Long-term live fluorescent imaging system for monitoring site-specific functions in epithelia

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We study the biology of epithelial cells. These cells make up tissues that line internal organs. They perform many vital functions, e.g. they mediate controlled exchange of fluid and solutes between the organs and their environment. They also provide an essential protective layer to the organs. Epithelial tissues are prone to injury due to their exposed location, but injury induces powerful mechanisms to restore tissue integrity. We do not understand the molecular events that make this repair possible. Importantly, the regulation of this repair process can be faulty, resulting in disease with eventually fatal organ scarring and serious decrease in organ function. We wish to understand how epithelial cells respond to injury, and what molecular events will determine whether normal or altered repair will ensue. Over the past years we found that cells adjacent to the site of injury (an epithelial "wound") respond differently to various chemical signals than the surrounding, intact part of the tissue. We termed this effect locus-specific susceptibility. To understand the mechanism of this crucial phenomenon, we are now requesting a specialized microscope system. This is essential to monitor the critical cellular and molecular events during injury and repair. This would allow us to perform time-lapse imaging (i.e. to acquire images in regular intervals of cells over an extended period of time) to closely follow their behavior. Our research will improve our understanding of normal and impaired epithelial cell functions, which are crucial for normal function of many organs including the kidney, the liver, the lung and the gut.