This shared instrumentation proposal brings together a diverse group of investigators from several departments at Northwestern University, who work on a great variety of models, including prokaryotes, viruses and cancer in humans and animals. Their studies encompass a wide range of cellular processes that extend from cell junctions to virus-induced cellular changes. The common focus for this group of projects is their reliance on examination of protein expression in correlation with various cellular events in transport and signaling. This application requests funds to purchase one major instrument together with an analytical software package to interface with it: the Fuji FLA-5000 imaging system and NonLinear Dynamics' Progenesis software that will enable investigators to capture and compare complex protein patterns, and isolate protein spots from 2D gels for further analysis as well as analysis of other images such as multi-well plates or 1D PAGE gels. The FLA-5000 imaging system has several features that make it uniquely suitable for a wide variety of imaging applications: large scanning size; user-selectable scanning resolutions; dynamic response range; multiple lasers; multi-format detection (radioisotope, fluorescence, chemiluminescence, and epi-illumination. Progenesis software is fast becoming the industry standard for complex pattern analysis, especially for detection of differentially expressed proteins from 2D gels. This instrument system will be centrally located in the Northwestern University Biotechnology Laboratory. This Laboratory has a well established training and technical support program, and is used by over 120 laboratories from basic and clinical departments of the Medical and other schools of Northwestern University. The purchase of FLA-5000 imager and Progenesis software will provide a state-of-the-art system that will be used by many laboratories studying a wide range of biological problems. Due to its multifunctional nature this system will enhance interactions between investigators working in diverse areas of biology and medical science. ? ?
