Equipment to Enhance Ecological and Evolutionary Genomics Research at the Marine Science Center

快速发展的基因组技术为沿海海洋的关键问题提供了前所未有的洞察力，如气候变化、生物地球化学循环、渔业诱导的进化、富营养化和海洋酸化。东北大学海洋科学中心(MSC)的教职员工、学生和客座研究人员一直在利用基因组学来推进这些领域的知识，但他们目前这样做的能力有限，原因是设备过时，缺乏一些用于基因组学工作的关键设备。该项目提供资金，将一个过时的共享实验室空间改造成一个新的基因组学核心设施，并购买新的仪器，这些仪器将极大地加强MSC在海洋基因组学方面快速增长的计划。MSC是通过与30多个不同国家的外部研究人员合作，在研究地方、国家和国际层面的城市沿海环境方面推进基础生物学知识的独特领导者。拟议的改进将进一步使MSC成为应用基因组学技术解决沿海生态系统中至关重要的问题方面的全球领导者。这些改进将继续支持MSC教职员工和学生以外的广大用户社区的研究和培训活动，包括访问研究人员、学校团体和外联计划。核心基因组学机制将维护一个网站，其中载有该机制正在执行的所有方法的最新协议，以及该机制产生的所有开放获取数据的链接。高通量测序成本的降低使生态和进化基因组学领域发生了革命性的变化。东北大学的海洋科学中心在应用这些工具来促进海洋科学关键方面的知识方面具有独特的地位。我们在这方面的成功将通过关键设备的升级而得到加强。拟议的改进将支持一系列多样化和大量当前和未来由NSF资助的研究，包括比较基因组学、海景基因组学、生态学、进化基因组学、海洋酸化、表观基因组学和微生物学。这些新仪器将通过购买几件设备来显著扩展分析能力，从而改善在海洋科学中心进行的这项外部资助的研究，以形成海洋科学中心的核心基因组学设施。这包括一台用于DNA碎裂的Covaris超声仪，一台用于浓缩核酸的SpeedVac真空浓缩器，一台用于高通量核酸定量和微生物细胞培养工作的荧光平板读取器，一台用于单样本核酸定量的NanoDrop，一台用于凝胶成像的新型透光仪和凝胶记录系统，以及一台便于对材料进行适当灭菌的大型高压灭菌器。这些新工具将使研究和培训超出目前的能力，使新的确定方法成为可能，并提高可收集的数据的质量和数量。这笔赠款将通过在线协议和开放获取该设施产生的数据，扩大MSC研究方案和研究产品的可及性。

Rapidly advancing genomic technology is giving unprecedented insight into critically important problems in the coastal ocean, such as climate change, biogeochemical cycling, fishing-induced evolution, eutrophication, and ocean acidification. Faculty, students, and visiting researchers at Northeastern University's Marine Science Center (MSC) have been using genomics to advance knowledge in these areas, but their ability to do so is currently limited due to outdated equipment and lack of some key pieces of equipment for genomics work. This project provides funds to renovate an outdated shared laboratory space into a new Genomics Core Facility and purchase new instruments that will dramatically enhance the MSC's rapidly-growing program in marine genomics. The MSC is a unique leader in advancing basic biological knowledge through the study of urban coastal environments at local, national, and international levels through collaborations with external researchers that are based in over 30 different countries. The proposed improvements will further position the MSC to become a global leader in applying genomics techniques to solve critically important problems in coastal ecosystems. These improvements will continue to support the research and training activities of a broad user community beyond the faculty and students at the MSC, including visiting researchers, school groups, and outreach programs. The Core Genomics Facility will maintain a website with up-to-date protocols for all methods being performed at the Facility and a link for all open-access data generated by the Facility. The decreasing cost of high throughput sequencing has revolutionized the field of ecological and evolutionary genomics. Northeastern University's Marine Science Center is uniquely positioned to apply these tools to advance knowledge on key aspects of marine science. Our success on this front will be enhanced with key equipment upgrades. The proposed improvements will support a diverse array and significant amount of current and future NSF-funded research including comparative genomics, seascape genomics, ecology, evolutionary genomics, ocean acidification, epigenomics, and microbiology. The new instruments will improve this externally funded research conducted at the MSC by significantly expanding analytical capabilities through the acquisition of several pieces of equipment to form a Core Genomics Facility for the Marine Science Center. This includes a Covaris ultrasonicator for DNA fragmentation, a SpeedVac vacuum concentrator to concentrate nucleic acids, a fluorescent plate reader for high throughput nucleic acid quantification and microbial cell culture work, a Nanodrop for single sample nucleic acid quantification, a new transilluminator and gel documentation system for gel imaging, and a large autoclave to facilitate proper sterilization of materials. These new instruments will advance research and training beyond current capacity, enabling new methods for ascertainment, and increase the quality and the amount of data that can be collected. This grant will broaden the accessibility of MSC research protocols and research products through online protocols and open access to data generated by the facility.