By the way, I am now a graduate of the University of Texas at Dallas! Just got my Bachelor of Science in Biology with a minor in Nanoscience & Technology. What am I going to do with this degree? I HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA! All I know is I want to be working on the cutting edge of science. The latest innovations in biological 3-D printing, synthetic biology and bionanotechnology have definitely got me fired up. However, I’m not sure whether I should continue my studies or dive right into industry — figuring that out is my next goal. In the meantime, I’ll continue to do research in the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. (And just in case anyone was wondering, that other guy is Temoc. He’s the mascot of UT Dallas. … Yes, he is a comet. … Yes, his name is “comet” spelled backwards.)
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By the way, I am now a graduate of the University of Texas at Dallas! Just got my Bachelor of Science in Biology with a minor in Nanoscience & Technology. What am I going to do with this degree? I HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA! All I know is I want to be working on the cutting edge of science. The latest innovations in biological 3-D printing, synthetic biology and bionanotechnology have definitely got me fired up. However, I’m not sure whether I should continue my studies or dive right into industry — figuring that out is my next goal. In the meantime, I’ll continue to do research in the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.

(And just in case anyone was wondering, that other guy is Temoc. He’s the mascot of UT Dallas. … Yes, he is a comet. … Yes, his name is “comet” spelled backwards.)

Mitotic Spindle This confocal image, which won 6th place in Olympus BioScapes Digital Imaging Competition of 2007, depicts the spindle apparatus (yellow) in a dividing cell from a domestic pig. The surrounding actin cytoskeleton has been falsely colored in blue. sciencenote (via Wikipedia): While the spindle apparatus is composed of hundreds upon hundreds of proteins,1 the fundamental machinery are the spindle microtubules. Attachment of microtubules to chromosomes is mediated by kinetochores, which actively monitor spindle formation and prevent premature anaphase onset. Microtubule polymerization and depolymerization dynamics drive chromosome congression. Depolymerization of microtubules generates tension at kinetochores;2 bipolar attachment of sister kinetochores to microtubules emanating from opposite cell poles couples opposing tension forces, aligning chromosomes at the cell equator and posing them for segregation to daughter cells. Once every chromosome is bi-oriented, anaphase commences and cohesin, which couples sister chromatids, is severed, permitting the transit of the sister chromatids to opposite poles. References: (1) C. E. Walczak and R. Heald, International Review of Cytology; (2) E. Nogales and V. H. Ramey, Journal of Cell Science. Photo credit: Patricia Wadsworth at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA.
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Mitotic Spindle

This confocal image, which won 6th place in Olympus BioScapes Digital Imaging Competition of 2007, depicts the spindle apparatus (yellow) in a dividing cell from a domestic pig. The surrounding actin cytoskeleton has been falsely colored in blue.

sciencenote (via Wikipedia):

While the spindle apparatus is composed of hundreds upon hundreds of proteins,1 the fundamental machinery are the spindle microtubules. Attachment of microtubules to chromosomes is mediated by kinetochores, which actively monitor spindle formation and prevent premature anaphase onset. Microtubule polymerization and depolymerization dynamics drive chromosome congression. Depolymerization of microtubules generates tension at kinetochores;2 bipolar attachment of sister kinetochores to microtubules emanating from opposite cell poles couples opposing tension forces, aligning chromosomes at the cell equator and posing them for segregation to daughter cells. Once every chromosome is bi-oriented, anaphase commences and cohesin, which couples sister chromatids, is severed, permitting the transit of the sister chromatids to opposite poles.

References: (1) C. E. Walczak and R. Heald, International Review of Cytology; (2) E. Nogales and V. H. Ramey, Journal of Cell Science.

Photo credit: Patricia Wadsworth at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA.

Muntjac Mitosis These are fixed, permeabilized, and fluorescently-stained muntjac skin fibroblasts in either interphase or a phase of mitosis. The phases, going from top left to bottom right, are: interphase, prophase, metaphase, anaphase, and telophase. During interphase, a eukaryotic cell multiplies its inventory of organelles and replicates its DNA (pink), growing in size.1 Next, mitosis is activated and the cell enters prophase, during which its replicated DNA is supercoiled into chromosomes comprised of identical, paired sister chromatids. Eventually, the cell’s nuclear envelope disintegrates, and special microtubules (green) linking the kinetochores of chromatids to the cell’s poles develop. The cell then enters metaphase, during which the centromeres of its chromosomes become aligned in a plane at its equator. After passing a key mitotic checkpoint, the cell enters anaphase, during which the paired sister chromatids separate and are pulled to opposite poles. Finally, in telophase, nuclear envelopes and nucleoli re-form around each pole’s collection of DNA, chromatids uncoil back into chromatin, and the cell divides in two. Each daughter cell is at the start of interphase, and the cell cycle repeats.2 Alexa Fluor® 350 phalloidin labeled actin filaments (blue) throughout each cell. An anti-α-tubulin antibody prelabeled with the Zenon® Alexa Fluor® 488 Mouse IgG1 Labeling Kit marked microtubules (green), revealing their role in mitosis. The anti–Cdc6 peptide antibody prelabeled with the Zenon® Alexa Fluor® 647 Mouse IgG1 Labeling Kit stained DNA (pink) in both chromatin and chromosomes. References: (1) Clare O’Connor, Nature; (2) D. Sadava et al., Nature.Photos: courtesy of the Life Technologies Corporation.
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Muntjac Mitosis These are fixed, permeabilized, and fluorescently-stained muntjac skin fibroblasts in either interphase or a phase of mitosis. The phases, going from top left to bottom right, are: interphase, prophase, metaphase, anaphase, and telophase. During interphase, a eukaryotic cell multiplies its inventory of organelles and replicates its DNA (pink), growing in size.1 Next, mitosis is activated and the cell enters prophase, during which its replicated DNA is supercoiled into chromosomes comprised of identical, paired sister chromatids. Eventually, the cell’s nuclear envelope disintegrates, and special microtubules (green) linking the kinetochores of chromatids to the cell’s poles develop. The cell then enters metaphase, during which the centromeres of its chromosomes become aligned in a plane at its equator. After passing a key mitotic checkpoint, the cell enters anaphase, during which the paired sister chromatids separate and are pulled to opposite poles. Finally, in telophase, nuclear envelopes and nucleoli re-form around each pole’s collection of DNA, chromatids uncoil back into chromatin, and the cell divides in two. Each daughter cell is at the start of interphase, and the cell cycle repeats.2 Alexa Fluor® 350 phalloidin labeled actin filaments (blue) throughout each cell. An anti-α-tubulin antibody prelabeled with the Zenon® Alexa Fluor® 488 Mouse IgG1 Labeling Kit marked microtubules (green), revealing their role in mitosis. The anti–Cdc6 peptide antibody prelabeled with the Zenon® Alexa Fluor® 647 Mouse IgG1 Labeling Kit stained DNA (pink) in both chromatin and chromosomes. References: (1) Clare O’Connor, Nature; (2) D. Sadava et al., Nature.Photos: courtesy of the Life Technologies Corporation.
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Muntjac Mitosis These are fixed, permeabilized, and fluorescently-stained muntjac skin fibroblasts in either interphase or a phase of mitosis. The phases, going from top left to bottom right, are: interphase, prophase, metaphase, anaphase, and telophase. During interphase, a eukaryotic cell multiplies its inventory of organelles and replicates its DNA (pink), growing in size.1 Next, mitosis is activated and the cell enters prophase, during which its replicated DNA is supercoiled into chromosomes comprised of identical, paired sister chromatids. Eventually, the cell’s nuclear envelope disintegrates, and special microtubules (green) linking the kinetochores of chromatids to the cell’s poles develop. The cell then enters metaphase, during which the centromeres of its chromosomes become aligned in a plane at its equator. After passing a key mitotic checkpoint, the cell enters anaphase, during which the paired sister chromatids separate and are pulled to opposite poles. Finally, in telophase, nuclear envelopes and nucleoli re-form around each pole’s collection of DNA, chromatids uncoil back into chromatin, and the cell divides in two. Each daughter cell is at the start of interphase, and the cell cycle repeats.2 Alexa Fluor® 350 phalloidin labeled actin filaments (blue) throughout each cell. An anti-α-tubulin antibody prelabeled with the Zenon® Alexa Fluor® 488 Mouse IgG1 Labeling Kit marked microtubules (green), revealing their role in mitosis. The anti–Cdc6 peptide antibody prelabeled with the Zenon® Alexa Fluor® 647 Mouse IgG1 Labeling Kit stained DNA (pink) in both chromatin and chromosomes. References: (1) Clare O’Connor, Nature; (2) D. Sadava et al., Nature.Photos: courtesy of the Life Technologies Corporation.
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Muntjac Mitosis These are fixed, permeabilized, and fluorescently-stained muntjac skin fibroblasts in either interphase or a phase of mitosis. The phases, going from top left to bottom right, are: interphase, prophase, metaphase, anaphase, and telophase. During interphase, a eukaryotic cell multiplies its inventory of organelles and replicates its DNA (pink), growing in size.1 Next, mitosis is activated and the cell enters prophase, during which its replicated DNA is supercoiled into chromosomes comprised of identical, paired sister chromatids. Eventually, the cell’s nuclear envelope disintegrates, and special microtubules (green) linking the kinetochores of chromatids to the cell’s poles develop. The cell then enters metaphase, during which the centromeres of its chromosomes become aligned in a plane at its equator. After passing a key mitotic checkpoint, the cell enters anaphase, during which the paired sister chromatids separate and are pulled to opposite poles. Finally, in telophase, nuclear envelopes and nucleoli re-form around each pole’s collection of DNA, chromatids uncoil back into chromatin, and the cell divides in two. Each daughter cell is at the start of interphase, and the cell cycle repeats.2 Alexa Fluor® 350 phalloidin labeled actin filaments (blue) throughout each cell. An anti-α-tubulin antibody prelabeled with the Zenon® Alexa Fluor® 488 Mouse IgG1 Labeling Kit marked microtubules (green), revealing their role in mitosis. The anti–Cdc6 peptide antibody prelabeled with the Zenon® Alexa Fluor® 647 Mouse IgG1 Labeling Kit stained DNA (pink) in both chromatin and chromosomes. References: (1) Clare O’Connor, Nature; (2) D. Sadava et al., Nature.Photos: courtesy of the Life Technologies Corporation.
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Muntjac Mitosis These are fixed, permeabilized, and fluorescently-stained muntjac skin fibroblasts in either interphase or a phase of mitosis. The phases, going from top left to bottom right, are: interphase, prophase, metaphase, anaphase, and telophase. During interphase, a eukaryotic cell multiplies its inventory of organelles and replicates its DNA (pink), growing in size.1 Next, mitosis is activated and the cell enters prophase, during which its replicated DNA is supercoiled into chromosomes comprised of identical, paired sister chromatids. Eventually, the cell’s nuclear envelope disintegrates, and special microtubules (green) linking the kinetochores of chromatids to the cell’s poles develop. The cell then enters metaphase, during which the centromeres of its chromosomes become aligned in a plane at its equator. After passing a key mitotic checkpoint, the cell enters anaphase, during which the paired sister chromatids separate and are pulled to opposite poles. Finally, in telophase, nuclear envelopes and nucleoli re-form around each pole’s collection of DNA, chromatids uncoil back into chromatin, and the cell divides in two. Each daughter cell is at the start of interphase, and the cell cycle repeats.2 Alexa Fluor® 350 phalloidin labeled actin filaments (blue) throughout each cell. An anti-α-tubulin antibody prelabeled with the Zenon® Alexa Fluor® 488 Mouse IgG1 Labeling Kit marked microtubules (green), revealing their role in mitosis. The anti–Cdc6 peptide antibody prelabeled with the Zenon® Alexa Fluor® 647 Mouse IgG1 Labeling Kit stained DNA (pink) in both chromatin and chromosomes. References: (1) Clare O’Connor, Nature; (2) D. Sadava et al., Nature.Photos: courtesy of the Life Technologies Corporation.
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Muntjac Mitosis

These are fixed, permeabilized, and fluorescently-stained muntjac skin fibroblasts in either interphase or a phase of mitosis. The phases, going from top left to bottom right, are: interphase, prophase, metaphase, anaphase, and telophase.

During interphase, a eukaryotic cell multiplies its inventory of organelles and replicates its DNA (pink), growing in size.1 Next, mitosis is activated and the cell enters prophase, during which its replicated DNA is supercoiled into chromosomes comprised of identical, paired sister chromatids. Eventually, the cell’s nuclear envelope disintegrates, and special microtubules (green) linking the kinetochores of chromatids to the cell’s poles develop. The cell then enters metaphase, during which the centromeres of its chromosomes become aligned in a plane at its equator. After passing a key mitotic checkpoint, the cell enters anaphase, during which the paired sister chromatids separate and are pulled to opposite poles. Finally, in telophase, nuclear envelopes and nucleoli re-form around each pole’s collection of DNA, chromatids uncoil back into chromatin, and the cell divides in two. Each daughter cell is at the start of interphase, and the cell cycle repeats.2

Alexa Fluor® 350 phalloidin labeled actin filaments (blue) throughout each cell. An anti-α-tubulin antibody prelabeled with the Zenon® Alexa Fluor® 488 Mouse IgG1 Labeling Kit marked microtubules (green), revealing their role in mitosis. The anti–Cdc6 peptide antibody prelabeled with the Zenon® Alexa Fluor® 647 Mouse IgG1 Labeling Kit stained DNA (pink) in both chromatin and chromosomes.

References: (1) Clare O’Connor, Nature; (2) D. Sadava et al., Nature.
Photos: courtesy of the Life Technologies Corporation.

(Source: products.invitrogen.com)

FluoCells® Prepared Slide #6 In response to requests from educators and instrument manufacturers, Molecular Probes offers FluoCells® prepared microscope slides, which contain multilabeled cell preparations for observation by epifluorescence or confocal microscopy. Their “Slide #6” product contains muntjac skin fibroblasts. Actin filaments were fluorescently labeled with phalloidin conjugated to Alexa Fluor® 488 (green). Mitochondria were tagged with anti-OxPhos Complex V inhibitor protein antibodies and visualized using goat anti-mouse IgG antibodies conjugated to Alexa Fluor® 555 (orange). Nuclei were stained with TO-PRO®-3 iodide (pseudo-colored magenta). Photo courtesy of the Life Technologies Corporation.
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FluoCells® Prepared Slide #6

In response to requests from educators and instrument manufacturers, Molecular Probes offers FluoCells® prepared microscope slides, which contain multilabeled cell preparations for observation by epifluorescence or confocal microscopy.

Their “Slide #6” product contains muntjac skin fibroblasts. Actin filaments were fluorescently labeled with phalloidin conjugated to Alexa Fluor® 488 (green). Mitochondria were tagged with anti-OxPhos Complex V inhibitor protein antibodies and visualized using goat anti-mouse IgG antibodies conjugated to Alexa Fluor® 555 (orange). Nuclei were stained with TO-PRO®-3 iodide (pseudo-colored magenta).

Photo courtesy of the Life Technologies Corporation.

(Source: products.invitrogen.com)

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