Lipoplex (cationic liposome-DNA complex) is formed via electrostatic interaction of anionic nucleic acids with cationic liposomes. A thin film of lipids is dried on the bottom of a glass tube and rehydrated in an aqueous solution. The resulting liposome suspension is passed through polycarbonate filters of desired pore size. This protocol also describes the preparation, physical properties, and biological activity of liposome-polycation-DNA (LPD) nanoparticles. - [Read Lipoplex and LPD Nanoparticles for In Vivo Gene Delivery Protocol]
The cell-attached capacitance recording technique is a powerful technique that has been successfully used to resolve single vesicle fusion and fusion pore conductance. This technique, however, has not been applied to synapses because of the difficulty in accessing release sites. Here, we developed a technique to expose release sites in a large nerve terminal, the calyx of Held, which contains clear-core glutamatergic vesicles. - [Read The Cell Attached Capacitance Recording Technique]
DNA microarrays are an ordered arrangement of DNA molecules complementary to genes of interest that are "spotted" by robotic equipment onto a glass slide substrate. The expression of genes in cells can be monitored with microarrays by preparing cDNA from the mRNA of cells of interest and measuring the hybridization to the microarray. This protocol describes the labeling of genomic DNA for use as a probe for hybridization to the cDNA spotted on the array.