MRI: Acquisition of Instrumentation for Compound-Specific Stable Isotope Analysis at the University of New Mexico

University Of New Mexico, Albuquerque NM

Investigators

Abstract

Non Technical Abstract The University of New Mexico recently created the Center for Stable Isotopes (UNM-CSI) that is dedicated to enhancing research and training in the application of stable isotope analysis in the biological, geological, anthropological, and medical sciences. Stable isotope analysis (SIA) has revolutionized biology by providing an integrative way to trace elements, the fundamental building blocks of all compounds, from cellular to continental scales. Our project will expand analytical capabilities at UNMCSI to include compound-specific stable isotope analysis (CSIA), an emerging technology that allows for the analysis of individual compounds such as amino acids, fatty acids, and carbohydrates. The acquisition of cutting-edge instrumentation will greatly enhance education and training for students and post-doctoral researchers at UNM. With administrative support, UNM-CSI will offer two research assistantships per semester to train graduate students in the daily operation of instrumentation, QA/QC protocols, and data reduction. In addition, most of the principal investigators associated with this project teach undergraduate and graduate courses that use UNM-CSI as an educational platform; the new instrumentation will expose these students to pioneering technology. Lastly, several of the principal investigators also teach short courses in the U.S. and Latin America on how to apply SIA to research in their respective disciplines, which have attracted >500 graduate students and resulted in a number of students coming to the U.S. to train at UNM-CSI. Technical Abstract The majority of SIA applications in biology focus on the analysis of bulk substrates such as plant and animal tissues. CSIA has given biologists a view into the biochemical realm that governs how nutrients are assimilated, synthesized, and transported within and among organisms. The requested instrumentation will greatly enhance opportunities for UNM faculty and students whose research focuses on two general areas: (1) organismal ecology and physiology and (2) paleo-environmental reconstruction. Our research will tackle several CSIA-based projects to (1) examine the role gut microflora play in synthesizing amino acids when their eukaryotic hosts do not consume adequate amounts of protein; (2) explore amino acid hydrogen isotopes in amino acids as novel tracers of food and water use in animals; (3) understand the dynamics of carbon turnover and transport in plants, (4) characterize the consequences of drought and dewatering on population, community, and ecosystem processes in desert aquatic systems, and (5) reconstruct ancient climates via isotope analysis of leaf waxes. Our objectives for having CSIA capabilities at UNM are to pioneer innovative analytical approaches that will be used to address a broad range of questions in biology, and grant the next generation of scientists unimpeded access to cutting-edge technology that has the potential to revolutionize their fields.