Re: Organ movement (commercial response)

[Roy Edward]

Dear Michael

 

CyGEL has been used in a number of our customers' labs for immobilizing live tissue samples and organisms (with additional anaesthetic where necessary) including parasites, worms and fish embryos for manipulations and imaging.

This is a thermo-reversible hydrogel that is optically inert and clear (R.I. = 1.36, very close to that of water).  It doesn't cause the heat shock one might get with LMP agarose, holds objects quite still in three dimensions (unlike poly l-lysine) and doesn't have opacity problems. 

 

While CyGEL is kept liquid (below RT) the object of interest can be moved into position and then the gel allowed to warm to set your object in position for the imaging required.  

It is possible to get samples in and out again as required by warming (to gel) and cooling (to re-liquefy) CyGEL.  Diluting the gel with cold buffer is sufficient to wash it off. 

 

More info at:

http://www.biostatus.com/product/cygel/

There are two products - a PBS based version for straightforward imaging needs and a medium-ready version (CyGEL Sustain) for samples requiring the support of RPMI-like buffer systems and GFs.  Both can accept addition of viability dye (e.g. P.I.)

 

Good luck with your research.

Roy

 

Roy Edward

Biostatus Ltd

[phone]; [hidden email]; www.biostatus.com

Co. No: 3079239. Regd. in England & Wales. Regd. office: 56 Charnwood Road, Shepshed, LE12 9NP, UK.

---

From: Michael Herron [mailto:[hidden email]]
Sent: Tue 16/12/2008 19:27
Subject: Organ movement

I am trying to image intracellular bacteria in living tissue explants 
and the tissue moves (sort of writhes) in a manner that moves the 
bacteria out of the planes of my Z collections.
I cannot cool the specimen, but I was wondering if a "specific" 
channel or second messenger inhibitor might reduce this movement.  
This must be a common problem in Drosophila or zebra fish imaging?

Any suggestions?


Michael J. Herron,  U of MN, Dept. of Entomology
   [hidden email]
      612-624-3688 (office) 612-625-5299 (FAX)

[Michael Herron]

All,

Thanks to all for the suggestions.  I think we will end up trying  
some combination of these helpful hints.
We are trying to image GFPuv expressing rickettsia in living ticks  
that have been partially dissected, and explants from living ticks.  
The rickettsia are motile within the tick cells. We have done this  
routinely in cultured cells, but this invivo imaging is (or course)  
more challenging for a number of reasons. If anyone has additional  
comment, please keep them coming!

Mike


On Dec 17, 2008, at 2:43 AM, Roy Edward wrote:

> Dear Michael
>
> CyGEL has been used in a number of our customers' labs for  
> immobilizing live tissue samples and organisms (with additional  
> anaesthetic where necessary) including parasites, worms and fish  
> embryos for manipulations and imaging.
> This is a thermo-reversible hydrogel that is optically inert and  
> clear (R.I. = 1.36, very close to that of water).  It doesn't cause  
> the heat shock one might get with LMP agarose, holds objects quite  
> still in three dimensions (unlike poly l-lysine) and doesn't have  
> opacity problems.
>
> While CyGEL is kept liquid (below RT) the object of interest can be  
> moved into position and then the gel allowed to warm to set your  
> object in position for the imaging required.
> It is possible to get samples in and out again as required by  
> warming (to gel) and cooling (to re-liquefy) CyGEL.  Diluting the  
> gel with cold buffer is sufficient to wash it off.
>
> More info at:
> http://www.biostatus.com/product/cygel/
> There are two products - a PBS based version for straightforward  
> imaging needs and a medium-ready version (CyGEL Sustain) for  
> samples requiring the support of RPMI-like buffer systems and GFs.  
> Both can accept addition of viability dye (e.g. P.I.)
>
> Good luck with your research.
> Roy
>
> Roy Edward
> Biostatus Ltd
> [phone]; [hidden email]; www.biostatus.com
> Co. No: 3079239. Regd. in England & Wales. Regd. office: 56  
> Charnwood Road, Shepshed, LE12 9NP, UK.
>
> From: Michael Herron [mailto:[hidden email]]
> Sent: Tue 16/12/2008 19:27
> Subject: Organ movement
>
> I am trying to image intracellular bacteria in living tissue explants
> and the tissue moves (sort of writhes) in a manner that moves the
> bacteria out of the planes of my Z collections.
> I cannot cool the specimen, but I was wondering if a "specific"
> channel or second messenger inhibitor might reduce this movement.
> This must be a common problem in Drosophila or zebra fish imaging?
>
> Any suggestions?
>
>

Michael J. Herron,  U of MN, Dept. of Entomology
   [hidden email]
      612-624-3688 (office) 612-625-5299 (FAX)