Equipment to Enhance Ecological and Evolutionary Genomics Research at the Marine Science Center

快速发展的基因组技术为沿海海洋的关键问题提供了前所未有的洞察力，如气候变化，生物地球化学循环，渔业引起的进化，富营养化和海洋酸化。东北大学海洋科学中心（MSC）的教师，学生和访问研究人员一直在使用基因组学来推进这些领域的知识，但由于设备过时和缺乏基因组学工作的一些关键设备，他们这样做的能力目前受到限制。该项目提供资金，将一个过时的共享实验室空间改造成一个新的基因组学核心设施，并购买新的仪器，这将大大加强MSC在海洋基因组学方面快速发展的计划。MSC是通过与30多个不同国家的外部研究人员合作，在地方，国家和国际层面研究城市沿海环境，推进基础生物知识的独特领导者。拟议的改进将进一步使MSC成为应用基因组学技术解决沿海生态系统关键问题的全球领导者。这些改进将继续支持MSC教师和学生以外的广泛用户社区的研究和培训活动，包括访问研究人员，学校团体和外展计划。核心基因组学设施将维持一个网站，提供该设施正在采用的所有方法的最新方案，并提供该设施生成的所有开放获取数据的链接。高通量测序成本的降低已经彻底改变了生态和进化基因组学领域。东北大学的海洋科学中心具有独特的优势，可以应用这些工具来推进海洋科学关键方面的知识。我们在这方面的成功将随着关键设备的升级而得到加强。拟议的改进将支持多样化和大量的当前和未来NSF资助的研究，包括比较基因组学，海景基因组学，生态学，进化基因组学，海洋酸化，表观基因组学和微生物学。这些新仪器将通过购买几件设备来显著扩大分析能力，从而为海洋科学中心建立一个核心基因组学设施，从而改善在MSC进行的这项外部资助的研究。这包括用于DNA片段化的Covaris超声波发生器、用于浓缩核酸的SpeedVac真空浓缩器、用于高通量核酸定量和微生物细胞培养工作的荧光酶标仪、用于单样本核酸定量的Nanodrop、用于凝胶成像的新型透照仪和凝胶记录系统以及用于促进材料正确灭菌的大型高压灭菌器。这些新的工具将推动研究和培训，使其超出现有能力，从而能够采用新的确定方法，并提高可收集数据的质量和数量。这笔赠款将通过在线协议和开放获取该设施生成的数据来扩大MSC研究协议和研究产品的可访问性。

Rapidly advancing genomic technology is giving unprecedented insight into critically important problems in the coastal ocean, such as climate change, biogeochemical cycling, fishing-induced evolution, eutrophication, and ocean acidification. Faculty, students, and visiting researchers at Northeastern University's Marine Science Center (MSC) have been using genomics to advance knowledge in these areas, but their ability to do so is currently limited due to outdated equipment and lack of some key pieces of equipment for genomics work. This project provides funds to renovate an outdated shared laboratory space into a new Genomics Core Facility and purchase new instruments that will dramatically enhance the MSC's rapidly-growing program in marine genomics. The MSC is a unique leader in advancing basic biological knowledge through the study of urban coastal environments at local, national, and international levels through collaborations with external researchers that are based in over 30 different countries. The proposed improvements will further position the MSC to become a global leader in applying genomics techniques to solve critically important problems in coastal ecosystems. These improvements will continue to support the research and training activities of a broad user community beyond the faculty and students at the MSC, including visiting researchers, school groups, and outreach programs. The Core Genomics Facility will maintain a website with up-to-date protocols for all methods being performed at the Facility and a link for all open-access data generated by the Facility. The decreasing cost of high throughput sequencing has revolutionized the field of ecological and evolutionary genomics. Northeastern University's Marine Science Center is uniquely positioned to apply these tools to advance knowledge on key aspects of marine science. Our success on this front will be enhanced with key equipment upgrades. The proposed improvements will support a diverse array and significant amount of current and future NSF-funded research including comparative genomics, seascape genomics, ecology, evolutionary genomics, ocean acidification, epigenomics, and microbiology. The new instruments will improve this externally funded research conducted at the MSC by significantly expanding analytical capabilities through the acquisition of several pieces of equipment to form a Core Genomics Facility for the Marine Science Center. This includes a Covaris ultrasonicator for DNA fragmentation, a SpeedVac vacuum concentrator to concentrate nucleic acids, a fluorescent plate reader for high throughput nucleic acid quantification and microbial cell culture work, a Nanodrop for single sample nucleic acid quantification, a new transilluminator and gel documentation system for gel imaging, and a large autoclave to facilitate proper sterilization of materials. These new instruments will advance research and training beyond current capacity, enabling new methods for ascertainment, and increase the quality and the amount of data that can be collected. This grant will broaden the accessibility of MSC research protocols and research products through online protocols and open access to data generated by the facility.