Mentors at Your Benchside

#65 — Delegation is not just for managers! No matter where you are in your research career, there is an opportunity to delegate.

In this episode, we discuss how you can simplify your lab life by delegating, who you can delegate to, and how to do it effectively and without offending anyone!

Read the full article to review everything covered in this episode. [1] If you want a deeper dive into how and when to delegate, listen to the When and How to Delegate episode of The Happy Scientist podcast. [2] And if you're a manager looking to delegate down, read our top 10 tips for being a good boss. [3]

Resources:
1. The Importance of Delegation for Scientists. Available at: https://bitesizebio.com/61711/delegation-for-scientists/
2. When and How to Delegate. Available at: https://thehappyscientist.bitesizebio.com/episodes/ep-35-when-and-how-to-delegate
3. 10 Ways to Be a Good Boss. Available at: https://bitesizebio.com/1869/10-ways-to-be-a-good-boss/

#64 — Like many experiments, doing a Western blot typically means comparing half a dozen online protocols, failing completely, triple-checking the recipes of your more suspicious buffers, then remaking them and starting again anyway.

To ease the pain, this episode gives you a reliable ECL reagent recipe so you can prepare your own fresh (and private) stash anytime you need. We also explain what all the components do.

Check out the corresponding article to see a mechanism for the oxidation of luminol and links to papers discussing alternative enhancers. [1] If you want better Western blot transfers, read our top three tips. [2] And better yet, we've put this ECL reagent recipe, an adaptable Western blot protocol complete with buffer recipes, and loads of troubleshooting tips together in a cheat sheet to stick in your lab book. Download it for free here. [3]

Resources:
1. How To Make ECL Reagent: 4 Ingredients, Better Blots. Available at: https://bitesizebio.com/8970/how-to-make-your-own-ecl/
2. 3 Hot Tips to Optimize Your Western Blot Transfers. Available at: https://bitesizebio.com/7356/optimize-your-western-blot/
3. Bitesize Bio's Western Blot Protocol Cheat Sheet. Available at: https://bitesizebio.com/western-blot-protocol/

#63 — Are you fed up with Western blots that look like your pen leaked in your pocket? We all are. That's why we've put together our three favorite tips for better Western blot transfers.

Visit the full article for a handy figure illustrating the elements of the transfer stack. [1]  You can also learn more about the different approaches to blotting. [2] Plus, we've got an easy ECL reagent recipe for you too. [3]

Resources:
1. 3 Hot Tips to Optimize Your Western Blot Transfers. Available at:
https://bitesizebio.com/7356/optimize-your-western-blot/
2. 3 Approaches to Western blot Transfer: Available at: https://bitesizebio.com/8274/3-approaches-to-western-blot-transfer/
3. How To Make ECL Reagent: 4 Ingredients, Better Blots. Available at: https://bitesizebio.com/8970/how-to-make-your-own-ecl/

#62 — Do you want to use a cell line but are unsure where to start? Or perhaps you’re just curious about the most commonly used cell lines. Listen to our top 5 most commonly used cell lines to get a feel for the cells that many researchers turn to.

Read the original article, [1] brush up on the harrowing origins of the HeLa cell line, [2] and get advice on how to pick the perfect cell line for your research. [3]

Resources:
1. Top 5 of the Most Commonly Used Cell Lines. Available at: https://bitesizebio.com/33473/top-5-of-the-most-commonly-used-cell-lines/
2. The Story Behind Your Cell Culture. Available at: https://bitesizebio.com/7647/the-story-behind-your-cell-culture/
3. The Do’s and Dont’s of Choosing a Cell Line. Available at: https://bitesizebio.com/46957/choosing-a-cell-line/

#61 — Fed up with fighting to put on another pair of gloves with sticky hands? Faced the embarrassment of giving a sweaty handshake? You need to listen to our top tips for handling sweaty glove hands in the lab.

Visit the full article to leave your comments on handling sweaty glove hands, [1] and check out our guide to choosing the right glove. [2]

Resources:
1. Get a Grip: Dealing with Sweaty Glove Hands.  Available at: https://bitesizebio.com/44798/get-a-grip-dealing-with-sweaty-glove-hands/
2.  Guard Yourself with Our Great Lab Glove Selection Guide. Available at: https://bitesizebio.com/22956/guard-yourself-with-our-guide-to-gloves/

#60 — There's nothing quite as frustrating as imaging a western blot only to find your bands are a wonky mess, your blot is covered in bubbles, or your bands are missing entirely. We've got a solution to help: Ponceau S. This stain gives a midpoint step that can help narrow down the cause of your problems.

Listen to this episode of Mentors At Your Benchside to discover a step-by-step guide for performing Ponceau S staining and how to interpret what the staining means when troubleshooting your failed blots.

Visit the full article to get a written protocol and see examples of Ponceau S staining. [1] Plus, for more help and advice on performing western blots, download our Free Western Blot Protocol Cheat Sheet. [2]

Resources:
1. What Ponceau S Staining Can Reveal About Your Western Blot.  Available at: https://bitesizebio.com/72803/ponceau-s-staining/
2. Bitesize Bio's Western Blot Protocol Cheat Sheet. Available at: https://bitesizebio.com/western-blot-protocol/

#59 — Have you heard of plasmid incompatibility? Should you be worried about it? Listen to this episode of Mentors At Your Benchside to discover exactly what plasmid incompatibility is, how it can affect your research and what you can do to overcome it.

Read the full article for helpful figures, [1] read the review with a list of incompatibility groupings, [2] check out the detailed review by Novick et al. for details on the categories of incompatibility, [3] and access the review on incompatibility mutations. [4]

Resources:
1. Understanding Plasmid Incompatibility.  Available at: https://bitesizebio.com/23341/understanding-plasmid-incompatibility/
2. Novick RP, et al. (1976) Uniform nomenclature for bacterial plasmids: a proposal. Bacteriol Rev. 40(1):168-89. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1128%2Fbr.40.1.168-189.1976
3. Carattoli A. (2009). Resistance Plasmid Families in Enterobacteriaceae. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 53(6):2227–38. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1128/aac.01707-08
4. Camps M. 2010. Modulation of ColE1-like Plasmid Replication for Recombinant Gene Expression. Recent Pat DNA Gene Seq. 4(1):58–73. Available at: https://doi.org/10.2174/187221510790410822

#58 — One of the most common goals in biology is to prove that two proteins colocalize. Usually, colocalization happens as part of a crucial disease pathway or poorly understood yet fundamental physiological process.

In this episode, we discuss two methods to quantify colocalization: Pearson’s correlation coefficient and Mander’s colocalization coefficient. Listen and learn their use cases and limitations and how to choose appropriate regions of interest in each case.

Read the full article for helpful figures, [1] and because observer subjectivity and color blindness can skew results, check out this article on accessibility in science. [2]

Resources:
1. Protein Colocalization: 2 Essential Methods to Prove Protein Overlap. Available at: https://bitesizebio.com/38330/protein-colocalization-you-know-they-overlap-but-can-you-prove-it/
2. Accessibility in Science: How Can We Make Science More Accessible? Available at: https://bitesizebio.com/65863/accessibility-in-science/

#57 — Some microbes survive at 37°C, and some survive at 90°C. So why do their respective enzymes have optimum temperatures?

Listen to this episode and learn about the delicate balance between reaction rate and enzyme stability that makes enzymes the perfect tool for their job. 

Check out the corresponding online article for a simple picture of why enzymes have optimum temperatures. [1] While you're at it, why not check out how DNA ligation works, [2] and discover the incredible variety of polymerases available? [3]

Resources:
1. Understanding The Optimum Temperature For Enzymes. Available at: https://bitesizebio.com/120/why-do-enzymes-have-optimal-temperatures/
2. DNA Ligation: How it Works & 6 Top Tips. Available at: https://bitesizebio.com/10279/how-dna-ligation-works/
3. Get To Know Your DNA Polymerases. Available at: https://bitesizebio.com/24551/get-to-know-your-dna-polymerases/

#56 — Do you add serum, such as fetal bovine serum, to your cell culture medium? This ingredient may be critical for cell growth and proliferation, but it could negatively impact your results and reproducibility.

Listen as we discuss the pros and cons of using serum and how to remove serum from your cultures and boost your reproducibility.

Read the full article on removing serum, [1] discover the importance of the 3Rs in research, [2] and check out the Fetal Calf Serum-Free Database. [3]

Resources:
1. Going Serum-Free: The How and Why of Removing Serum From Your Media. Available at: https://bitesizebio.com/46997/removing-serum-from-your-media/
2. Reduce, Reuse, Refine Your Animal Model Resources with the ‘3Rs’. Available at: https://bitesizebio.com/42923/reduce-reuse-refine-your-animal-model-resources-with-the-3rs/
3. Fetal Calf Serum-Free Database. Available at: https://fcs-free.org/