Evidence map›Paper›PMID 20042114›Full record

ArticleBMC developmental biology2009

A laser pointer driven microheater for precise local heating and conditional gene regulation in vivo. Microheater driven gene regulation in zebrafish.

Mike Placinta, Meng-Chieh Shen, Marc Achermann, Rolf O Karlstrom

Open access · hybridAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMC developmental biology, 2009. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
9citing papers in PubMed
0.7field-weighted citation impact, top 30% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

9 citing papers in PubMed, 27 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Red Blood Cells as Endogenous Biotweezers for Optical Micromanipulation In Vivo.Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany) · 2026
    Article
  2. Article
  3. An Hsp70 promoter-based mouse for heat shock-induced gene modulation.Journal of molecular medicine (Berlin, Germany) · 2024
    Article
  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. Using GAL4-Inducible Transgenics to Modulate Rho GTPase Activity in Zebrafish.Methods in molecular biology (Clifton, N.J.) · 2018
    Article
  7. Review
  8. Article
  9. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Mike PlacintaDepartment of Biology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003, USA. mikeplacinta@gmail.com
Meng-Chieh Shen
Marc Achermann
Rolf O Karlstrom
University of Massachusetts Amherst · US

Funding

SIGNALING CELL SPECIFICATION FOREBRAINR01NS039994 · NINDS · UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS AMHERST · PI KARLSTROM, ROLF O · 2000 to 2010
$2.8M
NINDS NIH HHS NS039994
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundTissue heating has been employed to study a variety of biological processes, including the study of genes that control embryonic development. Conditional regulation of gene expression is a particularly powerful approach for understanding gene function. One popular method for mis-expressing a gene of interest employs heat-inducible heat shock protein (hsp) promoters. Global heat shock of hsp-promoter-containing transgenic animals induces gene expression throughout all tissues, but does not allow for spatial control. Local heating allows for spatial control of hsp-promoter-driven transgenes, but methods for local heating are cumbersome and variably effective.

resultsWe describe a simple, highly controllable, and versatile apparatus for heating biological tissue and other materials on the micron-scale. This microheater employs micron-scale fiber optics and uses an inexpensive laser-pointer as a power source. Optical fibers can be pulled on a standard electrode puller to produce tips of varying sizes that can then be used to reliably heat 20-100 mum targets. We demonstrate precise spatiotemporal control of hsp70l:GFP transgene expression in a variety of tissue types in zebrafish embryos and larvae. We also show how this system can be employed as part of a new method for lineage tracing that would greatly facilitate the study of organogenesis and tissue regulation at any time in the life cycle.

conclusionThis versatile and simple local heater has broad utility for the study of gene function and for lineage tracing. This system could be used to control hsp-driven gene expression in any organism simply by bringing the fiber optic tip in contact with the tissue of interest. Beyond these uses for the study of gene function, this device has wide-ranging utility in materials science and could easily be adapted for therapeutic purposes in humans.

Indexed as

Genetic TechniquesHeat-Shock ResponseLasersTranscriptional ActivationAnimalsAnimals, Genetically ModifiedGreen Fluorescent ProteinsHot TemperatureHSP72 Heat-Shock ProteinsTransgenesZebrafishGreen Fluorescent ProteinsHSP72 Heat-Shock Proteins

Identifiers

PMID20042114
PMCPMC2810295
OpenAlexW2102540721

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.