Recipient Organization
TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY
750 AGRONOMY RD STE 2701
COLLEGE STATION,TX 77843-0001
Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
Several molecular approaches are currently available for investigating epigenetic, transcriptomic, proteomic, and metabolic alterations in biological samples. However, to elucidate physiological and disease processes, it is critical that these studies provide spatial information by analyzing samples obtained from well-defined organ substructures and/or homogenous populations of cells. This is particularly relevant for tissues with great cellular heterogeneity, such as the brain, uterus, placenta, and other reproductive organs. Laser capture microdissection (LCM) allows the identification and precise removal of specific tissue substructures and cell types withoutcompromising the integrity of samples. LCM provides several advantages compared to other techniques for cell purification, particularly with respect to precision, simplicity, and versatility, since samples can be used for analysis of DNA, RNA, protein, and metabolite content. Theacquisition of a LCM system will allow a large group of federally-funded investigators to generate valuable knowledge related to the spatial pattern of gene and protein expression in reproductive, endocrine, and metabolic tissues from different animals models that benefit agricultural and biomedical research. The LCM system will support ongoing projects, future collaborations and grant applications related to animal physiology, reproduction, and genetics at Texas A&M University, Texas A&M AgriLife Research, and Prairie View A&MUniversity. This project aligns with the following USDA Strategic Goals: Maximize the Ability of American Agricultural Producers to Prosper by Feeding and Clothing the World; Promote American Agriculture Products and Exports; Facilitate Rural Prosperity and Economic Development; and Provide all Americans Access to a Safe, Nutritious, and Secure Food Supply.
Animal Health Component
40%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
60%
Applied
40%
Developmental
(N/A)
Goals / Objectives
The primary objective of of this project is to acquirea LCM system that will allow a large group of federally-funded investigators (USDAand NIH) to generate valuable knowledge related to the spatial pattern of gene and protein expression in reproductive, endocrine, and metabolic tissues from different animals models that benefit agricultural and biomedical research.
Project Methods
All collaborators will be informed of the project timeline and progress throughout the project. Additionally, once the equipment is available for use, emails will be sent to all faculty members in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, and College of Science at TAMU to enhance collaborations and recruit additional users. Information regarding training, standard operating procedures, and costs to use the equipment will be shared with all potential users. During the first year of use, Dr. Cardoso and members of his laboratory will provide monthly training sessions for new users (PIs and lab members). Dr. Cardoso has previous experience performing laser capture microdissection. Afterwards, training will be offered upon request as new users are identified. We anticipate that 15 to 20 investigators will use the LCM system during the first year of use. This projection is based on the number of investigators who have demonstrated interest in gaining access to the instrument. All users will be requested toproperly acknowledge the public funding (USDA NIFA) in all published articles, manuscripts, dissertations, posters, presentations, inventions, patents, and press releases.