November 23, 2009
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		Research Activities Flow Cytometry The MEGAMER facility at the UCSC houses a Cytopeia Influx three-laser flow cytometer equipped with a high speed, two-way, bench-top cell sorter. Samples are exposed to three laser excitation paths and sample properties are analyzed using two scatter detectors and eight fluorescence detectors. The influx cytometer specifications are as follows: Air-cooled Solid State "Sapphire" (Coherent), 200mW, 488nm laser, with 572/27, 531/40, 692/20 and 610/20 PMTs Air-cooled Solid State "Radius" (Coherent), 25mW, 635nm laser, with a 647 Longpass and a 700 dichroic diversion to 692/ and 715 Air-cooled Solid State "Xcyte," 20mW, 355nm laser, covered with a 390 filter and a 610 dichroic division to 692/40 and 460/50 PMTs The Influx cytometer is frequently used to perform analysis on both environmental and culture samples. The analytical nature of the cytometer allows us to calculate extremely precise cell counts necessary to make strongly supported inferences on population dynamics and fluctuations on a temporal and spatial scale. Cell sorting is a common practice in the MEGAMER facility. Sorted cell populations are analyzed using molecular biology tools such as PCR, quantitative PCR, gene-specific probe hybridization and DNA sequencing. These techniques have offered a unique insight into the population composition of various conglomerations of cells. Cell sorting used in conjunction with cell selection techniques has been successfully used to isolate unique organisms from environmental samples. This practice has the potential to greatly enhance our ability to isolate organisms otherwise out-competed by more prominent species.
University of California Santa Cruz Ocean Sciences Department Marine Microbiology Laboratory/Zehr Lab 1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95064 T: 831-459-3128 F: 831-459-4882