MRI: Acquisition of a Laser Scanning Confocal Microscope for the Core, Multi-User Microscopy Facility at Appalachian State University

阿巴拉契亚州立大学(ASU)通过NSF-重大研究仪器计划获得了一种新的激光扫描共聚焦显微镜(LSM)。激光共聚焦显微镜是研究动物、植物和微生物细胞和基因功能的重要工具。LSM还提高了质量，扩大了许多科学学科的研究、培训和教育活动的范围，包括生物和化学。新的LSM将被安置在艺术与科学学院内的杜威显微镜设施(http://casmifa.appstate.edu/))。DMF是亚利桑那州立大学所有部门以及周边阿巴拉契亚社区的核心多用户显微镜设施，包括北卡罗来纳州西部的高中生。使用该设施的主要调查人员培训本科生和硕士-S水平的研究生在课程和研究环境中使用这种成像技术。在更广泛的层面上，亚利桑那州立大学和DMF支持几个项目，这些项目培训来自未被充分代表的群体正在攻读学位的大学生和高中生。这些计划包括为阿巴拉契亚地区的高中生提供学业支持的向上跳跃计划，化学系的法医计划，以及为有天赋的初中生和高中生提供的杜克技巧。该仪器还将用于亚利桑那州立大学的其他外展项目，如STEM教育项目和一年一度的NC科学节。该项目将显著提高亚利桑那州立大学的研究生产率和教育机会。它还将加强对社区的持续服务以及与该地区其他大学的合作。因此，新的LSM将成为北卡罗来纳州西部现有和未来科学家以及工程师的重要工具。新仪器主要为亚利桑那州立大学生物系和化学系的用户提供个人研究、研究培训计划和教学服务。利用LSM进行的五大研究项目涉及多学科，包括：研究微管在根发育中的作用；以斑马鱼为模式系统的基因调控机制进化的研究；果蝇感觉神经元的形态和功能研究；探索负电荷分子通过在哺乳动物细胞系中过表达的主要促进剂超家族蛋白进行运输的生物物理过程；以及脊椎动物排氨机制的进化转变。该项目奖加强了这些研究领域，因为LSM配置了脉冲405 nm激光器，用于检查核染料、光漂白实验和激光烧蚀研究。此外，其他激光包括用于许多黄色或绿色染料的线为458/488/514 nm的25 mW Argon，用于红色染料的561 nm的二极管泵浦固体激光器，以及用于近红外染料的Heen633 nm。研究项目受益于分辨率的提高、扫描速度的提高和进行荧光共振能量转移实验的能力。新的LSM满足了亚利桑那州立大学和北卡罗来纳州西部多学科研究和教育的当前和未来需求。

An award is made to Appalachian State University (ASU) through the NSF-Major Research Instrumentation program to acquire a new laser scanning confocal microscope (LSM). A LSM is an essential tool for studying cell and gene function in animals, plants, and microorganisms. The LSM also improves the quality and expands the scope of the research, training and educational activities in many scientific disciplines, including biology and chemistry. The new LSM will be housed in the Dewel Microscopy Facility (DMF) (http://casmifa.appstate.edu/) within the College of Arts and Sciences. The DMF serves as the core, multi-user microscopy facility for all departments at ASU as well as surrounding Appalachian communities, including high school students in western North Carolina. Principle investigators that use the facility train undergraduate and master?s level graduate students to utilize this imaging technique in coursework as well as research environments. On a broader level, ASU and the DMF support several programs that train college and high school students from underrepresented groups pursuing degrees. These programs include Upward Bound that provides academic support to high school students in the Appalachian region, the Forensic Program in the Department of Chemistry, and the Duke TIP for gifted middle and high school students. This instrument will also be used for other outreach programs at ASU, such as the STEM education program and annual NC Science Festival. This project will significantly enhance research productivity and educational opportunities at ASU. It will also strengthen ongoing services to communities and collaborations with other universities in the region. Thus, the new LSM will become an essential tool for current and future scientists as well as engineers in all of western North Carolina. The new instrumentation primarily serves users from the Departments of Biology and Chemistry at ASU for individual research, research training programs, and teaching. The five major research projects that use the LSM are multidisciplinary including investigation of the roles of microtubules in root development; study of the evolution of gene regulatory mechanisms using zebrafish as a model system; research on the morphology and function of sensory neurons in Drosophila melanogaster; exploration of the biophysical processes behind the transport of negatively charged molecules through major facilitator superfamily proteins overexpressed in mammalian cell lines; and examination of the evolutionary transitions in the mechanisms of ammonia excretion in vertebrates. The project award enhances these research areas as the LSM is configured with a pulsed 405nm laser for examining nuclear dyes, for photobleaching experiments and for laser ablation studies. Furthermore, additional lasers include a 25mW Argon with lines 458/488/514nm for many yellow or green dyes, a Diode Pumped Solid State Laser at 561nm for red dyes, and a HeNe 633nm for near infrared dyes. Research projects benefit from increased resolution, enhanced scanning speeds and the ability to conduct fluorescence resonance energy transfer experiments. The new LSM meets both the current and future needs for research and education across multiple disciplines at ASU and western North Carolina.