MRI: Acquisition of TIRF Microscope

Smith College, Northampton MA

Investigators

Abstract

The aquisition of a total internal reflection fluorescence (TIRF) microscope will greatly enhance the life sciences at Smith College, the nation's largest liberal arts college for women. This microscope will inspire a new generation of scientists through its ability to observe individual molecules in real time, thereby providing an opportunity to go from textbook descriptions of molecules to actually witnessing their behavior and showing how molecular activity leads to the behavior of whole cells. Interdisciplinary research in Biochemistry, Biology, Chemistry, Engineering, Neuroscience and Physics will include: cellular organization and cargo transport by the molecular motors that allow for cell movement; interactions of molecular motors and their tracks at different stages in muscle and nerve development; time-dependent function of single molecule catalysts; characterization of designed proteins that may inhibit cancer progression; and time-dependent responses of novel polymers designed to react to specific environmental conditions. Finally, the TIRF microscope will facilitate the creation and validation of a low-cost teaching TIRF microscope designed for pedagogical applications and laboratory class exercises. Design plans and materials for this teaching system will be disseminated to colleges and universities throughout the United States as part of Smith College?s substantial community outreach programs. Recently great progress has been made in understanding the biophysics and mechanochemistry of proteins and small molecules. Total internal reflection fluorescence (TIRF) microscopy is an essential tool enabling this revolution as it enables sub-diffraction-limited single molecule localizations to a precision of ~1 nm. A TIRF microscope at Smith College will enable single molecule research in eight laboratories representing six departments and programs. Research is focused in three areas: 1) mechanochemistry, genetics, and biophysics of the cytoskeleton, 2) single molecule mechanisms of chemical polymerization and catalysis, and 3) engineered proteins and their interactions within cells. Several cytoskeleton projects will delve into understanding the motor proteins dynein, kinesin, and myosin and how they interact with one another and their microtubule and microfilament tracks. Investigations of how anesthetics catalyze cytoskeletal rearrangement in neurons and how kinesin inhibitors alter radial glial cells in development will also be conducted. The molecular level dynamics of peptide interactions and how these interactions affect the macroscopic mechanical attributes of polymers of these peptides will be studied.