Acquisition of a Confocal/Multiphoton Microscopy System

描述(由申请人提供)：本申请请求支持购买共焦/多光子显微镜，以取代大量使用的老一代共焦显微镜。该仪器是一组在环境健康方面有共同兴趣的调查人员需要的。该仪器的主要用途包括：研究一组固有荧光环境毒物引起的细胞损伤的组织、细胞和亚细胞分布及分子机制；雌激素受体a(ERA)与SPL蛋白相互作用参与乳腺癌细胞生长和基因表达的机制；抑制性芳烃受体(AHRR)时代的串扰；PPARγ激动剂抑制结肠癌和胰腺癌的机制；n-3多不饱和脂肪酸的化学预防作用以及活性氧物种和线粒体在结肠癌中的参与；Nkx转录因子在控制发育过程中的作用；以及环境侮辱在发育毒性和神经发育中的作用。所要求的系统将极大地促进我们随着时间的推移以更高的吞吐量和更少的细胞和组织损伤来执行重复测量的能力。这种成像系统的独特功能使我们能够进行这些研究，包括：1)对活细胞和组织的生物损伤有限；2)聚焦，厚样品的光学切片；3)深入观察切片和组织的能力；4)对各种荧光分子成像的能力；5)提高从细胞和组织获取三维数据集的能力，并随着时间的推移完成这一任务；6)通过多时间序列实验大大节省时间；以及7)可以在硬件/软件组合上进行的各种实验。这项新技术将为教师、博士后研究员和学生提供使用最先进的成像设备的机会，并将促进主要和次要用户正在进行的研究。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This application is requesting support for the purchase of a confocal/multiphoton microscope to replace a heavily used, older generation confocal microscope. The instrumentation is needed by a group of investigators with common interests in environmental health. Major uses of this instrumentation will include: studies of tissue, cellular and subcellular distribution and molecular mechanisms of cellular injury caused by a group of inherently fluorescent environmental toxicants; mechanisms by which estrogen receptor a (ERa) interactions with Spl protein participate in growth and gene expression in breast cancer cells; inhibitory aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhrR)-ERa crosstalk; mechanisms of inhibition of colon and pancreatic cancer by PPARgamma agonists; chemopreventive effects of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and the involvement of reactive oxygen species and mitochondria in colon cancer; the role of Nkx transcription factors to control developmental processes; and the role of environmental insults on developmental toxicity and neurodevelopment. The requested system will greatly facilitate our ability to perform repeated measurements over time with higher throughput and with less cellular and tissue damage. Unique capabilities of this imaging system that will allow us to perform these studies include: 1) limited biological damage to living cells and tissues; 2) in focus, optical sections of thick samples; 3) ability to view deep into slices and tissues; 4) the ability to image a variety of fluorescent molecules; 5) increased ability to obtain three-dimensional data sets from cells and tissues and do this over time; 6) considerable time savings through multi-time series experiments; and 7) the diversity of experiments that can be performed on the hardware/software combination. This new technology will provide faculty, postdoctoral fellows and students with access to a state-of-the-art imaging facility and will facilitate the ongoing research of the major and minor users.