MRI: Acquisition of an Infrared (IR) Fluorescence Imager

摘要：此次获得的LI-COR奥德赛红外成像系统将能够在不同的研究领域进行高度定量的研究，如有丝分裂纺锤体功能、肌肉功能、肥胖、受体功能和植物对热胁迫的反应。该仪器使用红外（IR）技术对几个数量级的生物分子进行高灵敏度和精确测量，从而促进了在多种应用中检测非常低但具有生物学意义的信号，包括蛋白质和核酸凝胶，蛋白质阵列，细胞内western和组织切片。此外，该仪器将被纳入生物学、生物化学、神经科学和心理学的本科科学教育和研究训练计划。技术摘要：这种高灵敏度的成像系统将广泛用于正在进行的研究项目，使以前的定性分析定量。特别是，Odyssey成像系统将用于：a)通过促进显性阴性分析来检查肌球蛋白-10蛋白在有丝分裂纺锤体功能中的作用；B)研究高脂肪饮食引起的海马中脂肪激素瘦素水平变化的参与；c)分析Rubisco激活酶基因的3'非翻译区对Rubisco激活酶蛋白稳定性的贡献，从而对植物热胁迫反应的贡献；d)通过确定突触周围胶质细胞是否在其毒蕈碱乙酰胆碱受体的刺激下表达COX-2，探索神经肌肉连接处的突触周围胶质细胞的作用；e)监测神经元烟碱乙酰胆碱受体亚基的分离和纯化，用于分析药物受体相互作用的研究。

Non Technical Abstract:The LI-COR Odyssey Infrared Imaging System acquired through this award will enable highly quantitative investigations in diverse areas of research such as mitotic spindle function, muscle function, obesity, receptor function, and plant responses to heat stress. This instrument uses infrared (IR) technology for the highly sensitive and accurate measurement of biological molecules over several orders of magnitude, thus facilitating the detection of very low but biologically meaningful signals in a diverse group of applications, including protein and nucleic acid gels, protein arrays, In-Cell Westerns and tissue sections. Further, this instrumentation will be incorporated into undergraduate science education and research training programs in biology, biochemistry, neuroscience, and psychology.Technical Abstract:This highly sensitive imaging system will be used in a broad range of ongoing research projects, making previously qualitative assays quantitative. In particular, the Odyssey imaging system will be used to: a) examine the role of the protein myosin-10 in mitotic spindle function by facilitating dominant-negative analysis; b) investigate the involvement of high-fat-diet-induced changes in levels of the adipose hormone leptin in the hippocampus; c) analyze the contribution of the 3' untranslated region of the Rubisco activase gene to the stability of the Rubisco activase protein and thus to the heat stress response in plants; d) explore the role of perisynaptic glial cells at the neuromuscular junction by determining whether they express COX-2 in response to stimulation of their muscarinic acetylcholine receptors; and e) monitor the isolation and purification of neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptor subunits for use in studies to analyze drug-receptor interactions.