A portable, low-cost device for precise control of specimen temperature under stereomicroscopes

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Nicholas D Testa, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta; Samiksha Kaul, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta; Kim N Le, Emory University; Mei Zhan, Emory University; Hang Lu, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta; Annalise B Paaby, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta
• Language: English
• Date: 2020-03-11
• Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Publication Version: Final Published Version
• Copyright Statement: © 2020 Testa et al
• License: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0230241
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: PLoS One
• Volume: 15
• Issue: 3
• Grant/Funding Information: This research was funded by NIH (https://www.nih.gov/) grant R35 GM119744 to ABP. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.
• Keywords: temperature; stereomicroscopes
• Research Categories: Engineering, Biomedical

Abstract

To facilitate precise and convenient control of biological sample temperature, we developed a low-cost device that can be used independently or with any stereomicroscope. The purpose of the device is to control the thermal environment during experimental intervals in which a specimen must be manipulated outside of an incubator, e.g. for dissection or slide-mounting in preparation for imaging. Sample temperatures can be both cooled to below and heated to above room temperatures, and stably maintained at a precision of +/- 0.1˚C. To demonstrate the utility of this device, we report improved characterization of the penetrance of a short-acting temperature-sensitive allele in C. elegans embryos, and identification of the upper temperature threshold for embryonic viability for six Caenorhabditis species. By controlling the temperature environment even as a specimen is manipulated, this device offers consistency and flexibility, reduces environmental noise, and enables precision timing in experiments requiring temperature shifts.