Multi-user fluorescence microscope for live cell imaging

This proposal is to acquire an upgrade to an existing microscope that will allow 9 researchers and their trainees to monitor the changes in cellular activity in real-time. Powerful new techniques now allow researchers to attach fluorescent tags to individual proteins. Researchers can now follow individual proteins as they move through cells and interact with other proteins and cellular membranes using a fluorescence microscope with live cell imaging capability. This technology can be applied to understand how proteins interact with each other or respond to different treatments, and how these proteins work alone or together with other proteins to regulate or alter the normal function of cells. Studies performed with this live cell imaging system will provide important insights into normal cellular function and how cells respond to various stresses.