Spatial confinement of Trypanosoma brucei in microfluidic traps provides a new tool to study free swimming parasites.

Trypanosoma brucei is the causative agent of African trypanosomiasis and is transmitted by the tsetse fly (Glossina spp.). All stages of this extracellular parasite possess a single flagellum that is attached to the cell body and confers a high degree of motility.

In vitro cellular reprogramming to model gonad development and its disorders.

During embryonic development, mutually antagonistic signaling cascades determine gonadal fate toward a testicular or ovarian identity. Errors in this process result in disorders of sex development (DSDs), characterized by discordance between chromosomal, gonadal, and anatomical sex. The absence of an appropriate, accessible in vitro system is a major obstacle in understanding mechanisms of sex-determination/DSDs.

Investigation of RNA metabolism through large-scale genetic interaction profiling in yeast.

Gene deletion and gene expression alteration can lead to growth defects that are amplified or reduced when a second mutation is present in the same cells. We performed 154 genetic interaction mapping (GIM) screens with query mutants related with RNA metabolism and estimated the growth rates of about 700 000 double mutant Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains. The tested targets included the gene deletion collection and 900 strains in which essential genes were affected by mRNA destabilization (DAmP).

Microfabricated Device for High-Resolution Imaging of Preimplantation Embryos.

The mouse preimplantation embryo is an excellent system for studying how mammalian cells organize dynamically into increasingly complex structures. Accessible to experimental and genetic manipulations, its normal or perturbed development can be scrutinized ex vivo by real-time imaging from fertilization to late blastocyst stage. High-resolution imaging of multiple embryos at the same time can be compromised by embryos displacement during imaging.

Long open reading frame transcripts escape nonsense-mediated mRNA decay in yeast.

Nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD) destabilizes eukaryotic transcripts with long 3' UTRs. To investigate whether other transcript features affect NMD, we generated yeast strains expressing chromosomal-derived mRNAs with 979 different promoter and open reading frame (ORF) regions and with the same long, destabilizing 3' UTR. We developed a barcode-based DNA microarray strategy to compare the levels of each reporter mRNA in strains with or without active NMD.

Multiple microfermentor battery: a versatile tool for use with automated parallel cultures of microorganisms producing recombinant proteins and for optimization of cultivation protocols.

A multiple microfermentor battery was designed for high-throughput recombinant protein production in Escherichia coli. This novel system comprises eight aerated glass reactors with a working volume of 80 ml and a moving external optical sensor for measuring optical densities at 600 nm (OD600) ranging from 0.05 to 100 online.