Here's a look at what's coming up in the September 2013 issue of JoVE: The Journal of Visualized Experiments.
Palatogenesis (palate formation) involves complex developmental processes that are highly regulated and conserved among vertebrates. Thus, scientists use laboratory models like the zebrafish to study cleft palate and related developmental malformations. Gfrerer et al. examine zebrafish embryos using time-lapse confocal microscopy, which lets them observe the migration of cranial neural crest cells (CNCCs) from the dorsal neural tube to form craniofacial structures. This method also allows live imaging of abnormal craniofacial development in zebrafish, which is used to model conditions like cleft palate in humans.
In the laboratory, bacteria, yeast, and many other cell types are commonly grown in shake flasks. However, this classic technique has many drawbacks that can prevent optimal growth, such as fluctuations in pH, oxygen concentration, nutrients, and temperature. In JoVE Bioengineering, Obom et al. demonstrate a benchtop bioreactor complete with a pH probe an oxygen probe, reagent feed bottle to replenish media, precise temperature controls, a gas infuser, and an impeller that stirs the culture. This system allows optimal culture conditions for the large-scale growth of recombinant expression systems.
Also in JoVE Bioengineering, we have a method for live cell imaging in a flow-based cell adhesion assay. But unlike standard protocols that use single camera systems, our featured method is a dual camera emission splitting system that captures real-time images in two fluorescence channels at the same time. Carlson et al. use a parallel plate flow chamber adhesion assay to demonstrate this dual camera system, which they use to study adhesion, rolling, and other cell behaviors.
JoVE Chemistry features a not-so-common animal model: the Eastern red bat, which is widespread in the United States; however, in recent years, a fungal disease called white nose syndrome (WNS) has killed millions of these bats. WNS is a major threat to the agricultural industry, which relies on bats as a form of natural pest control. Like other mammals, bats have sebaceous glands in their skin that secrete sebum, an oily material that helps protect against infections. Pannkuk et al. demonstrate a method for isolating the sebum from the hair and the skin of the bat, then analyze the lipid composition of the sebum using thin-layer chromatography (TLC) combined with matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight (MALTI-TOF) mass spectrometry. The lipid profile of the sebum can affect immune processes and can also serve as disease markers; thus, this method will yield vital information for disease treatment and prevention in the Eastern red bat as well as other mammals.
You’ve just had a sneak peek of a few highlights from the September 2013 issue of JoVE. Visit the website to see the full-length articles, plus many more, in JoVE: The Journal of Visualized Experiments.