Marshall University View Institution's Website 6 articles published in JoVE Chemistry Gold Nanoparticle Synthesis Jonathan Marrs1, Taher Ghomian2, Lucas Domulevicz1, Cliff McCold3, Joshua Hihath1 1Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of California, Davis, 2Department of Computer Sciences and Electrical Engineering, Marshall University, 3Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of California, Davis A protocol for synthesizing ~12 nm diameter gold nanoparticles (Au nanoparticles) in an organic solvent is presented. The gold nanoparticles are capped with oleylamine ligands to prevent agglomeration. The gold nanoparticles are soluble in organic solvents such as toluene. Biology A Mouse 5/6th Nephrectomy Model That Induces Experimental Uremic Cardiomyopathy Xiaoliang Wang*1, Muhammad A. Chaudhry*2, Ying Nie2, Zijian Xie1, Joseph I. Shapiro2, Jiang Liu1,2 1Marshall Institute for Interdisciplinary Research (MIIR), Marshall University, 2Department of Biomedical Sciences, Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine This manuscript provides a detailed two-step surgical procedure to perform mouse 5/6th partial nephrectomy (PNx) with pole ligation. Four weeks after surgery, in comparison with sham-operated mice, the PNx mice developed impaired renal function, anemia, cardiac hypertrophy, cardiac fibrosis, and decreased heart systolic and diastolic function. Biology Utilizing pHluorin-tagged Receptors to Monitor Subcellular Localization and Trafficking Ashley M. Fox-Loe1, Brandon J. Henderson2, Christopher I. Richards1 1Department of Chemistry, University of Kentucky, 2Department of Biomedical Sciences, Marshall University Labeling the extracellular domain of a membrane protein with a pH sensitive fluorophore, superecliptic pHluorin (SEP), allows subcellular localization, expression, and trafficking to be determined. Imaging SEP-labeled proteins with total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy (TIRFM) enables the quantification of protein levels in the peripheral ER and plasma membrane. Bioengineering Electrospun Nanofiber Scaffolds with Gradations in Fiber Organization Karl Khandalavala1, Jiang Jiang1, Franklin D. Shuler2, Jingwei Xie1 1Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Mary & Dick Holland Regenerative Medicine Program, University of Nebraska Medical Center, 2Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine, Marshall University Here, we present a protocol to fabricate electrospun nanofiber scaffolds with gradated organization of fibers and explore their applications in regulating cell morphology/orientation. Gradients with regard to physical and chemical properties of the nanofiber scaffolds offer a wide variety of applications in the biomedical field. Immunology and Infection Identification of Novel Genes Associated with Alginate Production in Pseudomonas aeruginosa Using Mini-himar1 Mariner Transposon-mediated Mutagenesis T. Ryan Withers1, Yeshi Yin1, Hongwei D. Yu1 1Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine, Marshall University Here we describe a protocol using the mini-himar1 mariner transposon-mediated mutagenesis for generating a high-density insertion mutant library to screen, isolate and identify novel alginate regulators in the prototypic Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain PAO1. Neuroscience Using a Comparative Species Approach to Investigate the Neurobiology of Paternal Responses Catherine L. Franssen1, Massimo Bardi2, Kelly G. Lambert1 1Department of Psychology, Randolph-Macon College, 2Department of Psychology, Marshall University The comparative species approach allows behavioral neuroscientists to explore various neurobiological factors associated with specific behaviors viewed as characteristic of a specific animal model. Taking advantage of naturally occurring differences in behavior between closely related species, this technique doesn’t require invasive techniques to manipulate the expression of the behavior.