Facilities

Zebrafish Facility

The University of Maine Zebrafish Facility is an outstanding asset for students and researchers throughout the State and complements research being conducted using other vertebrates such as mice. This facility fosters scientific collaborations and interactions with research institutions throughout the State.


DNA Sequencing Service

The University of Maine DNA Sequencing Facility is equipped with an ABI model 3730 DNA Sequencer with the XL Upgrade. The sequencer is capable of running 48 samples per plate yielding 800-1,000 bases of sequence from a good DNA template.

The 48-capillary 3730 DNA Analyzer is the Gold Standard in medium-to-high throughput genetic analysis.  DNA fragment analysis applications include microsatellites, AFLP, SNP analysis, mutation detection and traditional DNA sequencing.

The turnaround time per sample is usually 2-3 days depending upon the services performed.


Phage Electron Micrograph of 2 tailed phage
Phage, Nicfiend, isolated in BMB150 in 2019.

Electron Microscopy Facility

UMaine’s Electron Microscopy Laboratory (EML) offers the tools and technical expertise for research and training in microscopy with both light and electron microscopes. The lab operates three electron microscopes (one scanning and two transmission electron microscopes) and the ancillary equipment needed for preparation of specimens for EM and other microscopy.

The EML’s variety of light microscopes encompasses optics for bright-field, phase-contrast, differential-interference, and fluorescence imaging.

 


Confocal Microscopy Facility
The Confocal Microscopy Facility at the University of Maine boasts a Leica TCS SP laser scanning confocal microscope equipped with hardware and software suitable for a wide range of biological imaging applications. A research microscope is coupled to a confocal three-laser scanning unit equipped with state-of-the-art spectrometer detectors. In the confocal microscope, light from structures in a specimen that are not in focus is suppressed at image formation, resulting in acquisition of an “optical section”. The image is obtained using an arrangement of pinholes at conjugated points in the optical path.
The emitted/reflected light is transformed by a photomultiplier detector into a series of electrical signals which can then be stored digitally and displayed on a computer monitor. The confocal microscope allows the investigator to determine the relative location of structures with high precision and to reconstruct an image of the specimen in three dimensions.