European molecular biologists have created the highest resolution 3D image of skin cells in their native state. That's it, to the right.
The scientists used cryo-electron tomography, where cells are flash frozen, imaged from a variety of angles, then turned into a 3D image by a computer. The process is less destructive than other methods, allowing scientists to get more accurate looks at intact cell proteins.
Here's a quick key to the image's organelle color coding. Cell-cell contact: brown, nucleus: blue, microtubules: green , mitochondria: purple, endoplasmic reiculum: steel blue. It reminded me of illustrations from science textbooks, only this is the real thing.
The research was led by Achilleas Frangkais, of the European Molecular Biology Laboratory. The paper will be released in the journal Nature this week, but is not yet publicly available.
These scientists wanted such high resolution to study the proteins acting in cell-to-cell contact zones. But increased understanding of protein operation, especially in close to in vivo states, is essential to finding ways to counteract disease.
See Also:
The Protein Hunters
The Open Organism: Genetic Engineering in the Open Source Era
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