Upgrade and Modernization of the Integrated Imaging Center

该合同支持约翰霍普金斯大学生物系的综合成像中心购买一台带冰冻台的超微切割机和一台玻璃刀制造机。综合成像中心包括光学和电子显微镜设备，因此为大学教职员工和学生提供了两种类型的显微镜的传统和先进技术的便利途径。该中心的主要重点是利用荧光和电子密度探针来研究细胞/亚细胞的结构和功能。近年来，利用抗体在细胞内定位特定蛋白质的新技术的发展和完善已经成为任何关于亚细胞结构和功能的全面研究的重要组成部分。通常，所使用的抗体以化学方式连接到荧光或电子致密部分，以便于显微镜观察。这是对其他方法所得结果的补充和推广。该中心提供本科生和研究生显微镜课程(以及定期研讨会)，作为向学生和教职员工提供最新、最先进的显微镜技术培训和接触的一种手段。这些课程强调显微技术与其他细胞生物学研究工具的结合。新设备将取代旧的现有设备，这些设备不再能够以现代细胞生物学研究所需的精度发挥作用。将利用这些设备的项目包括研究酵母和昆虫细胞的内吞途径，分析酵母中的线粒体动力学，以及调查高尔基蛋白在高尔基体结构和功能中的作用。

This award provides support for acquisition of an ultramicrotome with cryostage and a glass knife maker to be placed in the Integrated Imaging Center located in the Johns Hopkins University Biology Department. The Integrated Imaging Center includes both light and electron microscopy equipment and thus provides university faculty and students convenient access to conventional and advanced techniques in both types of microscopy. The major focus of the Center is the utilization of fluorescent and electron dense probes for the purpose of investigating cellular/subcellular structure and function. In recent years, the development and refinement of new techniques that use antibodies to localize specific proteins within cells has become an essential component of any comprehensive study of subcellular structure and function. Typically, the antibodies used are chemically conjugated to fluorescent or electron dense moiety to facilitate visualization by microscopy. This complements and extends results obtained by other approaches. The Center offers both undergraduate and graduate courses in microscopy (as well as regular workshops) as a means of providingtraining and exposure to the latest, most advanced microscopy techniques to students and to faculty. These courses emphasize the integration of microscopic techniques with the use of other cell biological research tools. The new equipment will replace older existing equipment that can no longer function with the precision required for modern cell biology research. Among the projects that will make use of the equipment are studies of the endocytosis pathways of yeast and insect cells, analysis of mitochondrial dynamics in yeast, and investigation of the role of golgins in structure and function of the golgi apparatus.