We are motivated to obtain a Total Internal Reflection Fluorescence Microscopy (TIRFM) system at UIC because of the realization that our understanding of complex biological processes, such as caveolae-mediated endocytosis and exocytosis, cell-cell adhesion, remodeling of the cytoskeleton, vesicle trafficking of viral particles and drug conjugates, and signal transduction requires high resolution dynamic imaging of events occurring at or near the plasma membrane. The intellectual and technological resources necessary to understand complex pathological processes such as transport, inflammation, cytoskeletal remodeling, viral entry, signaling and molecular imaging are in place, and thus the advanced TIRFM technology will be critical in helping us to proceed in our investigations as well as foster interactions among investigators with diverse but compatible interests. With availability of this new technology, we will be able to address these research questions more effectively. This application for a TIRF microscope the inter-departmental collaborations at UIC and our common interest and need for real time imaging of dynamic signaling and trafficking events. Our overall objective as a group is to understand dynamic molecular events occurring at the cell membrane. TIRF imaging will provide us with here-to-fore unavailable opportunity to delineate basic molecular interactions among key proteins involved in cell adhesion and caveolar trafficking, cell signaling, and remodeling of cytoskeletal proteins. Our strengths, as an interdisciplinary research group in basic and applied research programs in the areas of Heart and Lung Biology, Cell Physiology, and Immunology, provide the basis for the need for this instrumentation. We will be able to integrate a number of research areas and interests including pathophysiology of vascular inflammation and injury, live cell imaging, cellular trafficking, cell adhesion, and vascular biology. Relevance: The addition of the Zeiss Dynamic Laser TIRFM system will provide a unique advantage that is relevant to several key NIH funded investigators at UIC where we have nationally-recognized track-record in endothelial cell function, virus entry and vesicle trafficking, cytoskeletal protein remodeling, adhesion biophysics, signal transduction and molecular imaging. If his proposal is successful, the TIRFM technology will significantly strengthen this competitive edge. We believe that the insights gained will have the potential for pioneering novel approaches for anti-inflammatory therapeutics and drug delivery, cellular remodeling and understanding viral entry pathways. ? ? ?
| Sverdlov, Maria; Shinin, Vasily; Place, Aaron T et al. (2009) Filamin A regulates caveolae internalization and trafficking in endothelial cells. Mol Biol Cell 20:4531-40 |
