocol describes a method for pulsed-flow microinjection using the Eppendorf FemtoJet injector and Eppendorf InjectMan; this is the most common type of pulsed-flow microinjection system currently being used. The advantage of this type of system over a controlled-flow system is that much more control is available over the injection parameters, reducing variability in injections. In addition, the system allows a diagonal insertion of the needle into the cell. - [Read Gene Delivery by Direct Injection (Microinjection) Using a Pulsed-Flow System Protocol]
The more commonly available single-laser cytometers can also be used to measure multicellular conjugates, but due to overlaps in emission spectra, the extent of labeling cells with fluorophores must be controlled much more carefully when the single-laser machines are used. This protocol describes the labeling of cells and analysis of conjugates with either dual-laser or single laser flow cytometers. - [Read Measurement of Intercellular Conjugates by Flow Cytometry Protocol]
Legal responsibilities, Recognition and treatment of pain, Anesthetic monitoring, stages and planes of general anesthesia, injecting, inhalation, species-specific, anesthetic emergencies, controlled substances. Marilyn J. Brown UCSB - [Read Principles of Anesthesia and Analgesia: ESSENTIALS FOR ANIMAL RESEARCH]
Protocol for slide preparation for cytogenetics. Includes: Improved cell recovery by microcentrifugation; Slide storage; "Controlled" chromosome spreading; Dropping cells from a height does not improve spreading; GTG-banding. - [Read Slide Preparation for Cytogenetics Protocol]
Fixation can mask epitopes. However, it is often possible to re-expose them using a gentle incubation with proteases, which removes obstructing structures and allows antibody access, as described here. Many proteases can be used for this procedure, including very crude preparations of proteases, such as pronase. However, using a better-characterized protease, such as trypsin, allows a more controlled reaction and better comparison between experiments. - [Read Unmasking Hidden Epitopes with Proteases Protocol]