Graduate University for Advanced Studies (SOKENDAI) 4 articles published in JoVE Neuroscience Optogenetic Phase Transition of TDP-43 in Spinal Motor Neurons of Zebrafish Larvae Kazuhide Asakawa1, Hiroshi Handa1, Koichi Kawakami2,3 1Department of Chemical Biology, Tokyo Medical University, 2Division of Molecular and Developmental Biology, National Institute of Genetics, 3Department of Genetics, Graduate University for Advanced Studies (SOKENDAI) We describe a protocol to induce phase transition of TAR DNA-binding protein 43 (TDP-43) by light in the spinal motor neurons using zebrafish as a model. Developmental Biology Isolation of Murine Spermatogenic Cells using a Violet-Excited Cell-Permeable DNA Binding Dye Yu-Han Yeh*1,2, Mengwen Hu*1,2, Toshinori Nakagawa3,4, Akihiko Sakashita1,2, Shosei Yoshida3,4, So Maezawa5,6, Satoshi H. Namekawa1,2 1 Here we present a simple and efficient method to isolate live meiotic and post-meiotic germ cells from adult mouse testes. Using a low-cytotoxicity, violet-excited DNA binding dye and fluorescence-activated cell sorting, one can isolate highly enriched spermatogenic cell populations for many downstream applications. Neuroscience Cheek Injection Model for Simultaneous Measurement of Pain and Itch-related Behaviors Yu Yamanoi1,2,3,4, Hiroki Kittaka1,2,5, Makoto Tominaga1,2,3,6 1Thermal Biology Group, Exploratory Research Center on Life and Living Systems (ExCELLS), 2Division of Cell Signaling, National Institute for Physiological Sciences, 3Department of Physiological Sciences, Graduate University for Advanced Studies (SOKENDAI), 4Research Laboratory, Ikedamohando Co., Ltd., 5Department of Molecular Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, 6Institute for Environmental and Gender-Specific Medicine, Juntendo University Typically, the mouse neck injection model is used for evaluate pruritogen-induced scratch behaviors. However, the model provides information only on itch, not pain. Here, a cheek injection model is introduced in mice which can be used to simultaneously measure pain and itch-related behaviors. Cancer Research Induction and Diagnosis of Tumors in Drosophila Imaginal Disc Epithelia Kenta Morimoto1,2, Yoichiro Tamori1 1Structural Biology Center, National Institute of Genetics and Department of Genetics, School of Life Science, SOKENDAI, 2Graduate School of Media and Governance, Keio University Mosaic clone analysis in Drosophila imaginal disc epithelia is a powerful model system to study the genetic and cellular mechanisms of tumorigenesis. Here we describe a protocol to induce tumors in Drosophila wing imaginal discs using the GAL4-UAS system, and introduce a diagnosis method to classify the tumor phenotypes.