A Confocal Microscope for Research and Teaching in Biology and Neuroscience

摘要奈格勒NSF 0070352A型生物与神经科学研究与教学共聚焦显微镜将在卫斯理大学用于发育生物学与神经科学的研究与培训。这种新的共焦显微镜将使三个初级教员用户和他们的研究实验室成员能够研究活胚胎中细胞和蛋白质的动态运动，并识别厚厚脑组织切片中细胞之间的连接。此外，共焦显微镜的培训将是生物系高级显微镜研究生课程的重要组成部分，包括共焦显微镜、免疫荧光和电子显微镜。共焦显微镜设备是卫斯理大学科学中心先进仪器设备的一部分。这一设施已经包括扫描和透射式电子显微镜、毗邻的湿实验室、用于组织切片的房间以及带有相关数字扫描仪和其他图像处理设备的计算机室。该共聚焦显微镜的主要用户Devoto博士、Kirn博士和Naegele博士以及他们实验室的成员将开展的项目，每个人都专注于脊椎动物的发育。Devoto实验室将重点研究活斑马鱼胚胎中迁移的肌肉细胞所使用的遗传和分子指导线索。Kirn实验室将研究成年鸟类大脑中神经元替换和神经发生的机制。奈格勒实验室将研究调节啮齿动物大脑皮层和视觉系统中程序性细胞死亡和吞噬死亡神经元的细胞和分子信号。生物学、分子生物学和生物化学系的五个额外教员也计划偶尔使用共焦，他们研究从转录因子在胚胎发育中的作用到酵母细胞周期调控的各种生物学问题。一家校外集团辉瑞公司计划每月额外使用2天。这一外部小组的资金将是长期维持协调中心的重要收入来源，包括服务合同。我们预计，这种共聚焦显微镜和相关的研究项目将对卫斯理大学在发育生物学和神经生物学领域的研究和培训产生重大影响。我们卫斯理大学科学培训项目的目标是为本科生和研究生以及博士后研究员和访问科学家提供高质量的研究经验。这种动手培训对科学研究、技术和教育事业至关重要。卫斯理大学的特别倡议促进了妇女和少数民族在科学方面的进步，并为残疾学生提供了机会。预计新的共聚焦显微镜将有助于基本了解发育中的胚胎中的细胞如何迁移、形成连接，以及一些细胞如何经历程序性细胞死亡作为其正常发育计划的一部分。这些研究最终将有助于更好地理解脊椎动物的大脑和身体在发育过程中是如何构建的，并在有机体的整个生命过程中保持不变。

Abstract Naegele NSF 0070352A Confocal Microscope for Research and Teaching in Biology and Neuroscience A Zeiss 510 Confocal Microscope will be used for research and training in developmental biology and neuroscience at Wesleyan University. This new confocal microscope will enable the three primary faculty users and members of their research laboratories to study the dynamic movements of cells and proteins in living embryos and to identify intercellular junctions between cells in thick sections of brain tissue. In addition, training on the confocal microscope will be an important component of a Biology department graduate-level course in advanced microscopy, including confocal, immunofluorescence, and electron microscopy. The confocal microscope facility is part of an Advanced Instrumentation Facility in the Science Center at Wesleyan University. This facility already contains scanning and transmission electron microscopes, an adjacent wet laboratory, a room for tissue sectioning, and a computer room with associated digital scanners and other image processing equipment. The projects to be carried out by major users of this confocal microscope, Drs. Devoto, Kirn, and Naegele, and members of their laboratories, each focus on vertebrate development. The Devoto laboratory will focus on the genetic and molecular guidance cues used by migrating muscle cells in living zebrafish embryos. The Kirn laboratory will address the mechanisms of neuronal replacement and neurogenesis in the brains of adult birds. The Naegele laboratory will study cellular and molecular signals regulating programmed cell death and engulfment of dying neurons in the rodent cerebral cortex and visual system. Occasional use of the confocal is also planned by five additional faculty in the Biology and Molecular Biology and Biochemistry Departments who study a variety of biological problems ranging from the role of transcription factors in embryo development to the cell cycle regulation in yeast. Additional minor use by one extramural group Pfizer, Inc. is planned for 2 days/month. Funds from this extramural group will be a significant source of revenue for long-term maintenance of the confocal, including service contracts. We anticipate that this confocal microscope and the associated research programs will have a significant impact on research and training at Wesleyan University in the fields of developmental biology and neurobiology. The objective of our science training programs at Wesleyan University is to provide high-quality research experiences for undergraduate and graduate students, as well as postdoctoral fellows and visiting scientists. This hands-on training is of fundamental importance for careers in scientific research, technology, and education. Special initiatives at Wesleyan University advance women and minorities in science, as well as providing access for students with disabilities. It is anticipated that the new confocal microscope will contribute significantly to a basic understanding of how cells in the developing embryo migrate, form connections, and how some undergo programmed cell death as part of their normal developmental plan. These studies will ultimately lead to a better understanding of how the vertebrate brain and body are constructed during development and maintained throughout the life of the organism.