Funds are requested for the purchase of a Philips EM410LS Transmission Electron Microscope or equivalent, and a Sorvall MT6000 ultramicrotome with FS1000 Cryo Sectioning System. These instruments will provide several important capabilities not presently available at the Worcester Foundation for Experimental Biology. The Philips EM410LS Electron Microscope will permit investigators to rotate and tilt specimens in a eucentric goniometer stage so the specimens can be viewed from different angles and stereo images easily recorded, to image thick specimens without loss of sharpness, and to photograph beam-sensitive specimens at low electron doses. The Sorvall MT6000 Ultramicrotome/FS1000 Cryo Sectioning System will make possible thin-sectioning of frozen samples for immunoelectron microscopy. These capabilities will greatly enhance the current and planned research of the major users. The instruments will be used for a continuation of existing studies in the areas of cell, developmental, and reproductive biology; these studies deal mainly with the cytoskeleton and cell membranes.
