Multi-user High Performance Refrigerated Centrifuge

来自达尔豪西大学生物系不同研究学科的六名研究人员组成的小组为一台高容量、高性能的落地式冷冻离心机寻求资金。所要求的仪器对于日常实验室操作至关重要，将用于多种应用，包括核酸提取、蛋白质提取物制备、匀浆澄清和细胞沉淀。申请人和用户代表了早期职业和成熟的科学家，他们的研究计划将在可预见的未来维持设备的运行和维护。离心机将支持的科学计划在不同的领域。这些申请人的研究包括：泛素依赖的蛋白质降解在植物发育和对环境胁迫响应中的调节作用（如病原体、干旱和缺水）;滞育的遗传和分子基础（一种生理休眠状态和增强的胁迫耐受性）;微量营养素供应对海洋微生物真核生物和细菌的生理和生物化学的影响;选择和突变在引导植物种群进化中的作用;自由生活原生生物的生物多样性和进化;电压门控钠通道在健康和疾病中的作用。因此，该仪器将用于研究细胞、分子、发育、进化和环境生物学的基本方面。由所请求的设备支持的研究有可能取得直接有益于加拿大的发现，包括对该国农业和卫生部门的重大贡献。该设备还将促进解决基础研究问题的实验，以推进知识。为该提案提供资金的原因包括用户群体庞大而多样，研究计划卓越，培训高素质人员的当前和潜在能力，对设备的迫切需求以及缺乏任何有用的替代品。

A group of six researchers from various research disciplines within the Department of Biology at Dalhousie University seeks funds for a high capacity, high performance floor model refrigerated centrifuge. The requested instrument is essential to everyday laboratory operations and will be used for a multitude of applications including nucleic acid extraction, preparation of protein extracts, clearing homogenates and pelleting cells. The applicants and users represent early career and well established scientists whose research programs will sustain the operation and maintenance of the equipment for the foreseeable future. The scientific programs that would be supported by the centrifuge are in diverse areas. Those of the applicants include: regulatory role of ubiquitin-dependent protein degradation in plant development and response to environmental stresses (e.g. pathogens, drought and water scarcity); genetic and molecular basis of diapause (a state of physiological dormancy and enhanced stress tolerance) in Artemia embryos; impact of micronutrient availability on the physiology and biochemistry of marine microbial eukaryotes and bacteria; roles of selection and mutation in guiding the evolution of plant populations; biodiversity and evolution of free-living protists; role for voltage-gated sodium channels in health and disease. The instrument will therefore be used to study fundamental aspects of cell, molecular, development, evolution and environmental biology. The research supported by the requested equipment has the potential to make discoveries with direct benefits to Canada including significant contributions to the country’s agriculture and health sectors. The equipment will also facilitate experiments addressing basic research questions for the purpose of advancing knowledge. Reasons to fund the proposal include the large and diverse group of users, the excellence of the research programs, the current and potential capabilities for training of highly qualified personnel, the urgent need for the equipment, and the lack of any useful alternatives.