Life through the lens
Introduction: Cell Motility
All cells show some ability to move at some stage of their lives. Some cells are highly active, such as immune system cells and amoebae. The basis for all cell movement arises from the cell’s internal skeleton that is made of proteins called tubulin and actin. Using structures made from these proteins, cells can move internal material, divide, crawl, and swim.
Still Image:
Mouse embryonic stem cells with stained nuclei - image 2
These mouse embryonic stem cells have been treated with a stain that makes DNA fluoresce, causing nuclei to appear blue.
Pluripotent mouse embryonic stem cells were cultured using standard techiniques. For imaging, cells in suspension were transferred to small, sterile plexiglass chambers attached to a coverslip. For imaging, growth media was replaced with phosphate buffered saline containing DAPI. Cells were maintained on an inverted compound microscope in an environmental chamber kept at 37°C, 7.0% CO2. Images were taken with a 40x phase contrast objective, using fluorescent light, DAPI filter and a digital camera.