Compound fixed stage microscope for zebrafish transplants

多细胞生物体的每个细胞都含有该生物体的全部基因。然而，它只使用这些基因的一小部分。我们的研究目标是确定哪些基因对该细胞的功能很重要。这将帮助我们了解多细胞生物体的单个细胞如何以协调的方式进行通信。我们目前的研究重点是确定神经系统中的基因功能，这需要大脑和肌肉之间复杂的电路布线。我们正在研究斑马鱼胚胎，以了解分子如何调节细胞身份，从而影响细胞与邻居交流的能力。我们已经发现了大量的基因突变体，但尚不清楚哪些细胞需要这些基因的功能。为了确定这一点，我们将混合突变细胞和正常细胞，并询问突变细胞可以在哪里发挥作用。为此，我们申请资金购买一台显微镜，可以在两个发育中的胚胎之间移植少量细胞。在生物医学科学的后基因组时代，这是确定基因在哪些细胞中实际起作用的关键工具。

Each cell of multicellular organism contains the full complement of genes of that organism. Yet, it only uses a small subset of these genes. Our research goal is to determine which genes are important for that cell's function. This will help us to understand how the individual cells of a multicellular organism communicate to work in a coordinated fashion. Our current reserch focus is on determining gene function in the nervous system, which requires intricate wiring of circuits between the brain and muscles. We are studying zebrafish embryos to learn how molecules regulate cell identity, thereby affecting the ability of cells to communicate with their neighbors. We have identified a large number of genetic mutants, but it is unclear which cells require the function of these genes. To determine this, we will mix mutant and normal cells and ask where the mutant cells can function. To do this, we request funds to purchase a microscope that can transplant small numbers of cells between two developing embryos. In this post-genome era of biomedical science, this is a key tool to determining in which cells genes actually function.