University of Padova 6 articles published in JoVE Biochemistry In Vitro Chemical Mapping of G-Quadruplex DNA Structures by Bis-3-Chloropiperidines Alice Sosic1, Cristina Dal Lago1, Richard Göttlich2, Barbara Gatto1 1Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences, University of Padova, 2Institute of Organic Chemistry, Justus Liebig University Giessen Bis-3-chloropiperidines (B-CePs) are useful chemical probes to identify and characterize G-quadruplex structures in DNA templates in vitro. This protocol details the procedure to perform probing reactions with B-CePs and to resolve reaction products by high-resolution polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Medicine Synovial Fluid Analysis to Identify Osteoarthritis Francesca Oliviero1, Anna Scanu1, Paola Galozzi1, Roberta Ramonda1 1Rheumatology Unit, Department of Medicine-DIMED, University of Padova Synovial fluid analysis under transmitted, polarized, and compensated light microscopy is used to evaluate the inflammatory or non-inflammatory nature of a sample through simple steps. It is particularly useful in osteoarthritis to detect calcium crystals and identify a more severe subset of osteoarthritis. Neuroscience Preparation of Newborn Rat Brain Tissue for Ultrastructural Morphometric Analysis of Synaptic Vesicle Distribution at Nerve Terminals Bianca Ferrarese1,2, Nadia Lunardi1 1Department of Anesthesiology, University of Virginia Health System, 2Department of Anesthesiology, Universita' degli Studi di Padova We describe procedures for processing newborn rat brain tissue to obtain high-resolution electron micrographs for morphometric analysis of synaptic vesicle distribution at nerve terminals. The micrographs obtained with these methods can also be used to study the morphology of a number of other cellular components and their dimensional structural relationships. Environment Measuring Stolons and Rhizomes of Turfgrasses Using a Digital Image Analysis System Cristina Pornaro1, Stefano Macolino1, Michael D. Richardson1 1Department of Agronomy, Food, Natural Resources, Animals, and Environment, University of Padova, 2Department of Horticulture, University of Arkansas A software-based image analysis system provides an alternative method to study the morphology of stoloniferous and rhizomatous species. This protocol permits measurement of the length and diameter of stolons and rhizomes and can be applied to samples with a large amount of biomass and to a wide variety of species. Immunology and Infection Nucleocapsid Annealing-Mediated Electrophoresis (NAME) Assay Allows the Rapid Identification of HIV-1 Nucleocapsid Inhibitors Alice Sosic1, Marta Cappellini1, Matteo Scalabrin2, Barbara Gatto1 1Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences, University of Padova, 2The RNA Institute, SUNY Albany This protocol describes NAME, an assay that allows the rapid identification of molecules able to inhibit in vitro the chaperone activities of HIV-1 nucleocapsid protein. Environment A Venturi Effect Can Help Cure Our Trees Lucio Montecchio1 1Department of Land, Environment, Agriculture and Forestry (TeSAF), Unversity of Padova Compared to the more traditional hole-based methods, most of which require the tree to be drilled, tools with lenticular blades transform the basics of endotherapy easing the closure of the wound and allowing the natural uptake of the solutions.
