Upgrade and Modernization of the Integrated Imaging Center

该奖项提供支持收购超薄切片机与冷冻台和玻璃刀制造商将被放置在位于约翰霍普金斯大学生物系的综合成像中心。 综合成像中心包括光学和电子显微镜设备，从而为大学教师和学生提供方便地获得这两种类型的显微镜的传统和先进技术。该中心的主要重点是利用荧光和电子致密探针研究细胞/亚细胞结构和功能。 近年来，使用抗体定位细胞内特定蛋白质的新技术的开发和改进已成为任何亚细胞结构和功能的综合研究的重要组成部分。通常，所使用的抗体与荧光或电子致密部分化学缀合以促进通过显微镜观察。这补充和扩展了其他方法获得的结果。 该中心提供本科和研究生课程显微镜（以及定期研讨会）作为提供培训和接触最新，最先进的显微镜技术的学生和教师的一种手段。 这些课程强调显微技术与其他细胞生物学研究工具的整合。 新设备将取代旧的现有设备，这些设备不再能满足现代细胞生物学研究所需的精度。 利用该设备的项目包括酵母和昆虫细胞内吞途径的研究，酵母线粒体动力学分析，以及高尔基体结构和功能中高尔基蛋白作用的研究。

This award provides support for acquisition of an ultramicrotome with cryostage and a glass knife maker to be placed in the Integrated Imaging Center located in the Johns Hopkins University Biology Department. The Integrated Imaging Center includes both light and electron microscopy equipment and thus provides university faculty and students convenient access to conventional and advanced techniques in both types of microscopy. The major focus of the Center is the utilization of fluorescent and electron dense probes for the purpose of investigating cellular/subcellular structure and function. In recent years, the development and refinement of new techniques that use antibodies to localize specific proteins within cells has become an essential component of any comprehensive study of subcellular structure and function. Typically, the antibodies used are chemically conjugated to fluorescent or electron dense moiety to facilitate visualization by microscopy. This complements and extends results obtained by other approaches. The Center offers both undergraduate and graduate courses in microscopy (as well as regular workshops) as a means of providingtraining and exposure to the latest, most advanced microscopy techniques to students and to faculty. These courses emphasize the integration of microscopic techniques with the use of other cell biological research tools. The new equipment will replace older existing equipment that can no longer function with the precision required for modern cell biology research. Among the projects that will make use of the equipment are studies of the endocytosis pathways of yeast and insect cells, analysis of mitochondrial dynamics in yeast, and investigation of the role of golgins in structure and function of the golgi apparatus.