Dissection and Immunolabeling of the Central and Peripheral Nervous System of Larvae.

The ability to visualize the cells and proteins of a tissue within their original context (i.e., in vivo) is invaluable for the study of that biological system.

Proximity Ligation Assay (PLA) for Fillets of Larvae.

The ability to detect protein-protein interactions is critical for understanding the mechanisms underlying protein and cell function. Current methods to assay protein-protein interactions, such as co-immunoprecipitation (Co-IP) and fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET), have limitations; for example, Co-IP is an in vitro technique and may not reflect the situation in vivo, and FRET typically suffers from low signal-to-noise ratio. The proximity ligation assay (PLA) is an in situ method for inferring protein-protein interaction with a high signal-to-noise ratio.

Cell Biology Techniques for Studying Peripheral Glial Cells.

Glial cells are essential for the proper development and functioning of the peripheral nervous system (PNS). The ability to study the biology of glial cells is therefore critical for our ability to understand PNS biology and address PNS maladies. The genetic and proteomic pathways underlying vertebrate peripheral glial biology are understandably complex, with many layers of redundancy making it sometimes difficult to study certain facets of PNS biology.

Whole-Larva Cryosectioning and Immunolabeling of Larvae.

Resolution in microscopy-the shortest distance between which objects can be distinguished from each other-is crucial for our ability to view details of biological samples. The theoretical resolution limit of light microscopy is 200 nm in the -plane. Using stacks of images, 3D reconstructions of the -plane of a specimen can be achieved.

Experience-Dependent Changes in Myelin Basic Protein Expression in Adult Visual and Somatosensory Cortex.

An experience-driven increase in oligodendrocytes and myelin in the somatosensory cortex (S1) has emerged as a new marker of adult cortical plasticity. That finding contrasts with the view that myelin is a structural brake on plasticity, and that contributes to ending the critical period (CP) in the visual cortex (V1). Despite the evidence that myelin-derived signaling acts to end CP in V1, there is no information about myelin changes during adult plasticity in V1.