Lab Equipment

In the lab we used many devices to perform our experiments. Followed is a short description of each equipment.

MiniSpin Centrifuge

The MiniSpin Centrifuge (figure 1A) is a powerful centrifuge that can accelerate up to twelve 1.5/2.0 ml Eppendorf Tubes to a maximum speed of 13,400 rpm (rcf: 12,100 x g). Balance is very important for this equipment. We used this centrifuge for several experiments, such as PCR Purification, Miniprepping, Gel Extraction and preparing samples for FACS.

Figure 1A: MiniSpin Centrifuge

Figure 1B: Tabletop Centrifuge

Tabletop Centrifuge

The Tabletop Centrifuge (figure 1B) can be used to centrifuge culture tubes. For this centrifuge, balance is also very important, just as with the MiniSpin Centrifuge. We used this centrifuge for several experiments, such as miniprepping.

MJ Mini Thermal Cycler

The compact, 48-well MJ Mini thermal cycler (figure 2) is a powerful thermal cycler that has been used to perform all kinds of PCR reaction, such as digestion and ligation. 0.2 ml PCR tubes can be used. Its thermal range is 0-99°C. This thermal cycler also offers a thermal gradient technology so that you can optimize reactions for maximum efficiency and accurate quantitation with a gradient range of 35-99°C.

Figure 2: MJ Mini Thermal Cycler.

ImageQuant 350

This equipment allows high-resolution scans of for example monochromatic fluorescence gels and Western Blots. We used it to make scans of all of our agarose gels and SDS PAGE gels.

Figure 3: ImageQuant 350

NanoDrop 1000 Spectrophotometer

The Thermo Scientific NanoDrop 100 Spectrophotometer measures 2 μl samples with high accuracy and reproducibility. It also has the capability to measure highly concentrated samples without dilution (50X higher concentration than the samples measured by a standard cuvette spectrophotometer). The NanoDrop software has several modes. We always selected the Nucleic Acid option, because we only measured the concentration of DNA samples. Before you can measure the concentration of your samples, you have to place a 2 μl MiliQ sample on the NanoDrop to perform a blank measurement. After this the pedestal needs to be cleaned before you can place your first sample. Cleaning after every sample is very important to prevent contamination

Figure 4: NanoDrop 1000 Spectrophotometer.

Shake Incubator

The Gallenkamp Environmental Shaker Model has been used for small culturing and protein expression. It can speed up to 400 rpm in combination with a wide 32 mm orbit. We used a shake incubator with standard settings of 37°C and 250 rpm. In our lab there is also a shake incubator for which you can determine the settings on your own. We used this one for protein expression.

Figure 5A: Shake incubator with fixed temperature and shaking settings

Figure 5B: Shake incubator with adjustable temperature and shaking settings

Cary Eclipse Fluorescence Spectrophotometer

This fluorescence spectrophotometer uses a Xenon flash lamp for superior sensitivity, high signal-to-noise, and fast kinetics. It measures the emission of light from samples in four modes (fluorescence, phosphorescence, chemi/bioluminescence, and time resolved phosphorescence). Using Xenon lamp technology, it captures a data point every 12.5 ms and scans at 24,000 nm/min without peak shifts. The Cary Eclipse is the only spectrophotometer with room light immunity. A cuvette is needed to be able to measure.

Figure 6: The Cary Eclipse Fluorescence Spectrophotometer

Tecan Infinite F500 Plate Reader

The Infinite F500 is Tecan’s most sensitive filter-based multimode microplate reader. It is capable of reading 6 to 384-well plates, including standard, half-area and low volume 384-well plates. This plate reader is ideal for a broad range of applications, in particular ratiometric assays. It has been used for fluorescence- and luminescence-based assays. Its high speed allows complete reading of a 1,536-well plate in under 30 seconds. The wavelength range for fluorescence varies for excitation from 230 to 900 nm and for emission from 280 to 900 nm. This plate reader gives the intensity value at a specific excitation and emission. This excitation and emission value can be chosen with a specific filter.

Figure 7: Tecan Infinite F500 Plate Reader

Tecan Safire 2 Plate Reader

The Safire 2 is also a plate reader from Tecan that offers a range of high-speed detection techniques. It can be used to measure fluorescence, luminescence, and absorbance. It eliminates the need for cumbersome filter changes and allows for pinpoint precision, accuracy, and sensitivity. This plate reader gives the intensity value for a broad range of wavelengths. This gives you a spectrum of intensity values as a result.