CONFOCAL LASER SCANNING MICROSCOPE

本提案要求为奥林巴斯Fluoview共聚焦激光扫描生物显微镜系统提供资金。共聚焦显微镜的激光扫描技术为细胞和亚细胞成分的分析提供了最高的灵敏度和分辨率，在光学切片和三维重建方面具有明显的优势。所要求的系统是一种便于用户使用的桌面模型，将随时提供给一些训练时间不多的调查人员，并包括一台打印机，用于编写供出版的数据。美国国立卫生研究院支持的研究的一个共同焦点是细胞功能和细胞内调节成分的激素和神经元控制。该系统将用于使用荧光技术的许多应用。这些包括:1)使用双标记荧光免疫细胞化学对特定蛋白进行共定位；2)单个细胞内信号转导分子（包括受体和转录因子）的亚细胞定位；3)评估和三维重建厚组织（如胚胎）中特定蛋白的表达，其中光学切片比物理切片具有明显的优势；4)追踪中枢神经系统和胎儿下丘脑细胞中的神经细胞，分析正常生理过程、神经递质和激素如何改变它们的投射。这种共聚焦显微镜系统将大大扩展和加强美国国立卫生研究院资助的南伊利诺伊大学卡本代尔分校研究人员的研究项目。此外，如果可用性允许，该系统可能被南伊利诺伊大学校园内的其他调查人员使用。

This proposal requests funding for an Olympus Fluoview Confocal Laser Scanning Biological Microscope System. The laser scanning technology of the confocal microscope provides the highest sensitivity and resolution for the analysis of cellular and subcellular components and has the distinct advantage of optical sectioning and three-dimensional reconstruction. The requested system is a desk-top user friendly model, which will be readily available to a number of investigators with modest training times, and includes a printer to prepare data for publication. A common focus of the NIH-supported research is the hormonal and neuronal control of cellular function and of intracellular regulatory components. This system will be used for a number of applications using fluorescent techniques. These include: 1) co-localization of specific proteins using double-labeled fluorescent immunocytochemistry, 2) subcellular localization of signal transduction molecules including receptors and transcription factors within a single cell, 3) evaluation and three dimensional reconstruction of the expression of specific proteins in thick tissues such as embryos where optical sectioning provides distinct advantages over physical sectioning and, 4) tracing of nerve cells in the central nervous system and in fetal hypothalamic cells to analyze how normal physiological processes, neurotransmitters and hormones alter their projections. This confocal microscope system will significantly extend and enhance the research projects of NIH- funded investigators at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. In addition, this system may be used by other investigators on the Southern Illinois University campus as availability permits.