Juice Agar Plates for Drosophila Embryo Collection
| Reagent | Amount |
|---|---|
| Agar | 105 g |
| Distilled H2O | 3 L |
| Apple or grape juice | 1 L |
| Sucrose | 100 g |
| Tegosept (methylparaben) | 6 g |
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In a 6-L flask, add agar to distilled H2O and stir with a magnetic stir bar. In a 2-L flask, add sucrose and Tegosept to apple or grape juice. Cover flasks with foil and autoclave both solutions for 45 min at 15 psi. Sterilize an empty 500-mL graduated cylinder in the same autoclave cycle. After the autoclave step, slowly add the juice/sucrose solution to the 6-L flask containing the agar and allow the solution to cool while stirring. Transfer the solution (∼500 mL at a time) to the autoclaved 500-mL graduated cylinder, and then pour the mixture into 60-mm × 15-mm Petri dishes. Pour just enough solution to cover the bottom of each plate. Replace lids and allow plates to cool and solidify on the benchtop overnight. When cooled, return plates to their original sleeves and close with lab tape. Write the date on the plates and store them at 4°C. This 4 L recipe is sufficient for approximately 460 60-mm plates (23 sleeves) and can be scaled up or down as needed. Prepared juice plates will keep for several months in the refrigerator (4°C).
