UTSA plant biologists publish where their peers are -- on the Web

(San Antonio) … To better communicate their novel technique to extract hormones from plants under stress, University of Texas at San Antonio researchers Jurgen and Marie J. Engelberth have published an 11-minute video in the Journal of Visualized Experiments (JoVE). JoVE, a peer-reviewed scholarly video journal, aims to facilitate advances specifically in biology research by providing a clear format to communicate new scientific experiments and techniques.

"There are times when a traditional print journal just won't suffice to explain science, and this is one of those times," said Jurgen Engelberth, assistant professor of plant biochemistry in the Department of Biology in UTSA's College of Sciences. "By inviting JoVE into our lab to shoot video footage of our hormone extraction technique and helping JoVE with the video's narrative, we have been able to clearly and accurately communicate the laboratory techniques at the crux of our research."

In the Engelberths' video publication, "Monitoring Plant Hormones During Stress Responses," the researchers demonstrate the steps required to isolate plant hormones and measure their concentrations. In just 11:01 minutes, viewers learn to extract hormones from plant materials, methylate and prepare filters, collect the extractions and analyze the samples. As the video proceeds, the narrative points out key considerations for a successful experiment.

Since the Engelberth's video was published by JoVE a few weeks ago, it has received nearly 3,000 hits.