AWARD ABSTRACT - 9818013 Confocal Microscope for Developmental Studies - Skeath et al.
This award supports the purchase of a laser-scanning confocal microscope to follow protein expression in living as well as fixed cells, tissues, and developing organisms. With this new microscope, researchers at Washington University will be able (i) to slice thin optical sections through thick fluorescent specimens; (ii) to view simultaneously the sub-cellular localization of three different molecules within such specimens; (iii) to follow in vivo the expression and localization dynamics of multiple proteins; (iv) to visualize specimen planes parallel to the light path; and, (v) to obtain high resolution 3-D views of all specimens. The microscope will expand the experimental techniques presently employed by the faculty at Washington University in St. Louis. The proposal details five projects where the new confocal microscope will have a major impact. These projects include: (i) analyzing the developmental and molecular mechanisms that control the generation of cell diversity in the central nervous system of the Drosophila embryo; (ii) understanding how interactions between the cytoskeleton and related components drive morphological changes in epithelia using the Drosophila eye as a model system; (iii) tracking the transcriptional regulation and function of muscle-specific genes in mammalian cell lines and mouse embryos; (iv) determining how germ cells regulate their decision to enter, and their progression through, the meiotic pathway; and, (v) elucidating the molecular mechanisms that control fin regeneration and pigment patterning in the zebrafish, D. rerio. A primary scientific and educational goal of the acquisition of a confocal microscope is to train researchers in the use of one of the most powerful microscopes used in the life sciences, so that these researchers may integrate the capabilities of a confocal microscope with their research. To facilitate maximum utility of the microscope, two of the principal investigators together with a representative from the confocal manufacturer will carry out training sessions on a monthly basis or as demand dictates. These sessions will ensure proper training for those who use the microscope. In this way, the PIs hope to make the confocal accessible to any interested party at the university, including post-doctoral researchers as well as graduate and, hopefully, undergraduate students.
