Example of a Lab Exercise Based on the Flourescence Microscopes Requested in 2008-2009 Application
Fluorescence Microscopy as an Introduction to Cell Biology
(Lab developed by Christopher Schonbaum, The University of Chicago, 2002)
The canonical animal and plant cell illustrations found in all biology textbooks form the basis upon which students envision cells. However, these simplified drawings rarely give the student an appreciation for the relative size, shape, and distribution of organelles within the cell. We propose to use this lab to introduce students to the cell and to one of the basic tools of cell biology -- the fluorescence microscope. The fluorescent stains reveal structures within the cell dramatically, capturing the attention of the students. In addition, the availability of different colored fluorochromes allows us to stain multiple structures simultaneously, and observe the distribution of structures relative to each other in the same cell. By including DNA stains, we can also describe changes in the organization of organelles and the cytoskeleton as the cells undergo mitosis. Finally, we would propose to have students examine transgenic tobacco hair cells expressing a modified green fluorescent protein (GFP) that has been targeted to the mitochondria. This demonstrates the use of GFP as a non-invasive probe for structures in living cells. While we propose to use this lab in our first year cell biology courses, many aspects of this lab could be used in the second year introductory genetics course.