A DIC/Fluorescence Microscope for the Cummings Life Science Center

光学显微镜长期以来一直是生物学家的重要工具，但最近的技术进步大大增强了这种方法的能力。透镜、光源和一般显微镜设计的改进极大地提高了图像质量，并使以前的仪器无法检测到的太小或太暗的结构得以可视化。差示干涉对比（DIC）显微镜使细胞内结构以前所未有的清晰度观察。因为图像对比度是由折射率的差异产生的，所以活细胞可以在不染色或其他操作的情况下被观察到。荧光显微镜传统上用于固定细胞，虽然这种方法仍然非常有价值，但绿色荧光蛋白（GFP）作为研究工具的引入为使用活细胞进行荧光显微镜打开了新的前景。由于这些进展，芝加哥大学卡明斯生命科学中心的一些研究小组正在发现DIC和荧光显微镜的越来越多的应用。这些研究中有许多涉及常规观测，但需要非常好的光学技术。例子包括基于显微镜的酵母细胞遗传筛选，以及原生动物分泌颗粒生物发生的可视化。该奖项将资助购买DIC/荧光显微镜系统，安置在卡明斯大楼。该系统将包括：(a)蔡司Axioplan 2 DIC/荧光显微镜；(b)柯达MDS-120数码相机；(c) PowerMac G3电脑；(d) Improvision公司的OpenLab图像捕捉软件。该系统将适用于两个层面的操作。对于常规观察，显微镜将完全由手动控制操作。摄影时，显微镜和数码相机将由电脑控制。因此，新的显微镜系统将提供复杂的能力，同时允许很大的灵活性。该设施将使卡明斯小组的研究项目向新的方向扩展。卡明斯的研究人员利用模型系统来探索遗传学、细胞生物学和发育生物学的基本问题。这些小组培养了大量的本科生、研究生和博士后，他们将从无限制地使用高质量的显微镜中受益。由于这些原因，新的显微镜设备将帮助芝加哥大学保持其在生物科学领域首屈一指的研究和教学机构的地位。

AWARD ABSTRACT - 9970185 Light microscopy has long been an essential tool for biologists, but recent technological advances have greatly enhanced the power of this approach. Improvements in lenses, light sources and general microscope design have dramatically enhanced image quality, and have allowed for the visualization of structures that were too small or too faint to be detected using earlier instruments. Differential Interference Contrast (DIC) microscopy enables intracellular structures to be observed with unprecedented clarity. Because image contrast is generated by differences in refractive index, living cells can be viewed without staining or other manipulation. Fluorescence microscopy has traditionally been used with fixed cells, and while this method remains extremely valuable, the introduction of Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP) as a research tool has opened new vistas for performing fluorescence microscopy with living cells. Because of these advances, a number of research groups in the Cummings Life Science Center at the University of Chicago are finding increasing applications for DIC and fluorescence microscopy. Many of these studies involve routine observations that nevertheless require very good optics. Examples include microscopy-based genetic screens of yeast cells, and the visualization of secretory granule biogenesis in protozoa. This award will fund the purchase of a DIC/fluorescence microscopy system to be housed in the Cummings building. The system will include: (a) a Zeiss Axioplan 2 DIC/fluorescence microscope; (b) a Kodak MDS-120 digital camera; (c) a PowerMac G3 computer; and (d) Improvision's OpenLab image capture software. This system will be suitable for operation on two levels. For routine observations, the microscope will be operated exclusively by manual controls. For photography, the microscope and digital camera will be controlled with a computer. Hence, the new microscopy system will provide sophisticated capability while allowing for great flexibility. This facility will enable the research programs of the Cummings groups to expand in new directions. Cummings researchers employ model systems to explore fundamental questions in genetics, cell biology and developmental biology. These groups train a large number of undergraduates, graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, who will benefit from unrestricted access to a high-quality microscope. For these reasons, the new microscopy facility will help the University of Chicago to maintain its status as a premier research and teaching institution in the biological sciences.