Acquisition of a Laser Scanning Confocal Microscope for Plant Science Research

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This award provides support for purchase of a modern laser scanning confocal microscope equipped for spectral imaging. The instrument will be used for protein localization for functional genomics studies of plants and their pathogens. The instrument will permit simultaneous visualization of multiple proteins and/or of nucleic acids in biological samples, and permit confirmation of co-localization of proteins and RNAs through use of FRET (fluorescence resonance energy transfer). Among the research programs that will benefit are studies of plant virus replication using yeast as a model host system for identification of host factors required for replication, studies of the organization, evolution and instability of the genome of the plant pathogenic fungus Magnaporthe grisea, studies of role of the Arabidopsis protein AGL15 in embryonic development, and studies aimed at identifying host genes responsible for production of novel cell endomembranes characteristic of rhabdovirus-infected plant cells. The instrument will enhance research training of students at the undergraduate, graduate and postdoctoral level. In addition, the knowledge gained may lead to new strategies for control of viral diseases of animals and plants, development of new viral-based gene expression vectors, and improved crop productivity.