California State University, Northridge View Institution's Website 3 articles published in JoVE Biology A Simple Method for Isolation of Soybean Protoplasts and Application to Transient Gene Expression Analyses Faqiang Wu1, Yoshie Hanzawa1 1Department of Biology, California State University, Northridge We developed a simple and efficient protocol for the preparation of large quantities of soybean protoplasts to study complex regulatory and signaling mechanisms in live cells. Neuroscience Analysis of Trunk Neural Crest Cell Migration using a Modified Zigmond Chamber Assay Christopher C. Walheim1, Juan Pablo Zanin2, Maria Elena de Bellard1 1Department of Biology, California State University, Northridge, 2Centro de Biología Celular y Molecular, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba An approach to analyze the migration of explanted cells (trunk neural crest cells) is described. This method is inexpensive, gentle, and capable of distinguishing chemotaxis from both chemokinesis and other influences on migratory polarity such as those derived from cell-cell interactions within the primary trunk neural crest cell culture. Biology RNAi Mediated Gene Knockdown and Transgenesis by Microinjection in the Necromenic Nematode Pristionchus pacificus Jessica K. Cinkornpumin1, Ray L. Hong1 1Biology Department, California State University In model organisms, transgenesis can manipulate gene functions while RNAi can knockdown specific mRNA transcripts 1-2. This protocol aims to illustrate the techniques needed to introduce stably transmitted DNA and transient double stranded RNA into the necromenic nematode Pristionchus pacificus for studies in evolutionary, developmental, and behavioral biology.