MRI: Acquisition of a Transmission Electron Microscope and Ultramicrotome for Research in the Natural Sciences at St. Joseph's University

圣约瑟夫大学(SJU)的Christina King-Smith博士(首席研究员)以及Michael McCann博士和Karen Snetselaar博士(共同首席研究员)获得了一笔赠款，用于购买具有数字成像能力的透射式电子显微镜(TEM)、超显微切割机和辅助设备。生物系的教师和学生将使用所要求的超微切割机来切割生物材料的超薄切片，这些超薄切片将在非常高的倍率下用透射电子显微镜进行检查和表征。电子显微镜还将被化学和物理系成员用于金属有机化合物的定性分析和电子衍射。所要求的设备将取代目前可用的陈旧的电磁设备，并将安置在生物系现有的光学和电子显微镜套间中。它将供生物、化学、物理和环境科学系的所有教职员工和学生使用，作为先进图像分析和处理中心的基石，该中心是澳门大学计划中的科学中心改造计划的一部分。因此，所要求的仪器将既用于更新现有的研究工具，也将作为一项涉及所有自然科学部门的方案倡议的核心。将从这一仪器中受益的研究活动将跨越自然科学的几个学科。在生物系，一个项目专注于视网膜色素上皮(RPE)细胞的蛋白质骨架，这是一种在所有脊椎动物眼睛中都能找到的细胞。这些细胞被用作一个模型系统，用来研究成分在细胞内部的运输机制，这是几乎所有动植物细胞的基本细胞活动。另一个研究项目将描述螳螂虾复眼的光感受器的结构和组织。螳螂虾是一种无脊椎动物，有着极其不寻常和复杂的眼睛。这个项目将比较在海洋不同深度发现的不同种类的螳螂虾的眼睛结构，目的是发现这些生物在水环境中的弱光条件下进行的结构适应，以最大限度地提高它们的视觉能力。该仪器还将用于研究玉米黑粉菌的细胞结构和生活史事件，玉米黑粉菌是玉米的一种病原真菌。研究将包括表征这种真菌感染玉米植株的结构，以及它的生活史的其他特征。这种真菌与玉米之间的相互作用为理解病原真菌如何与寄主植物或动物相互作用的一般机制提供了一个有用的模型系统。另一个项目将专注于鲨鱼软骨矿化的模式。这项研究具有发展和进化意义，因为鲨鱼等生物中软骨的矿化对于了解脊椎动物骨骼组织的起源非常重要。微生物学研究还将通过研究一种不寻常的细菌来利用这种仪器，这种细菌是其他更大细菌的捕食者。这些研究集中在与这种有机体的发育和生长有关的基因和蛋白质上。这项基础研究将有助于理解发育的基因控制的基本模式。化学和物理系的研究人员将使用透射电子显微镜对非生物材料进行定性研究。化学系的一个项目集中在了解环境中有机污染物发生的化学转化。这些研究将涉及通过电子衍射发现的金属颗粒的大小、形状和物理性质的检查，这些颗粒是金属化合物和有机污染物相互作用的结果。这项研究将增进我们对污染物在环境中的行为的认识。将受益于所要求的仪器的研究活动的总体意义主要在于基础生物和化学研究领域。细胞生物学研究、微生物学研究和真菌病原体研究都将有助于我们对细胞功能的一般知识，从单细胞生物如真菌病原体和细菌，到多细胞生物的细胞，如脊椎动物眼睛的RPE细胞。对虾视觉系统和鲨鱼软骨矿化的超微结构研究将扩大我们对视觉系统和骨骼结构适应和发育的基本认识。在材料研究中使用这种仪器来研究金属化合物和有机污染物的反应产物，将有助于深入了解这些污染物在环境中的反应，对环境污染物的修复具有潜在的好处。除了这些研究方面的进步，该奖项还将对本科生和硕士研究生的研究培训质量产生重大影响。在上海和睦家大学参与研究的学生与教职员工一起参与上述研究项目。电子显微镜和数码相机将与我们现有的所有图像分析和处理设备相连接，从而极大地提高我们的生产力和培养数字电子显微镜本科生和硕士学生的能力。

A grant has been awarded to Dr. Christina King-Smith (Principal Investigator) and Drs. Michael McCann and Karen Snetselaar (Co-Principal Investigators) at Saint Joseph's University (SJU) to acquire a transmission electron microscope (TEM) with digital imaging capabilities, an ultramicrotome, and ancillary equipment. The requested ultramicrotome will be used by faculty and students in the Biology Department for cutting ultrathin sections of biological materials which will be examined and characterized at very high magnification using the TEM. The electron microscope will also be used by members of the Chemistry and Physics departments for qualitative analysis of metallo-organic compounds and electron diffraction. The requested equipment will replace the currently available, antiquated EM equipment and will be housed in an existing Light and Electron Microscopy suite in the Biology Department. It will be available for use by all faculty and students in the Departments of Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Environmental Science as the cornerstone of an Advanced Image Analysis and Processing Center, which is proposed as part of a planned Science Center renovation program at SJU. The requested instrumentation will therefore serve both to update existing research tools and as a centerpiece for a programmatic initiative involving all of the Natural Science departments. The research activities that will benefit from this instrumentation span several disciplines in the Natural Sciences. In the Biology Department, one project focuses on the protein skeleton of retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells, a type of cell found in all vertebrate eyes. These cells are used as a model system to investigate mechanisms for transport of components through the interior of a cell, a basic cellular activity in nearly all animal and plant cells. Another research project will characterize the structure and organization of photoreceptors from the compound eyes of mantis shrimps, invertebrate animals which have extremely unusual and complicated eyes. This project will compare structure of eyes from different species of mantis shrimp found at different depths in the ocean, with the goal of discovering the structural adaptations these organisms make to maximize their visual capabilities under low light conditions in aquatic environments. The instrumentation will also be used to investigate cellular structures and life cycle events of the corn smut fungus, a pathogenic fungus of corn. Studies will include characterization of the structures the fungus uses to infect corn plants, and other features of its life cycle. The interaction between this fungus and corn represents a useful model system for understanding general mechanisms of how pathogenic fungi interact with their host plants or animals. Another project will focus on patterns of cartilage mineralization in sharks. This research has developmental and evolutionary significance, since the mineralization of cartilage in organisms such as sharks is important in understanding the origin of vertebrate skeletal tissues. Microbiological research will also make use of the instrumentation through the study of an unusual bacterium that is a predator of other, larger bacteria. These studies focus on the genes and proteins involved in the development and growth of this organism. This basic research will contribute to the understanding of fundamental patterns of genetic control of development. Researchers in the Chemistry and Physics department will use the TEM for qualitative studies of non-biological materials. One project in the Chemistry department is centered on understanding the chemical transformations that occur to organic pollutants in the environment. These studies will involve the examination of the size, shape, and physical properties, discovered by electron diffraction, of metallic particles that are formed as a result of the interaction between metallic compounds and organic pollutants. This research will enhance our knowledge of the behavior of pollutants in the environment. The overall significance of the research activities that will benefit from the requested instrumentation lie principally in the areas of basic biological and chemical research. The cell biological studies, microbiological research, and fungal pathogen studies will all contribute to our general knowledge of the way cells function, extending from single-celled organisms such as fungal pathogens and bacteria, to cells from multicellular organisms, such as RPE cells from vertebrate eyes. The ultrastructural studies on shrimp visual systems and mineralization of cartilage in sharks will expand our basic understanding of structural adaptations and development of visual systems and bone. The use of this instrumentation in materials research to investigate the reaction product of metallic compounds and organic pollutants will provide insight on how these pollutants react in the environment, with potential benefits to environmental pollutant remediation. In addition to these advances in research, this award will also have significant impact on the quality of research training for undergraduate and masters level students. Students involved in research at SJU work alongside faculty on the research projects described above. The electron microscope and digital camera will interface with all of our existing image analysis and processing equipment, and thus will greatly increase our productivity and ability to train undergraduate and masters level students in digital electron microscopy.