Transmission Electron Microscopy Instrumentation

描述(由申请人提供)：使用各种实验方法的超微结构分析是参与这一共享仪器提案的主要用户群体实验室内正在进行的和拟议的研究的核心。主要用户群由NIH资助的五个高度互动的实验室(Mooseker、Forscher、Pollard、Rosenbaum和Wells)组成，所有这些实验室都是耶鲁大学分子、细胞和发育生物学系(MCDB)的成员。这项提议的长期目标是升级/更换目前安装在MCDB EM设施中的透射电子显微镜设备。这一完善的设施由一名全职、高技能的EM技术人员/教师维护和操作，为MCDB的研究实验室提供研究和培训支持。首席调查员和四名联合调查员代表了目前使用这一设施的主要研究小组，尽管几个部门的一些其他实验室也使用这一设施。不幸的是，该设施中现有的TEM和辅助支持设备相当陈旧，由于缺乏更换部件而进行的维护将很快使该设施无法运行。因此，NIH资助的用户组的研究项目都使用了超微结构分析，处于危险之中。用户组的研究目标都集中在对真核细胞细胞骨架的广泛成分的结构、生化和功能分析上。TEM用于广泛的研究，从纯化的细胞骨架成分(包括肌动蛋白细丝和微管相关的)、分离的细胞器、细胞和组织的超微结构研究，包括由于各种细胞骨架成分的突变而导致细胞骨架功能改变的细胞。所要求的瞬变电磁设备对用户组的研究目标至关重要，也将为耶鲁大学更广泛的研究社区提供急需的研究支持。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Ultrastructural analyses using a variety of experimental approaches are central to ongoing and proposed studies within the laboratories of the primary user groups participating in this shared instrumentation proposal. The primary user group consists of five, highly interactive, NIH-funded laboratories (Mooseker, Forscher, Pollard, Rosenbaum and Wells), all of which are members of the Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology (MCDB), Yale University. The long term objective of this proposal is to upgrade/replace the transmission electron microscopy (TEM) equipment currently housed in the MCDB EM facility. This well established facility, maintained and operated by a full time, highly skilled EM technician/instructor, provides both research and training support to the research laboratories in MCDB. The principal investigator and four co-investigators represent the current major research groups using this facility, although a number of other laboratories from several departments also use this facility. Unfortunately, the existing TEMs and ancillary support equipment in this facility are quite old and maintenance due to lack of replacement parts will soon render this facility inoperable. As a consequence, the NIH-funded research projects of the user group, all of which employ ultrastructural analyses, are in jeopardy. The research goals of the user group all focus on structural, biochemical and functional analyses of a wide range of components of the eukaryotic cell cytoskeleton. TEM is used for a broad scope of investigations, from ultrastructural studies on purified cytoskeletal (both actin-filament and microtubule associated) components, isolated organelles, cells and tissues, including cells with altered cytoskeletal functions resulting from mutations in various cytoskeletal components. The requested TEM equipment is essential for the research objectives of the user group, and will also provide much needed research support for the broader research community at Yale.