MRI: Acquisition of Confocal Laser Scanning Microscope for Research and Training in the Biological Sciences

圣劳伦斯大学（SLU）获得了一个共聚焦显微镜系统。许多现代细胞和分子生物学技术使用天然荧光、荧光标记分子或荧光染料来标记特定的细胞成分。共聚焦显微镜是一种使用激光产生活细胞和固定细胞内细胞和亚细胞成分的高分辨率图像的仪器，这些细胞和固定细胞已被标记为一个或多个荧光分子。此外，这些荧光结构的3D重建可以使用共聚焦显微镜收集的一系列图像来创建，因为它向下聚焦通过一个标本。因此，该仪器具有解决许多类型的生物学问题的分辨力，包括识别细胞类型，特定分子的细胞定位，确定基因表达和检查细胞分化。参与该项目的研究人员需要增强使用的灵活性和该共聚焦系统的特殊功能（例如，紫外激光器，光谱探测器和环境室），以获得他们对其科学领域的贡献的高质量图像，包括出版物，国内和国际会议演讲，学生培训和其他应用。因此，该奖项将扩大SLU和圣劳伦斯谷联盟联合学院的研究、培训和教学机会。该仪器的收购将扩大SLU与克拉克森大学（CU）之间现有的合作伙伴关系，特别是增加CSTEP和McNair学者的夏季奖学金项目；这两个项目支持来自STEM中代表性不足群体的学生。此外，新的显微镜将推动数十名K-12教师，学生和社区成员在经济上处于不利地位的纽约北部农村地区的推广活动。尼康C2+光谱成像共聚焦显微镜系统具有宽视场相机和环境室系统以及专业功能，将支持和扩展圣劳伦斯谷联合学院（SLU，克拉克森，纽约州立大学波茨坦和纽约州立大学广州）STEM教师和学生的当前和未来的研究，教学和本科培训活动，这是纽约州北部的高等教育联盟。新仪器将增加研究人员的研究和学术贡献，并加强11名教师和科学专业人员在细胞和发育生物学以及生态学和进化方面的教学和培训活动，包括PI和co -PI的项目，这些项目侧重于亚细胞运输和特定分子在发育过程中的组织定位。该共聚焦显微镜的收购将为所有用户提供重要的灵活性，以实现成功的成像与各自的生物系统的研究，同时也易于使用和具有相对较低的成本基础设施。特别是，该系统将允许研究人员探索氧化铈纳米颗粒的生物效应；舌口苔藓虫基因表达的研究以及进化上保守的IME4 mRNA甲基转移酶在后生动物发育中的重要作用。高分辨率成像需要在高知名度的细胞和分子生物学期刊上发表，而共聚焦显微镜现在是使用荧光发表基于显微镜的研究的预期最低标准。具体来说，该仪器将积极影响相对较新的氧化铈纳米颗粒领域，因为新系统将使博士。Erlichman和Estevez描述了氧化铈纳米颗粒的化学性质如何影响它们的细胞运输，以及细胞定位是否影响促氧化和抗氧化作用。体轴在苔藓虫生命周期（胚胎发生、变态和无性出芽）中多次确定。使用该仪器，Temkin博士将获得两种不同的无性萌发模式下Hox基因表达的数据。这些数据将为在苔藓虫生命周期的其他阶段检测Hox基因表达提供基础。最后，发育生物学的一个基本问题是细胞命运是如何决定的。为了回答这个问题，Hongay博士将使用这种新型显微镜进行高分辨率共聚焦分析，以确定一种高度进化保守的rna修饰酶是如何决定果蝇精子发生过程中的细胞命运和细胞分化的。

An award is made to St. Lawrence University (SLU) to acquire a confocal microscopy system. Many modern cellular and molecular biology techniques use natural fluorescence, fluorescently tagged molecules, or fluorescent dyes to label specific cellular components. A confocal microscope is an instrument that uses lasers to produce high resolution images of cellular and subcellular components within living and fixed cells that have been labeled with one or more fluorescent molecules. In addition, 3D reconstructions of these fluorescent structures can be created using a series of images collected by the confocal microscope as it focuses down through a specimen. Consequently, this instrument has the resolving power to address many types of biological problems including identifying cell types, cellular localization of specific molecules, determining gene expression, and examining cell differentiation. The research faculty involved in this project require the enhanced flexibility of use and special capabilities (e.g., UV laser, spectral detector, and environmental chamber) of this confocal system to obtain quality images of their work for their contributions to their scientific fields, including publications, national and international meeting presentations, student training, and other applications. Thus, this award will broaden research, training, and teaching opportunities both at SLU and the Associated Colleges of the St. Lawrence Valley Consortium. Acquisition of this instrument will expand the existing partnership between SLU and Clarkson University (CU), especially increasing summer fellowship projects for CSTEP and McNair Scholars; two programs that support students from populations underrepresented in STEM. In addition, the new microscope will fuel outreach activities for dozens of K-12 teachers, students, and community members in our economically disadvantaged, rural region of northern New York.A Nikon C2+ spectral imaging confocal microscope system with wide field camera and environmental chamber systems and specialized capabilities will support and expand current and future research, teaching, and undergraduate training activities of STEM faculty and students at the Associated Colleges of the St. Lawrence Valley (SLU, Clarkson, SUNY Potsdam, and SUNY Canton), a higher education consortium in upstate New York. The new instrument will augment the research and scholarly contributions of research faculty and enhance teaching and training activities of eleven faculty and science professionals in cell and developmental biology and ecology and evolution, including the PI and Co-PIs' projects, which focus on the theme of subcellular trafficking and tissue localization of specific molecules during development. The acquisition of this confocal microscope will provide the flexibility important for all users to achieve successful imaging with their respective biological systems of study, while also being easy to use and having a relatively low cost infrastructure. In particular, this system will allow research faculty to explore the biological effects of cerium oxide nanoparticles; gene expression in cheilostome bryozoans; and the essential role of the evolutionarily conserved IME4 mRNA methyltransferase in metazoan development. High-resolution imaging is required to publish in high profile cell and molecular biology journals, and confocal microscopy is now the expected minimal standard for publishing microscopy-based research using fluorescence. Specifically, this instrument will positively impact the relatively new field of cerium oxide nanoparticles, as the new system will enable Drs. Erlichman and Estevez to characterize how the chemistry of cerium oxide nanoparticles influences their cellular trafficking and whether cellular localization influences pro-oxidant vs antioxidant effects. Body axes are determined multiple times during the bryozoan life cycle (embryogenesis, metamorphosis, and asexual budding). Using the proposed instrument, Dr. Temkin will acquire data on Hox gene expression during two different patterns of asexual budding. These data will provide a foundation to examine Hox gene expression at other points in the bryozoan life cycle. Lastly, a fundamental question in developmental biology is how cell fates are determined. To answer this, Dr. Hongay will employ the new microscope to perform high resolution confocal analyses to determine how a highly evolutionarily conserved RNA-modifying enzyme dictates cell fates and cell differentiation in Drosophila spermatogenesis.