Grant: Research Tools and Instruments - Category 1 (<$150,000)

Our five research groups are requesting the acquisition of a computerized multi-purpose imager that will allow us to capture digitized images of a wide variety of experimental results from a range of molecular biology applications. The imager consists of a CCD camera enclosed in a light-tight chamber above a light box that can be converted to either white or ultraviolet light. Images of protein, DNA and RNA resolved in gels can be obtained after staining and appropriate illumination in the chamber. The high resolution and sensitivity of the camera combined with wavelength selective filters enable capture and accurate quantification of faint and bright signals and allowing us to undertake applications not previously possible with older imagers. The research being conducted by the five groups requesting this imager spans a range of basic science investigations including: determining the structure of individual cell membrane-spanning proteins, dissecting structure-function relationships of enzymes, determining how a parasitic DNA element replicating in a cell nucleus borrows host functions to ensure its own maintenance, understanding how packaging of our chromosomal DNA influences expression of our genes and comparing the effects of different fatty acids on lipid metabolism and their impact on atherosclerosis. The imager will also be accessible to research groups other than those named in this application thereby facilitating the research of many.