Project Details
Projekt
Confocal microscope
Subject Area
Neurosciences
Term
Funded in 2024
Project identifier
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 538923994
The control of movement, the response to environmental information, the formation of memories… all of our activities depend on the function of the nervous system. The extraordinary capacities that the nervous system has acquired during evolution and that support these actions rely on the precise architecture of the individual cells in the nervous system and of their interactions to form functional circuits. The structure of individual neurons and the connections among neurons into ensembles emerge during the individual’s development, they can undergo plastic changes into the adult life of the animal and can be damaged or disassembled in the aged animal. We study how neurons elaborate their complex and neuron-type specific morphologies during development. These are dynamic processes with complex spatial and temporal dimensions that can only be tackled in vivo. To elucidate their cellular and molecular mechanisms, we thus utilize the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, taking advantage of its short developmental time, the transparency of the larval cuticle- and the easy of genetic manipulation. To visualize the cellular dynamics aspects, we request a confocal microscope for my newly established Professorship at the RWTH. The requested microscope will support our work recording the morphological changes of neurons happening in vivo within seconds, as well as the dynamic subcellular distribution of molecular players during these processes. To allow long-term in vivo imaging of cellular dynamics, it is essential that the setup combines high spatial and temporal resolution, with highly sensitive detection to minimize the illumination sustained by the animal. In addition to the analysis of individual cells in the developing animal, we investigate how neurons interact with each other to form functional circuits. The three-dimensional architecture of these interactions requires in addition rapid volumetric scans allowed by a piezo-controlled z stepping. To investigate the functional connections among neurons in circuits, their plasticity and potential degradation in degenerative conditions, we furthermore elucidate the molecular organization of synapses within circuits. Given the size of synapses and the relative distance of individual molecular components within them, the setup requested will afford superresolution imaging with multiple detection channels simultaneously. This microscope will be a key instrument for almost every project in my lab at the RWTH. Therefore, its adaptability to the broad spectrum of applications described in the proposal, as well as its easy maintenance and the presence of reachable support will be of vital importance.
DFG Programme
Major Research Instrumentation
Major Instrumentation
Konfokales Mikroskop
Instrumentation Group
5090 Spezialmikroskope
Applicant Institution
Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule Aachen
