Fast wavelength switching controls and a high sensitivity camera for enhanced imaging

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Whether a cell is free-living in the environment or part of a layer of cells surrounding an organ or tissue, it must interact and sense its surroundings. Each cell is contained within a bilayer of fats (or lipids) and proteins referred to as the plasma membrane. Interactions between a cell and its surroundings or neighboring cells occur through the proteins and lipids located on the cell's outer surface. The plasma membrane and its many different surface proteins allow each cell to take up or "eat" nutrients such as sugars, dietary fat, and vitamins. The plasma membrane also allows a cell to communicate with other cells by receiving signals in the form of hormones and forming protective barriers such as skin or kidneys. Many of these features are examined and studied by the applicants under the umbrella of cell biology. As cell biologists, it is of paramount importance for us to visualize not only the processes under examination but also the molecules that control these events. In our research, that means visualizing the membrane proteins and lipids that mediate cellular organization, movement, and housekeeping.