Evaluation of VP22 Spread in Tissue Culture

We compare methods of detection of intercellular transport of the herpes simplex virus protein VP22 and of a green fluorescent protein (GFP)-VP22 fusion protein. Spread of both proteins was observed by immunofluorescence (IF) using organic fixatives. Spread of both proteins was also detected by IF after paraformaldehyde (PFA) fixation and detergent permeabilization, albeit at reduced levels. However, while spread of GFP-VP22 was observed by examining intrinsic GFP fluorescence after methanol fixation, little spread was observed after PFA fixation, suggesting that the levels of the fusion protein in recipient cells were below the detection limits of intrinsic-fluorescence or that PFA fixation quenches the fluorescence of GFP-VP22. We further considered whether elution of VP22 from methanol-fixed cells and postfixation binding to surrounding cells contributed to the increased detection of spread observed after methanol fixation. The results show that while this could occur, it appeared to be a minor effect not accounting for the observed VP22 cell-to-cell spread in culture

Fabrication and Packaging of Flexible Polymeric Microantennae for in Vivo Magnetic Resonance Imaging

In this paper, we detail how microantennae dedicated to Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) can benefit from the advantages offered by polymer substrates, especially flexibility and dielectric properties. We present a monolithic and wireless design based on the transmission lines between conductor windings on both sides of a dielectric substrate and its fabrication process. This last one requires specific plasma treatments to improve polymer/metal adhesion. We have led a comparative study on the effects of the ageing time on the wettability and the metal adhesion to Kapton and Teflon surfaces. Correlation between wettability (water contact angle) and adhesion (tensile strength) has been established. Then, the use of PolyDiMethylSiloxane (PDMS) as biocompatible packaging material and the optimization of its thickness allows us to conserve suitable f0 and Q values in a conducting environment such as the biological tissues. These studies allow us to perform 7 Tesla in vivo MRI of the rat brain with a high spatial resolution of 100 x 100 x 200 µm3 and a Signal to Noise Ratio of 80

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