MRI/RUI: Multi-electrode Physiology and Fluorecence Microscopy Instrumentation to Support Research and Research Training at an Historically-Black, Undergraduate Institution

在梅丽莎·哈林顿博士的指导下，特拉华州立大学获得了一笔赠款，用于建立一个电生理学和荧光成像相结合的设施。该设备将用于测量无脊椎动物神经系统、肌肉细胞和表达离子通道和转运蛋白的细胞系的电信号和钙动力学。该仪器包括用于记录电活动的电极平面多电极阵列，以及能够同时进行钙或电压动态功能成像的荧光显微镜。该仪器将支持一所历史悠久的本科院校在细胞生物学和神经生理学领域的研究和研究培训。两个神经生理学项目将重点放在陆地蜗牛上，作为研究感觉处理和学习的模型系统。这些项目将使用微电极阵列来研究蜗牛大脑中神经活动对感觉刺激和学习的反应的时间和空间模式。实验将在孤立的大脑和与触须感应区的神经连接上进行。多电极阵列和荧光成像系统还将用于过度表达人类多药耐药基因的培养细胞，以检测与多药耐药表达有关的细胞电流的调节。多药耐药基因通常在癌细胞中上调，这种仪器将允许学生研究过度表达的跨膜蛋白和离子细胞电流之间的关系。第四个项目涉及研究肌肉细胞原代培养中的程序性细胞死亡和再生。肌肉细胞是一种易兴奋的细胞，很容易用钙离子成像或多电极生理学进行研究。这个项目将研究通过紫外线照射多核肌管中的单个细胞核而导致的部分细胞死亡的发展和恢复。这一建议将进一步发展一种新的、有用的模型系统，用于研究：1)感觉加工和学习的神经生物学；2)研究人类多药耐药基因功能的新方法；以及3)体外研究肌肉细胞的退化和恢复。此外，由于特拉华州立大学是一所历史上一直是黑人的本科院校，非洲裔美国人的入学率为76%，拟议中的设备将扩大少数族裔本科生和硕士学生参与最先进研究的机会。

A grant has been awarded to Delaware State University under the direction of Dr. Melissa A. Harrington to establish a combined electrophysiology and fluorescence imaging facility. This equipment will be used measure electrical signals and calcium dynamics in invertebrate nervous systems, muscle cells and cell lines expressing ion channels and transporters. The instrumentation includes a 64 electrode planar multi-electrode array for recording electrical activity combined with a fluorescence microscope to permit simultaneous functional imaging of calcium or voltage dynamics. The instrumentation will support research and research training in the areas of cell biology and neurophysiology at an historically-black, undergraduate institution. Two neurophysiology projects will focus on a land snail as a model system for studying sensory processing and learning. These projects will use the microelectrode array to study the timing and spatial pattern of neural activity that develops in the snails brain in response to sensory stimulation and learning. Experiments will be carried out on the isolated brain and neural connections to the sensing region of the tentacles. The multi-electrode array and fluorescence imaging system will also be used with cultured cells over-expressing the human multi drug resistance gene in order to examine the regulation the cellular currents proposed to be linked to the expression of multi drug resistance. The multi drug resistance gene is often up-regulated in cancer cells, and this instrumentation will allow students to study relationships between an overexpressed transmembrane protein and ion cellular currents. A fourth project involves investigating programmed cell death and regeneration in primary cultures of muscle cells. Muscle cells are excitable cells that lend themselves easily to study with either Ca2+ imaging or multi-electrode physiology. This project will investigate the development of, and recovery from a partial cell death induced through UV illumination of a single nucleus in multinucleate myotubes. This proposal will further the development of a novel and useful model system for studying: 1) the neurobiology of sensory processing and learning; 2) a novel approach to studying the function of the human multi-drug resistance gene; and 3) in vitro studies of muscle cell degeneration and recovery. Moreover, since Delaware State University is a historically black, undergraduate institution with a 76% African-American enrollment, the proposed equipment will broaden opportunities for minority undergraduate and master's students to participate in state-of-the-art research.