Life through the lens
Introduction: Stem Cells
Stem cells are unspecialized cells that serve as the source, or "stem," for specialized cells like heart, brain, or blood cells. Found in days-old embryos and a few adult organs, stem cells have two unique properties: they can change into other types of cells, and theoretically, they can divide without limit. The images and movies below were taken at the Microscope Imaging Station.

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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.