Acquisition of a Confocal Microscope and the Establishment of an Interdepartmental Microscopy Imaging Facility at the University of Colorado

科罗拉多大学的大卫斯托克博士、威廉弗里德曼博士、蔡培三博士和罗伯特博斯韦尔博士获得了一笔赠款，用于建立一个通用的共聚焦显微镜设施。这些研究人员在发育和/或进化生物学的广泛领域的研究需要在相对较厚的标本中对解剖结构和基因表达域进行三维表征。传统的组织学方法，这样的表征是费力的，容易产生伪影，不能应用于活标本。共焦显微镜是理想的这种应用，因为它允许从单个焦平面（“光学截面”）收集数据，然后可以由计算机组装成三维重建。该技术不需要对样本进行物理切片，因此可以用于活体材料。采购的主要设备是激光扫描共聚焦显微镜。另外还将购买两件设备，即落射荧光复合显微镜和荧光体视显微镜，以便于制备样本，供共聚焦显微镜分析。这些显微镜，沿着现有的扫描电子显微镜，将被安置在一个设施开放给所有研究人员在科罗拉多大学。 将在科罗拉多大学建立的通用成像设施预计将有助于部门内和部门间的互动。发育和进化生物学，这个设施的用户的研究领域，都是在科罗拉多大学的两个独立的部门之间分裂，与大多数发育生物学家位于分子，细胞发育生物学系和环境，人口器官生物学系的大多数进化生物学家。这些部门之间的互动在过去一直是最小的，尽管共同的利益突出了最近崛起的进化发育生物学的子学科。在共享技术的基础上将研究人员聚集在一起的设施预计将鼓励所有类型的发育生物学家之间以及发育和进化生物学家之间的思想交流。除了代表发育和进化生物学的全方位问题和方法外，该设施的潜在用户还使用从动物到植物的多种生物。由于这些生物群体代表了多细胞发育的独立发明，因此计划中的设施催化的植物和动物生物学家之间的相互作用可能会使发展和进化的普遍特征与不稳定特征更加突出。学生尤其应该从这种互动中受益，因为他们可能是在设施中花费最多时间的人。通过将共聚焦显微镜纳入现有的组织学课程，以及通过旨在吸引新用户的定期培训课程，他们的教育经验将得到进一步加强。总之，在整个生物学的研究和培训越来越专业化的时代，一个共同使用的共聚焦显微镜设施被视为一种手段，使研究人员在发育和进化生物学的问题，方法和生物体的多样性。

A grant has been awarded to Dr. David Stock, Dr. William Friedman, Dr. Pei-San Tsai, and Dr. Robert Boswell at the University of Colorado to establish a common-use confocal microscopy facility. The research of these investigators in the broad areas of developmental and/or evolutionary biology requires three-dimensional characterization of anatomical structures and domains of gene expression in relatively thick specimens. Traditional histological methods for such characterization are laborious, prone to artifacts, and cannot be applied to living specimens. Confocal microscopy is ideal for such applications, as it allows collection of data from single focal planes ("optical sections") which can then be assembled by a computer into a three-dimensional reconstruction. This technique does not require physical sectioning of samples and can therefore be used with living material. The major item of equipment to be purchased is a laser scanning confocal microscope. Two additional pieces of equipment, an epifluorescence compound microscope and a fluorescence stereomicroscope, will be purchased to facilitate the preparation of specimens for analysis with the confocal microscope. These microscopes, along with an existing scanning electron microscope, will be housed in a facility open to all researchers at the University of Colorado. The common-use imaging facility to be established at the University of Colorado is expected to contribute to intra- and interdepartmental interactions. Developmental and Evolutionary Biology, the research fields of the users of this facility, are both split between two separate departments at the University of Colorado, with the majority of developmental biologists located in the Department of Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology and the majority of evolutionary biologists in the Department of Environmental, Population & Organismic Biology. Interactions between these departments have been minimal in the past, despite common interests highlighted by the recent rise of the subdiscipline of Evolutionary Developmental Biology. A facility bringing together researchers on the basis of shared technology is expected to encourage the exchange of ideas among developmental biologists of all types as well as between developmental and evolutionary biologists. In addition to representing a full spectrum of questions in and approaches to Developmental and Evolutionary Biology, potential users of this facility employ a diversity of organisms ranging from animals to plants. As these groups of organisms represent independent inventions of multicellular development, interactions among plant and animal biologists catalyzed by the planned facility may bring into sharper focus universal versus labile features of development and evolution. Students in particular should benefit from such interactions, as they are likely to be the ones spending the most time in the facility. Their educational experience will further be enhanced by the incorporation of confocal microscopy into an existing histology course, as well as by periodic training sessions aimed at attracting new users. In summary, in an era of increasing specialization in research and training throughout Biology, a common use confocal microscopy facility is seen as a means of exposing researchers in Developmental and Evolutionary Biology to a diversity of questions, approaches and organisms.