Cellular Imaging Shared Resource
The Cellular Imaging Shared Resource is a full-service microscopy laboratory supplying equipment and technical support for electron, fluorescence and confocal microscopy; it is available throughout the Comprehensive Cancer Center of Wake Forest University and the entire institution for both clinical and research purposes. The Cellular Imaging Shared Resource is equipped to carry out all phases of sample preparation for electron microscopy with a staff that includes a technical engineer/manager and two technologists.
This resource exists in a biomedical research environment and supports numerous investigators whose interests encompass both basic and clinical medical science. The Cancer Center provides additional support for microscopy services to investigators who are members.
Although the orientation is biomedical, the facility supports a wide range of research. Faculty and staff also have extensive experience in non-biomedical zoology, botany, and materials science imaging.
Director
The Director of the Cellular Imaging Shared Resource is Mark C. Willingham, MD, a research pathologist and cell biologist with 40 years of experience in microscopy.
Services We Provide
The EM equipment includes conventional transmission and scanning electron microscopy (TEM and SEM). The facility also houses a:
- Laser scanning confocal microscope (LSCM)
- Digital upright and inverted fluorescence microscopes
- Time-lapse microscopy
- Laser capture microdissection
- Single cell microinjection
Additionally, the laboratory offers numerous specialized research techniques, user training, consultation and collaboration.
Capabilities
- TEM (120 keV)
- SEM (5-30 keV)
- LSCM with multiphoton excitation
- Bright field, DIC, phase contrast, polarizing, fluorescence and video light microscopy
- Immunolabeling for LM, EM, SEM and LSCM
- Enzyme cytochemistry
- Cyromicrotomy and EDX compositional microanalysis
- Image processing and analysis
- Laser capture microdissection
- Single cell microinjection
Instrumentation
- FEI Technai BioTwin 120 keV TEM with digital imaging
- Philips 515 SEM with backscatter, cathodoluminescence, and EDAX detectors
- Zeiss LSM510 laser scanning confocal system
- Arcturus PixCell II laser microdissection system
- Zeiss Axioplan 2 and Olympus IX-70 fluorescence microscopes
- Zeiss Axiovert time-lapse video microscopy system for cultured cells
- Reichert Ultracut microtomes and cryoultramicrotomes
- Computer workstations with image processing, analysis, and 3-D reconstruction software
- Complete specimen preparation facilities
Recent Publications Utilizing the Cellular Imaging Shared Resource
- Akins EJ, Moore ML, Tang S, Willingham MC, Tooze JA, Dubey P: In situ vaccination combined with androgen ablation and regulatory T cell depletion reduces castration-resistant tumor burden in prostate-specific Pten knockout mice. Cancer Res. 70: 3473-3482, 2010.
- Sanders AM, Stehle JR, Blanks MJ, Riedlinger G, Kim-Shapiro JW, Monjazeb AM, Adams JM, Willingham MC, Cui Z: Cancer resistance of SR/CR mice in the genetic knockout backgrounds of leukocyte effector mechanisms: determination for functional requirements. BMC Cancer 10: 121, 2010.
- Ghandi M, Dillon LW, Pramanlk S, Nikiforov Y E, Wang Y-H: DNA breaks at fragile sites generate oncogenic RET/PTC rearrangements in human thyroid cells. Oncogene 29:2272-80, 2010.
- Burrow A A, Marullo A, Holder RL, Wang Y-H: Secondary structure formation and DNA instability at fragile site FRA16B. Nucl. Acids. Res. 38:2865-77, 2010.
- Pinnix Z, Miller L, Wang W, D’Agostino R, Kute T, Willingham MC, Hatcher H, Sui G, Di X, Torti SV, Torti FM: Ferroportin and iron regulation in breast cancer progression and prognosis. Sci Transl Med. 2:43ra56, 2010.
- Guigon CJ, Fozzatti L, Lu C, Willingham MC, Cheng S-y: Inhibition of mTORC1 signaling reduces tumor growth but does not prevent cancer progression in a mouse model of thyroid cancer. Carcinogenesis 31: 1284-91, 2010.