Journal: BMC Biology

Article Title: The eggshell is required for meiotic fidelity, polar-body extrusion and polarization of the C. elegans embryo

doi: 10.1186/1741-7007-4-35

Figure Lengend Snippet: GNA-2 deficiency results in a polarity-osmotic defective (Pod) phenotype . (A) Wild type or gna-2(qa705) stained for DNA (Hoechst stain; blue) and PAR-3 (pink), PGL-1 (pink) or PIE-1 (green), or wild type expressing PAR-2::GFP fed OP50 (control) or gna-2 RNAi and stained for DNA (Hoechst; blue) and GFP (green) (second row). Embryos are at the one-cell stage except wild type stained for PIE-1, which is at the two-cell stage. Wild-type embryos are oriented with anterior (maternal DNA, polar-body end) on the left. gna-2(qa705) or gna-2(RNAi) does not extrude polar bodies therefore it was not possible to determine the maternal end. Images are overlays of Hoechst and antibody staining. (B) DIC images showing osmotic sensitivity of wild type or gna-2(qa705) dissected in water, 150 mM KCl or 300 mM KCl. Arrows point to the eggshell. (C) Plasma-membrane staining of gna-2(qa705) with the lipophilic dye, FM 4–64 (red). In wild type, only the first polar body stains (white arrow). DIC images are shown on the left.

Article Snippet: Lipophilic dye permeability was tested by DIC/UV microscopy of living embryos dissected in 150 mM KCl containing 30 μM FM 4–64 (Molecular Probes).

Techniques: Staining, Expressing

Journal: Biosensors

Article Title: Implementing Silicon Nanoribbon Field-Effect Transistors as Arrays for Multiple Ion Detection

doi: 10.3390/bios6020021

Figure Lengend Snippet: ( a ) schematics of the ion detection experiment. The response of a specific triplet of NRs consisting of an NR functionalized with SAMs of F - ligands ( NR - , green ), an NR functionalized with SAMs of Na + ligands ( NR + , red ) and an NR with bare gold surface ( NR c , black ) is measured in the presence of NaF ( blue ), NaCl ( orange ), KCl ( brown ) and pH ( violet ); ( b – e ) Experimental data (threshold voltage V t h versus concentration) for ( b ) NaF, ( c ) NaCl, ( d ) KCl and ( e ) pH. Note that the experimental points of each NR was shifted along the vertical axis leading to V t h , s h i f t e d . Therefore, the absolute value of V t h , s h i f t e d have been removed. The total change in threshold voltage Δ V t h , t o t a l is defined by the difference of V t h ( 1 M ) - V t h ( 1 mM ) as indicated in ( b ).

Article Snippet: NaF (ACS ≥ 99 %, Sigma-Aldrich, St. Louis, MO, USA), NaCl (≥99.5%, Fluka (Sigma-Aldrich), St. Louis, MO, USA) and KCl (ACS 99.0%–100.5%, Sigma-Aldrich, St. Louis, MO, USA) were dissolved in deionized water (resistivity = 18 MΩcm) and buffered around pH 7 with HEPES (≈4 mM, AppliChem, Darmstadt, Germany) and solution of KOH (≈1.5 mM, Merck, Darmstadt, Germany).

Techniques: Concentration Assay

Journal: Nature Communications

Article Title: Atomically resolved three-dimensional structures of electrolyte aqueous solutions near a solid surface

doi: 10.1038/ncomms12164

Figure Lengend Snippet: Three-dimensional images of mica-electrolyte solution interfaces. ( a ) 3D AFM image of a KCl (aq.) solution (0.2 M KCl). The image shows a monolayer of adsorbed K + ions (light red) topped by two hydration layers (lighter stripes). The hydration layers (∼0.3 nm thick) follow the atomic corrugation of the surface. ( b ) 3D AFM image of a mica-KCl (aq.) interface (∼4 M). The interface is divided in two main regions, an ordered liquid layer extending up to 2 nm from the mica and the bulk solution above it. ( c ) 3D AFM image of a mica-NaCl (aq.) interface. Atomic scale order is seen in xy, xz and yz planes. These 3D maps show the variations of the phase shift of the tip's oscillation. Supplementary Movies 1 (52 s), 2 (105 s) and 3 (105 s) include the complete 3D data, respectively, of a – c . The 3D AFM experiments were performed at ∼300 K.

Article Snippet: NaCl and KCl solutions were prepared from 99.5% (NaCl) and 99.0% (KCl) salts (Sigma-Aldrich) dissolved in ultrapure water (18.2 MΩ, pH=5.5).

Techniques: