NSF Award
0400580
The award provides support for purchase a new single photon multi-fluorescence/spectral confocal laser-scanning microscope to be operated in a shared resource serving multiple users at the Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation. This existing core cellular imaging facility provides researchers and their postdoctoral fellows & students access to instrumentation and training in their use in modern cell biological imaging techniques. The major focus of the cellular imaging facility is the application of fluorescent probes to the investigation of plant cellular processes with emphasis on the integration of modern light microscopy techniques with molecular, biochemical and genomic approaches. This new confocal microscope provides significantly improved capabilities over existing equipment by allowing the use of a wider range of fluorescent probes for multicolor imaging of cellular structures and proteins, of fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) methods for studies on protein-protein/nucleic acid-protein interactions, of green fluorescent protein (GFP) based ion imaging, and of fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP)/photoactivation techniques for studying membrane and organelle dynamics. Among the planned uses of the new equipment are studies on plant secondary metabolism; the dynamics and function of the cytoskeleton during root growth and gravitropism; virus accumulation, movement and disease induction; mechanisms of DNA repair in plants; cell biology of virus-induced programmed cell death; and molecular mechanisms of polar auxin transport. In addition, the instrument will be available for educational uses and for training of undergraduate and graduate students at universities in the North Texas/South Oklahoma with which the Noble Foundation has close ties. The expanding outreach activities of the Foundation, which include a Noble Scholars program for undergraduate students and partnerships with high school teacher educational initiatives will also benefit from the requested instrument.
