Fluorescent Activated Cell Sorter for C. elegans (worms)

描述（申请人提供）：秀丽隐杆线虫已经成为研究与真核生物相关的各种生物学问题的重要实验系统。秀丽隐杆线虫的大小，有限的细胞数量和易接近的遗传学使其成为一种非常有用的生物。此提案是购买Union Biometrica生物分类器2。该仪器将根据大小和荧光分析和分类秀丽隐杆线虫；它是一种“蠕虫细胞分选器”。该仪器的高容量及其区分不同大小或表达不同荧光蛋白的蠕虫的能力，允许在以前未知的规模上进行遗传筛选。该仪器分选活蠕虫的能力（每小时50,000条蠕虫）将提供足够的转基因或突变动物，以进行生化研究。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans has become an important experimental system used to study a wide variety of biological problems germane to eucaryotes. The size, limited cell number and approachable genetics has made C. elegans a highly useful organism. This proposal is to purchase a Union Biometrica Biosort 2. This instrument will both analyze and sort C. elegans on the basis of size and fluorescence; it is a "cell sorter for worms". The high capacity of the instrument in combination with its ability to discriminate worms of different sizes or expressing different fluorescent proteins permits genetic screens on a scale that was previously unknown. The capacity of the instrument to sort living worms (50,000 worms/hour) will provide enough transgenic or mutant animals to permit biochemical studies. The instrument will be used by seven different principal investigators, who belong to five different departments housed in three different colleges (College of Arts and Sciences, College of Pharmacy, School of Medicine). The instrument will be housed in our existing Fluorescence Activated Cell Sorter Facility. This core facility is centrally located on the University of Utah campus and is proximal to all of the investigators. This facility has been in operation for over ten years and is overseen by a full-time Ph.D. director and a skilled technician. The director provides training and support to users using the current Fluorescence activated cell sorters and scanners and will do so for the union Biometrica Biosort 2. There is strong institutional support for this instrument. The institution will provide the salary of the Director and the technician. In addition to space in the core facility the institution will guarantee the maintenance of the instrument. This institutional commitment will ensure that the instrument can be used by investigators without having to charge prohibitive hourly rates. The instrument's use would be monitored by an oversight committee that would manage issues dealing with priorities and publicity. The head of this committee will be a member of the Core Facilities Oversight Board. This administrative structure will provide a seamless management of the "worm sorter" within the framework of institutional Core Facilities. In summary, a fluorescent activated cell sorter for C. elegans would provide new capabilities that would greatly benefit the strong group of C. elegans researchers at the University of Utah. It would both facilitate existing research projects and permit the development of new projects that could not function without this novel instrument.