botany

Whorl by Whorl, I Am Science

Posted on by Michele Arduengo

Path through the Winter Garden at the J.C. Raulston Arboretum at N.C. State University (c) 2012 Michele Arduengo.
Walks outside with paper and paint, camera, notebook and pen, or just my thoughts and the setting sun have always been a habit of mine. Consequently, the Art Walk and Tour through the J.C. Raulston Arboretum at North Carolina State University at the Science Online 2012 (SCIO12) Meeting sounded like a delightful way to spend an afternoon. So I packed my camera, some additional watercolors and brushes and wandered the paths of the winter gardens on a cool, damp overcast afternoon along with a troop of other SCIO12 folks who were searching for new ways to communicate science.

Since the SCIO12 meeting, I have followed the #Iamscience discussion with interest. Reading the posts of others made me wonder, how did I become a scientist? When did I become a science writer? Where did the interest start? How did I end up where I am now? Continue reading “Whorl by Whorl, I Am Science”

Cell-Free Expression: Non-Radioactive Detection/Applications

Posted on by Gary Kobs

The Transcend™ Non-Radioactive Translation Detection Systems allow nonradioactive detection of proteins synthesized using cell free expression. Using these systems, biotinylated lysine residues are incorporated into nascent proteins during translation, This biotinylated lysine is added to the translation reaction as a precharged ε-labeled biotinylated lysine-tRNA complex rather than a free amino acid. After SDS-PAGE and electroblotting, the biotinylated proteins can be visualized by binding either Streptavidin-Alkaline Phosphatase (Streptavidin-AP) or Streptavidin-Horseradish Peroxidase (Streptavidin-HRP), followed either by colorimetric or chemiluminescent detection. Typically, these methods can detect 0.5–5ng of protein within 3–4 hours after gel electrophoresis and can be used for a variety of proteomics related applications. Examples include: Continue reading “Cell-Free Expression: Non-Radioactive Detection/Applications”