Samples are prepared by rapid freezing and preserved in an aqueous-like vacuum environment. There are no artifacts, no staining, and no resolution limits. Also, radiation damage is minimal. DNA replication, repair, and transcription are the essential processes through which the cell preserves and utilizes its genetic information. DNA replication ensures the passage of information contained in the DNA from one generation to the next.
Transcription governs the regulation of gene expression and functional identity.
The study of the complex structural dynamics underlying gene expression and DNA replication and repair by these new microscopies promises to advance DOE's study of the effects of radiation on and chemical damage to biological systems and human health. Synaptic transmission and plasticity examines the synaptic machinery that is at the heart of the nervous system's communication network and the site through which neural connections are made. The molecular machinery of the synapse contains protein complexes that are ultimately responsible for the conditions that underlie memory and learning. The microscopy toolkits being developed by M 3 will, for the first time, allow study of these proteins in their native environments and measurement of their interactions within the synapses. Movies created by David Keller, Associate Professor at the Department of Chemistry, University of New Mexico You need to have Quicktime 4.0 in order to view these QuickTime movies.