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David Stock博士、William Friedman博士、Pei-San Tsai博士和Robert Boswell博士已获拨款，以建立一个通用的共聚焦显微镜设备。这些研究人员在发育和/或进化生物学的广泛领域进行研究，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。用于这种表征的传统组织学方法是费力的，容易产生人工制品，并且不能应用于活标本。共聚焦显微镜是这种应用的理想选择，因为它允许从单个焦平面（“光学切片”）收集数据，然后由计算机组装成三维重建。该技术不需要对样品进行物理切片，因此可用于活体材料。购买的主要设备是一台激光扫描共聚焦显微镜。另外还将购买两件设备，一架荧光复合显微镜和一架荧光立体显微镜，以便于用共聚焦显微镜制备样品进行分析。这些显微镜与现有的扫描电子显微镜一起，将被安置在科罗拉多大学的一个对所有研究人员开放的设施中。预计将在科罗拉多大学建立的通用成像设施将有助于部门内和部门间的相互作用。该设施使用者的研究领域——发育和进化生物学，都被科罗拉多大学的两个独立的系所分割，大多数发育生物学家位于分子、细胞和发育生物学系，而大多数进化生物学家位于环境、人口和有机体生物学系。尽管最近进化发育生物学的分支学科的兴起突出了这些部门之间的共同利益，但这些部门之间的互动在过去一直很少。一个在共享技术基础上汇集研究人员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生物学家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中的各种问题和方法外，该设施的潜在用户还使用从动物到植物的各种生物。由于这些生物群体代表了多细胞发育的独立发明，在计划设施的催化下，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与不稳定特征得到更清晰的关注。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。将共聚焦显微镜纳入现有的组织学课程，以及定期举办旨在吸引新用户的培训课程，将进一步加强他们的教育经验。总之，在整个生物学研究和培训日益专业化的时代，一个常用的共聚焦显微镜设备被视为一种手段，使发育和进化生物学的研究人员接触到各种各样的问题、方法和生物。

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.