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

A cryomicrotome is an instrument used to obtain thin slices of frozen tissue from biological samples. If purchased, this machine will be used by three separate labs within the Department of Biology, to section nervous system tissue from newt and pond snail, as well as bone from salamander. These tissue samples will be used for immunostaining of cloned retinoid receptors and chemokine receptors involved in retinoid signaling (newt and snail) as well as for studies of bone growth in salamanders. Retinoic acid is the metabolite of Vitamin A and is important for neuronal regeneration. In our labs, we have cloned novel receptors for retinoic acid, from both the pond snail and from the newt. Both of these species have the capability (unlike most mammals) to regenerate their central nervous systems. The cryomicrotome is required for us to investigate the distribution of these retinoid receptors within the nervous system of the snail, as well as the regenerating spinal cord of the newt. Localization of these receptors is an important step forward in determining where and how retinoic acid affects the regeneration process. The cryomicrotome will also be used for tracking the effects of climate change on long bone growth and age structure in salamanders. Specifically, it will be used to assess changes in age structure via skeletochronology, which is the reading of growth layers in bone. We will assess how yearly variations in temperature affect long-bone growth patterns. The anticipated outcome of this study is to make valuable predictions regarding how local changes in temperature might influence the future population make-up.