title: Simple and inexpensive hardware and software method to measure volume changes in Xenopus oocytes expressing aquaporins.
abstract: Water channels (aquaporins) family members have been identified in central nervous system cells. A classic method to measure membrane water permeability and its regulation is to capture and analyse images of Xenopus laevis oocytes expressing them. Laboratories dedicated to the analysis of motion images usually have powerful equipment valued in thousands of dollars. However, some scientists consider that new approaches are needed to reduce costs in scientific labs, especially in developing countries. The objective of this work is to share a very low-cost hardware and software setup based on a well-selected webcam, a hand-made adapter to a microscope and the use of free software to measure membrane water permeability in Xenopus oocytes. One of the main purposes of this setup is to maintain a high level of quality in images obtained at brief intervals (shorter than 70 ms). The presented setup helps to economize without sacrificing image analysis requirements.
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio de Biomembranas, Departamento de Fisiología, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Paraguay 2155 Piso 7, C1121ABG, Buenos Aires, Argentina. rdorr@fmed.uba.ar
authors.forename: Ricardo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Dorr
authors.forename: Marcelo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ozu
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Parisi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D020346:Aquaporins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D001118:Argentina; D002463:Cell Membrane Permeability / Q000502:physiology*; D048429:Cell Size; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004867:Equipment Design; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D008853:Microscopy / Q000191:economics / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D009865:Oocytes / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology*; D012815:Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000295:instrumentation; D012984:Software; D014882:Water-Electrolyte Balance / Q000502:physiology; D014982:Xenopus laevis
chemical_list: D020346:Aquaporins