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Plant Cell Studies
University of Illinois Biotechnology Center Flow Cytometry Facility 231 PABL - 1201 W. Gregory Urbana, IL 61801Laboratory Profile
Head: Dr. A. Lane Rayburn; Director: Gary Durack
1. Facilities: a) Plant research laboratory equipped with tissue chopping and grinding equipment; controlled environment growth chambers; germination boxes; and general lab apparatus. b) Flow cytometry facility. c) Image analysis lab. d) Computer graphics lab. e) Tissue culture lab.
2. Instrumentation:
Flow cytometry: EPICS 753 equipped with CICERO data acquisition/sorting system. EPICS 752. EPICS Elite. Lasers include: 5 watt argon (UV); 17mW 633 nm HeNe; 2mW 543 nm HeNe; Coherent 599 dye laser. Single cell deposition system.
Image analysis: MicroComp II system with Optronics V1470 camera. Access to the Beckman Institute Optical Visualization Facility with Zeiss confocal microscope and a variety of image analysis equipment.
Computers and miscellaneous: IBM PC-based FCM data analysis with Modfit, Multi-Plus, Elite Workstation, and Cyclops, Graphics lab with MAC and PC workstations, Phaser 2 color printer, matrix camera, slide and page scanners, variety of graphics software.
3. Specialization Areas: Probing of the chromatin composition of a variety of plant nuclei. Detection of DNA content variation of 2 - 3% in plant nuclei. Use of multiple fluorophores to characterize variations chromatin structure among plants. Measurement of ploidy and endopolyploidy among plant species. Significant experience in the application of flow cytometry to plant DNA analyses.
4. Special Opportunities: Isolation and preparation of plant nuclei for DNA analysis. This includes methods for chopping, grinding, and staining of plant tissue. Techniques for staining plant nuclei with PI or DAPI. Methods for high resolution measurement of DNA content in plants.
5. Special Courses Offered: None at this time.
6. Graduate Program: The School of Agriculture offers several programs which would utilize the cytometry and cytogenetics facilities.
7. Local Accommodations: Illini Union $65.00 per night (on campus); many small motels with weekly rates less than $150.00.
8. Transportation: Local airport is Williard Airport. Closest major airport is Indianapolis (70 miles east on I-74). Also 80 miles south of Chicago O'Hare (I-57).
9. Cost of Internship: Varies with details of interest. $300 to $600 per week would cover a variety of sample preparations and cytometry time. Summer (June - August) is convenient; however, time can be arranged to accommodate requests at other times of the year..
10. Communication:
Gary Durack, Director University of Illinois Biotechnology Center Flow Cytometry Facility 231 PABL 1201 W. Gregory Urbana, IL 61801 Phone: (217) 244-0559 FAX: (217) 244-0466 E-mail: g-durac@uiuc.edu
