Neuro-marketing Tools for Assessing the Communication Effectiveness of Life Cycle Based Environmental Labelling—Procedure and Methodology

INTRODUCTION: Schistosomiasis has been described as “one of the most devastating diseases of mankind, second only to malaria in its deleterious effects on the social and economic development of populations in many warm areas of the world.” The disease is worldwide and is probably spreading faster and becoming more intense than the overall research efforts designed to provide the basis for countering it. Moreover, there are indications that the development of water resources and the demands for increasing cultivation and food in developing countries may prevent adequate control of the disease and thus the number of infections are increasing.Our knowledge of the basic biology of the parasites causing the disease is far from adequate. Such knowledge is essential if we are to develop a rational approach to the effective control of human schistosomiasis. The miracidium is the first infective stage in the complex life cycle of schistosomes. The future of the entire life cycle depends on the capacity and ability of this organism to locate and enter a suitable snail host for further development, Little is known about the nervous system of the miracidium of Schistosoma mansoni and of other trematodes. Studies indicate that miracidia contain a well developed and complex nervous system that may aid the larvae in locating and entering a susceptible snail host (Wilson, 1970; Brooker, 1972; Chernin, 1974; Pan, 1980; Mehlhorn, 1988; and Jones, 1987-1988).

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A freeze-fracture-etched study of the physarum polycephalum plasma membrane during early formation of the macroplasmodial stage

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100147570 ◽

1993 ◽

Vol 51 ◽

pp. 346-347

Author(s):

Randolph W. Taylor ◽

Henrie Treadwell

Keyword(s):

Plasma Membrane ◽

Life Cycle ◽

Growth Phase ◽

Filter Paper ◽

Physarum Polycephalum ◽

Freeze Fracture ◽

Petri Dish ◽

Wire Screen ◽

Wide Mouth ◽

Sterile Filter

The plasma membrane of the Slime Mold, Physarum polycephalum, process unique morphological distinctions at different stages of the life cycle. Investigations of the plasma membrane of P. polycephalum, particularly, the arrangements of the intramembranous particles has provided useful information concerning possible changes occurring in higher organisms. In this report Freeze-fracture-etched techniques were used to investigate 3 hours post-fusion of the macroplasmodia stage of the P. polycephalum plasma membrane.Microplasmodia of Physarum polycephalum (M3C), axenically maintained, were collected in mid-expotential growth phase by centrifugation. Aliquots of microplasmodia were spread in 3 cm circles with a wide mouth pipette onto sterile filter paper which was supported on a wire screen contained in a petri dish. The cells were starved for 2 hrs at 24°C. After starvation, the cells were feed semidefined medium supplemented with hemin and incubated at 24°C. Three hours after incubation, samples were collected randomly from the petri plates, placed in plancettes and frozen with a propane-nitrogen jet freezer.

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Immunoferritin Labelling of Murine Leukemia Virus Antigens in thin Sections

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s1431927600002221 ◽

1980 ◽

Vol 38 ◽

pp. 508-509

Author(s):

Ray A. Weigand ◽

Gregory C. Varjabedian

Keyword(s):

Murine Leukemia Virus ◽

Leukemia Virus ◽

Intracellular Localization ◽

Uranyl Acetate ◽

Antibody Technique ◽

Thin Sections ◽

Tumor Virus ◽

Labelling Procedure ◽

Unlabelled Antibody ◽

Murine Leukemia

We previously described the intracellular localization of murine mammary tumor virus (MuMTV) p28 protein in thin sections (1). In that study, MuMTV containing cells fixed in 3% paraformaldehyde plus 0.05% glutaraldehyde were labelled after thin sectioning using ferritin-antiferritin in an unlabelled antibody technique. We now describe the labelling of murine leukemia virus (MuLV) particles using the unlabelled antibody technique coupled to ferritin-Fab antiferritin. Cultures of R-MuLV in NIH/3T3 cells were grown to 90% confluence (2), fixed with 2% paraformaldehyde plus 0.5% glutaraldehyde in 0.1 M cacodylate at pH 7.2, postfixed with buffered 17 OsO4, dehydrated with a series of etha-nols, and embedded in Epon. Thin sections were collected on nickel grids, incubated in 107 H2O2, rinsed in HEPES buffered saline, and subjected to the immunoferritin labelling procedure. The procedure included preincubation in 27 egg albumin, a four hour incubation in goat antisera against purified gp69/71 of MuLV (3) (primary antibody), incubation in F(ab’)2 fragments of rabbit antisera to goat IgG (secondary antibody), incubation in apoferritin, incubation in ferritin-Fab ferritin, and a brief fixation with 2% glutaraldehyde. The sections were stained with uranyl acetate and examined in a Siemens IA electron microscope at an accelerating voltage of 60 KV.

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