A Zeiss LSM 510 Confocal Microscope for Medical Research

描述（由申请人提供）：本提案旨在为耶鲁大学医学院内科获得一台点扫描共聚焦荧光显微镜。在细胞和分子生物学和生理学中使用光学显微镜的持续复兴在很大程度上是由细胞结构和功能的特异性荧光探针的发展驱动的，再加上共聚焦荧光显微镜系统，该系统扩展了我们在细胞和组织中可视化和定量这些探针的能力。激光扫描共聚焦显微镜，因为它的能力，光学切片细胞和组织，提供了一个工具，需要定义在活细胞和固定细胞的结构一样，沿着的时间分辨率，以遵循动态过程中活细胞的空间分辨率。将立即利用该设备的具体项目包括研究导致莱姆病的螺旋体的入侵和细胞内运输，伯氏疏螺旋体，埃立克体病和其他蜱传疾病引起的炎症的检查，胰腺分泌和胰腺炎的分子基础，多囊肾病遗传缺陷导致的亚细胞钙信号的改变，以及弓形虫和其他原生动物的内吞作用。此外，这台共聚焦显微镜将是新研究大楼中唯一的此类仪器，该大楼将容纳57名NIH支持的研究人员，他们是医学系的成员。因此，这种共聚焦显微镜将是核心设施的基础，以确保这些研究人员将有足够的机会获得最先进的成像技术。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This proposal seeks to acquire a point-scanning confocal fluorescence microscope for the Department of internal medicine at Yale University School of Medicine. The ongoing renaissance in the use of light microscopy for cell and molecular biology and physiology has been driven in large part by the development of specific fluorescent probes of cell structure and function, coupled with confocal fluorescence microscope systems that extend our abilities to visualize and quantitate such probes in cells and tissues. Laser scanning confocal microscopy, because of its ability to optically section cells and tissues, provides a tool with the spatial resolution needed to define structure in live and fixed cells alike, along with the temporal resolution to follow dynamic processes in living cells. Specific projects that would take immediate advantage of this equipment include studies of invasion and intracellular trafficking of the spirochete that causes Lyme disease, Borrelia burgdorferi, examination of the inflammation caused by Ehrichiosis and other tick-borne diseases, the molecular basis for pancreatic secretion and pancreatitis, alterations in subcellular calcium signaling that occur as a result of genetic defects in polycystic kidney disease, and endocytosis of Toxoplasma and other protozoans. Moreover, this confocal microscope would be the only such instrument in a new research building that will house 57 NIH-supported investigators who are members of the Department of Medicine. Thus this confocal microscope would be the basis of a core facility to assure that these investigators will have adequate access to state-of-the-art imaging techniques.