Confocal Microscope for Live Embryo Imaging in a Shared Resource Facility

描述(由申请者提供)：本建议书要求购买活胚胎/活组织激光扫描共聚焦显微镜的资金。蔡司LSM710活胚胎/活组织共聚焦仪器将被整合到范德比尔特大学的细胞成像共享资源(CISR)中，在那里它将允许来自范德比尔特研究界的用户对3-D胚胎发生和组织形态发生进行长期研究。蔡司LSM710共焦系统是专门为活体胚胎和培养组织的长期动态研究而配置的。具体地说，该系统提高了灵敏度，使调查人员能够使用更少的激光能量和曝光时间。该系统的灵敏度提高，可使活体样品可视化，同时将激发激光造成的损害降至最低。复杂的活体胚胎/组织孵化器系统将为胚胎发生和组织形态发生的长期研究提供准确的生理条件，并保持稳定的温度、湿度、pH和氧分压。因此，这种共聚焦成像系统的专门功能将使研究人员能够使用新的、最先进的方法来研究在发育过程中指导多个器官三维形态形成的细胞和分子事件。主要用户群由来自范德比尔特多个部门的NIH资助的发育生物学家组成。他们的具体研究项目将使用活体胚胎蔡司LSM710共焦显微镜来研究多种组织和器官的胚胎和胎儿发育，包括前肠、脉络丛、胰腺、肺、肾脏和心脏。这个系统的灵活性将允许使用来自多个物种的许多不同的模型系统进行研究。作为范德比尔特《销售公约》的一部分，所有主要用户都将获得有关该仪器的专家培训，并可通过已建立的《销售公约》基础设施使用该仪器。范德比尔特国际研究中心为300多个实验室小组管理着各种各样的显微镜资源，并得到了范德比尔特大学杰出的机构支持。即使在Vanderbilt CISR中有大量可用的资源，Zeiss LSM710也通过允许对三维形态发生进行长期研究来填补一个很大的空白。因此，将蔡司LSM710纳入Vanderbilt细胞成像共享资源将为NIH资助的研究人员提供一种更具创新性的方法来研究发育生物学和组织工程中的重要问题。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This proposal requests funds for purchasing a Live Embryo/Live Tissue laser scanning confocal microscope. The Zeiss LSM710 live embryo/live tissue confocal instrument will be incorporated into the Cell Imaging Shared Resource (CISR) at Vanderbilt University, where it will allow users from across the Vanderbilt research community to perform long-term studies of 3-D embryogenesis and tissue morphogenesis. The Zeiss LSM710 confocal system detailed here is especially configured for long-term dynamic studies of living embryos and cultured tissues. Specifically, this system has increased sensitivity, allowing investigators to use reduced laser energy and exposure times. The increased sensitivity of this system allows visualization of living samples while minimizing damage from the excitation laser. A sophisticated live embryo/tissue incubator system will maintain exact physiological conditions with stable temperature, humidity, pH, and oxygen tension for long-term studies of embryogenesis and tissue morphogenesis. The specialized features of this confocal imaging system will therefore provide investigators with the ability to study the cellular and molecular events guiding 3-dimensional morphogenesis of multiple organs during development using new, state of the art approaches. The major user group consists of NIH-funded developmental biologists from multiple Vanderbilt Departments. Their specific research projects will use the Live Embryo Zeiss LSM710 confocal microscope to study embryonal and fetal development of multiple tissues and organs, including, foregut, choroid plexus, pancreas, lung, kidney, and heart. The flexibility of this system will allow studies using many different model systems from multiple species. As part of the Vanderbilt CISR, all major users will obtain expert training on the instrument and will have access to the instrument through the established CISR infrastructure. The Vanderbilt CISR manages a wide variety of microscopy resources for over 300 lab groups and receives outstanding institutional support from Vanderbilt University. Even with the extensive resources available in the Vanderbilt CISR, the Zeiss LSM710 fills a large void by allowing long-term studies of 3-dimensional morphogenesis. The inclusion of the Zeiss LSM710 in the Vanderbilt Cell Imaging Shared Resource will therefore provide NIH-funded investigators with a significantly more innovative approach to study important questions in developmental biology and tissue engineering.