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This is a searchable collection of scientific photos, illustrations, and videos. The images and videos in this gallery are licensed under Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial ShareAlike 3.0. This license lets you remix, tweak, and build upon this work non-commercially, as long as you credit and license your new creations under identical terms.

3444: Taste buds signal different tastes through ATP release

Taste buds in a mouse tongue epithelium with types I, II, and III taste cells visualized by cell-type-specific fluorescent antibodies. Type II taste bud cells signal sweet, bitter, and umami tastes to the central nervous system by releasing ATP through the voltage-gated ion channel CALHM1. Researchers used a confocal microscope to capture this image, which shows all taste buds in red, type II taste buds in green, and DNA in blue.

More information about this work can be found in the Nature letter "CALHM1 ion channel mediates purinergic neurotransmission of sweet, bitter and umami tastes” by Taruno et. al.
Aki Taruno, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania
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5885: 3-D Architecture of a Synapse

This image shows the structure of a synapse, or junction between two nerve cells in three dimensions. From the brain of a mouse.
Anton Maximov, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA
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2762: Nucleolinus

The nucleolinus is a cellular compartment that has been a lonely bystander in scientific endeavors. Although it's found in a range of species, its function has been mysterious—mainly because the structure is hard to visualize. An August 2010 study showed that the nucleolinus is crucial for cell division. When researchers zapped the structure with a laser, an egg cell didn't complete division. When the oocyte was fertilized after laser microsurgery (bottom right), the resulting zygote didn't form vital cell division structures (blue and yellow).
Mary Anne Alliegro, Marine Biological Laboratory
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6601: Atomic-level structure of the HIV capsid

This animation shows atoms of the HIV capsid, the shell that encloses the virus's genetic material. Scientists determined the exact structure of the capsid using a variety of imaging techniques and analyses. They then entered this data into a supercomputer to produce this image. Related to image 3477.
Juan R. Perilla and the Theoretical and Computational Biophysics Group, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
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3499: Growing hair follicle stem cells

Wound healing requires the action of stem cells. In mice that lack the Sept2/ARTS gene, stem cells involved in wound healing live longer and wounds heal faster and more thoroughly than in normal mice. This confocal microscopy image from a mouse lacking the Sept2/ARTS gene shows a tail wound in the process of healing. Cell nuclei are in blue. Red and orange mark hair follicle stem cells (hair follicle stem cells activate to cause hair regrowth, which indicates healing). See more information in the article in Science.
Hermann Steller, Rockefeller University
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3375: Electrostatic map of the adeno-associated virus with scale

The new highly efficient parallelized DelPhi software was used to calculate the potential map distribution of an entire virus, the adeno-associated virus, which is made up of more than 484,000 atoms. Despite the relatively large dimension of this biological system, resulting in 815x815x815 mesh points, the parallelized DelPhi, utilizing 100 CPUs, completed the calculations within less than three minutes. Related to image 3374.
Emil Alexov, Clemson University
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6984: Fruit fly starvation leads to adipokine accumulation

Adult Drosophila abdominal fat tissue showing cell nuclei labelled in magenta. The upper panel is from well-fed flies, and the lower panel is from flies that have been deprived of food for 4 hours. Starvation results in the accumulation of a key adipokine—a fat hormone (blue-green dots).

Related to images 6982, 6983, and 6985.
Akhila Rajan, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center
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7012: Adult Hawaiian bobtail squid burying in the sand

Each morning, the nocturnal Hawaiian bobtail squid, Euprymna scolopes, hides from predators by digging into the sand. At dusk, it leaves the sand again to hunt.

Related to image 7010 and 7011.
Margaret J. McFall-Ngai, Carnegie Institution for Science/California Institute of Technology, and Edward G. Ruby, California Institute of Technology.
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5752: Genetically identical mycobacteria respond differently to antibiotic 2

Antibiotic resistance in microbes is a serious health concern. So researchers have turned their attention to how bacteria undo the action of some antibiotics. Here, scientists set out to find the conditions that help individual bacterial cells survive in the presence of the antibiotic rifampicin. The research team used Mycobacterium smegmatis, a more harmless relative of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which infects the lung and other organs to cause serious disease.

In this video, genetically identical mycobacteria are growing in a miniature growth chamber called a microfluidic chamber. Using live imaging, the researchers found that individual mycobacteria will respond differently to the antibiotic, depending on the growth stage and other timing factors. The researchers used genetic tagging with green fluorescent protein to distinguish cells that can resist rifampicin and those that cannot. With this gene tag, cells tolerant of the antibiotic light up in green and those that are susceptible in violet, enabling the team to monitor the cells' responses in real time.

To learn more about how the researchers studied antibiotic resistance in mycobacteria, see this news release from Tufts University. Related to image 5751.
Bree Aldridge, Tufts University
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1012: Lily mitosis 02

A light microscope image of a cell from the endosperm of an African globe lily (Scadoxus katherinae). This is one frame of a time-lapse sequence that shows cell division in action. The lily is considered a good organism for studying cell division because its chromosomes are much thicker and easier to see than human ones. Staining shows microtubules in red and chromosomes in blue.

Related to images 1010, 1011, 1013, 1014, 1015, 1016, 1017, 1018, 1019, and 1021.
Andrew S. Bajer, University of Oregon, Eugene
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1158: Bacteria shapes

A colorized scanning electron micrograph of bacteria. Scanning electron microscopes allow scientists to see the three-dimensional surface of their samples.
Tina Weatherby Carvalho, University of Hawaii at Manoa
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2364: High-throughput protein structure determination pipeline

This slide shows the technologies that the Joint Center for Structural Genomics developed for going from gene to structure and how the technologies have been integrated into a high-throughput pipeline, including all of the steps from target selection, parallel expression, protein purification, automated crystallization trials, automated crystal screening, structure determination, validation, and publication.
Joint Center for Structural Genomics
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5895: Bioluminescence in a Tube

Details about the basic biology and chemistry of the ingredients that produce bioluminescence are allowing scientists to harness it as an imaging tool. Credit: Nathan Shaner, Scintillon Institute.

From Biomedical Beat article July 2017: Chasing Fireflies—and Better Cellular Imaging Techniques
Nathan Shaner, Scintillon Institute
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2455: Golden gene chips

A team of chemists and physicists used nanotechnology and DNA's ability to self-assemble with matching RNA to create a new kind of chip for measuring gene activity. When RNA of a gene of interest binds to a DNA tile (gold squares), it creates a raised surface (white areas) that can be detected by a powerful microscope. This nanochip approach offers manufacturing and usage advantages over existing gene chips and is a key step toward detecting gene activity in a single cell. Featured in the February 20, 2008, issue of Biomedical Beat.
Hao Yan and Yonggang Ke, Arizona State University
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2588: Genetic patchworks

Each point in these colorful patchworks represents the correlation between two sleep-associated genes in fruit flies. Vibrant reds and oranges represent high and intermediate degrees of association between the genes, respectively. Genes in these areas show similar activity patterns in different fly lines. Cool blues represent gene pairs where one partner's activity is high and the other's is low. The green areas show pairs with activities that are not correlated. These quilt-like depictions help illustrate a recent finding that genes act in teams to influence sleep patterns.
Susan Harbison and Trudy Mackay, North Carolina State University
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1082: Natcher Building 02

NIGMS staff are located in the Natcher Building on the NIH campus.
Alisa Machalek, National Institute of General Medical Sciences
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2473: Glowing glycans

Sugars light up the cells in this jaw of a 3-day-old zebrafish embryo and highlight a scientific first: labeling and tracking the movements of sugar chains called glycans in a living organism. Here, recently produced glycans (red) are on the cell surface while those made earlier in development (green) have migrated into the cells. In some areas, old and new glycans mingle (yellow). A better understanding of such traffic patterns could shed light on how organisms develop and may uncover markers for disease, such as cancer. Featured in the May 21, 2008 of Biomedical Beat.
Carolyn Bertozzi, University of California, Berkeley
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1087: Natcher Building 07

NIGMS staff are located in the Natcher Building on the NIH campus.
Alisa Machalek, National Institute of General Medical Sciences
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2375: Protein purification robot

Irina Dementieva, a biochemist, and Youngchang Kim, a biophysicist and crystallographer, work with the first robot of its type in the U.S. to automate protein purification. The robot, which is housed in a refrigerator, is an integral part of the Midwest Structural Genomics Center's plan to automate the protein crystallography process.
Midwest Center for Structural Genomics
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6803: Staphylococcus aureus aggregates on microstructured titanium surface

Groups of Staphylococcus aureus bacteria (blue) attached to a microstructured titanium surface (green) that mimics an orthopedic implant used in joint replacement. The attachment of pre-formed groups of bacteria may lead to infections because the groups can tolerate antibiotics and evade the immune system. This image was captured using a scanning electron microscope.

More information on the research that produced this image can be found in the Antibiotics paper "Free-floating aggregate and single-cell-initiated biofilms of Staphylococcus aureus" by Gupta et al.

Related to image 6804 and video 6805.
Paul Stoodley, The Ohio State University.
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3558: Bioluminescent imaging in adult zebrafish - lateral view

Luciferase-based imaging enables visualization and quantification of internal organs and transplanted cells in live adult zebrafish. In this image, a cardiac muscle-restricted promoter drives firefly luciferase expression (lateral view).
For imagery of both the lateral and overhead view go to 3556.
For imagery of the overhead view go to 3557.
For more information about the illumated area go to 3559.
Kenneth Poss, Duke University
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5778: Microsporidia in roundworm 2

Many disease-causing microbes manipulate their host’s metabolism and cells for their own ends. Microsporidia—which are parasites closely related to fungi—infect and multiply inside animal cells, and take the rearranging of cells’ interiors to a new level. They reprogram animal cells such that the cells start to fuse, causing them to form long, continuous tubes. As shown in this image of the roundworm Caenorhabditis elegans, microsporidia (dark oval shapes) invaded the worm’s gut cells (long tube; the cell nuclei are shown in red) and have instructed the cells to merge. The cell fusion enables the microsporidia to thrive and propagate in the expanded space. Scientists study microsporidia in worms to gain more insight into how these parasites manipulate their host cells. This knowledge might help researchers devise strategies to prevent or treat infections with microsporidia.

For more on the research into microsporidia, see this news release from the University of California San Diego. Related to images 5777 and 5779.
Keir Balla and Emily Troemel, University of California San Diego
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2507: Carbon building blocks (with examples)

The arrangement of identical molecular components can make a dramatic difference. For example, carbon atoms can be arranged into dull graphite (left) or sparkly diamonds (right). See image 2506 for an illustration without examples.
Crabtree + Company
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3364: Nociceptin/orphanin FQ peptide opioid receptor

The receptor is shown bound to an antagonist, compound-24
Raymond Stevens, The Scripps Research Institute
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6589: Cell-like compartments emerging from scrambled frog eggs 3

Cell-like compartments spontaneously emerge from scrambled frog eggs. Endoplasmic reticulum (red) and microtubules (green) are visible. Video created using epifluorescence microscopy.

For more photos of cell-like compartments from frog eggs view: 6584, 6585, 6586, 6591, 6592, and 6593.

For videos of cell-like compartments from frog eggs view: 6587, 6588, and 6590.

Xianrui Cheng, Stanford University School of Medicine.
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2782: Disease-susceptible Arabidopsis leaf

This is a magnified view of an Arabidopsis thaliana leaf after several days of infection with the pathogen Hyaloperonospora arabidopsidis. The pathogen's blue hyphae grow throughout the leaf. On the leaf's edges, stalk-like structures called sporangiophores are beginning to mature and will release the pathogen's spores. Inside the leaf, the large, deep blue spots are structures called oopsorangia, also full of spores. Compare this response to that shown in Image 2781. Jeff Dangl has been funded by NIGMS to study the interactions between pathogens and hosts that allow or suppress infection.
Jeff Dangl, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
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6890: Microtubules in hippocampal neurons

Microtubules (magenta) in neurons of the hippocampus, a part of the brain involved in learning and memory. Microtubules are strong, hollow fibers that provide structural support to cells. This image was captured using Stochastic Optical Reconstruction Microscopy (STORM).

Related to images 6889, 6891, and 6892.
Melike Lakadamyali, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.
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3451: Proteasome

This fruit fly spermatid recycles various molecules, including malformed or damaged proteins. Actin filaments (red) in the cell draw unwanted proteins toward a barrel-shaped structure called the proteasome (green clusters), which degrades the molecules into their basic parts for re-use.
Sigi Benjamin-Hong, Rockefeller University
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2723: iPS cell facility at the Coriell Institute for Medical Research

This lab space was designed for work on the induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cell collection, part of the NIGMS Human Genetic Cell Repository at the Coriell Institute for Medical Research.
Courtney Sill, Coriell Institute for Medical Research
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3658: Electrostatic map of human spermine synthase

From PDB entry 3c6k, Crystal structure of human spermine synthase in complex with spermidine and 5-methylthioadenosine.
Emil Alexov, Clemson University
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3600: Fat cells (red) and blood vessels (green)

A mouse's fat cells (red) are shown surrounded by a network of blood vessels (green). Fat cells store and release energy, protect organs and nerve tissues, insulate us from the cold, and help us absorb important vitamins.

This image was part of the Life: Magnified exhibit that ran from June 3, 2014, to January 21, 2015, at Dulles International Airport.
Daniela Malide, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health
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3745: Serum albumin structure 2

Serum albumin (SA) is the most abundant protein in the blood plasma of mammals. SA has a characteristic heart-shape structure and is a highly versatile protein. It helps maintain normal water levels in our tissues and carries almost half of all calcium ions in human blood. SA also transports some hormones, nutrients and metals throughout the bloodstream. Despite being very similar to our own SA, those from other animals can cause some mild allergies in people. Therefore, some scientists study SAs from humans and other mammals to learn more about what subtle structural or other differences cause immune responses in the body.

Related to entries 3744 and 3746
Wladek Minor, University of Virginia
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3363: Dopamine D3 receptor

The receptor is shown bound to an antagonist, eticlopride
Raymond Stevens, The Scripps Research Institute
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3644: Zebrafish embryo

Just 22 hours after fertilization, this zebrafish embryo is already taking shape. By 36 hours, all of the major organs will have started to form. The zebrafish's rapid growth and see-through embryo make it ideal for scientists studying how organs develop.

This image was part of the Life: Magnified exhibit that ran from June 3, 2014, to January 21, 2015, at Dulles International Airport.
Philipp Keller, Bill Lemon, Yinan Wan, and Kristin Branson, Janelia Farm Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, Va.
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6807: Fruit fly ovaries

Fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster) ovaries with DNA shown in magenta and actin filaments shown in light blue. This image was captured using a confocal laser scanning microscope.

Related to image 6806.
Vladimir I. Gelfand, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University.
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3486: Apoptosis reversed

Two healthy cells (bottom, left) enter into apoptosis (bottom, center) but spring back to life after a fatal toxin is removed (bottom, right; top).
Hogan Tang of the Denise Montell Lab, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
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6751: Petri dish containing C. elegans

This Petri dish contains microscopic roundworms called Caenorhabditis elegans. Researchers used these particular worms to study how C. elegans senses the color of light in its environment.
H. Robert Horvitz and Dipon Ghosh, Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
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1311: Housekeeping cell illustration

Cell mopping up.
Judith Stoffer
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2376: Protein purification facility

The Center for Eukaryotic Structural Genomics protein purification facility is responsible for purifying all recombinant proteins produced by the center. The facility performs several purification steps, monitors the quality of the processes, and stores information about the biochemical properties of the purified proteins in the facility database.
Center for Eukaryotic Structural Genomics
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6795: Dividing yeast cells with nuclear envelopes and spindle pole bodies

Time-lapse video of yeast cells undergoing cell division. Nuclear envelopes are shown in green, and spindle pole bodies, which help pull apart copied genetic information, are shown in magenta. This video was captured using wide-field microscopy with deconvolution.

Related to images 6791, 6792, 6793, 6794, 6797, 6798, and video 6796.
Alaina Willet, Kathy Gould’s lab, Vanderbilt University.
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6931: Mouse brain 3

Various views of a mouse brain that was genetically modified so that subpopulations of its neurons glow. Researchers often study mice because they share many genes with people and can shed light on biological processes, development, and diseases in humans.

This video was captured using a light sheet microscope.

Related to images 6929 and 6930.
Prayag Murawala, MDI Biological Laboratory and Hannover Medical School.
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2541: Nucleotides make up DNA

DNA consists of two long, twisted chains made up of nucleotides. Each nucleotide contains one base, one phosphate molecule, and the sugar molecule deoxyribose. The bases in DNA nucleotides are adenine, thymine, cytosine, and guanine. See image 2542 for a labeled version of this illustration. Featured in The New Genetics.
Crabtree + Company
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5872: Mouse retina close-up

Keunyoung ("Christine") Kim National Center for Microscopy and Imaging Research (NCMIR)
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3443: Interphase in Xenopus frog cells

These images show frog cells in interphase. The cells are Xenopus XL177 cells, which are derived from tadpole epithelial cells. The microtubules are green and the chromosomes are blue. Related to 3442.
Claire Walczak, who took them while working as a postdoc in the laboratory of Timothy Mitchison.
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5883: Beta-galactosidase montage showing cryo-EM improvement--gradient background

Composite image of beta-galactosidase showing how cryo-EM’s resolution has improved dramatically in recent years. Older images to the left, more recent to the right. Related to image 5882. NIH Director Francis Collins featured this on his blog on January 14, 2016.
Veronica Falconieri, Sriram Subramaniam Lab, National Cancer Institute
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3331: mDia1 antibody staining- 02

Cells move forward with lamellipodia and filopodia supported by networks and bundles of actin filaments. Proper, controlled cell movement is a complex process. Recent research has shown that an actin-polymerizing factor called the Arp2/3 complex is the key component of the actin polymerization engine that drives amoeboid cell motility. ARPC3, a component of the Arp2/3 complex, plays a critical role in actin nucleation. In this photo, the ARPC3-/- fibroblast cells were fixed and stained with Alexa 546 phalloidin for F-actin (red), mDia1 (green), and DAPI to visualize the nucleus (blue). In ARPC3-/- fibroblast cells, mDia1 is localized at the tips of the filopodia-like structures. Related to images 3328, 3329, 3330, 3332, and 3333.
Rong Li and Praveen Suraneni, Stowers Institute for Medical Research
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Low resolution small glowing fish.

2667: Glowing fish

Professor Marc Zimmer's family pets, including these fish, glow in the dark in response to blue light. Featured in the September 2009 issue of Findings.
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6551: ¿Qué es la sepsis? (Sepsis Infographic)

La sepsis o septicemia es la respuesta fulminante y extrema del cuerpo a una infección. En los Estados Unidos, más de 1.7 millones de personas contraen sepsis cada año. Sin un tratamiento rápido, la sepsis puede provocar daño de los tejidos, insuficiencia orgánica y muerte. El NIGMS apoya a muchos investigadores en su trabajo para mejorar el diagnóstico y el tratamiento de la sepsis.

Vea 6536 para la versión en inglés de esta infografía.
Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas Generales
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3307: DNA replication origin recognition complex (ORC)

A study published in March 2012 used cryo-electron microscopy to determine the structure of the DNA replication origin recognition complex (ORC), a semi-circular, protein complex (yellow) that recognizes and binds DNA to start the replication process. The ORC appears to wrap around and bend approximately 70 base pairs of double stranded DNA (red and blue). Also shown is the protein Cdc6 (green), which is also involved in the initiation of DNA replication. The video shows the structure from different angles. See related image 3597.
Huilin Li, Brookhaven National Laboratory
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2361: Chromium X-ray source

In the determination of protein structures by X-ray crystallography, this unique soft (l = 2.29Å) X-ray source is used to collect anomalous scattering data from protein crystals containing light atoms such as sulfur, calcium, zinc and phosphorous. These data can be used to image the protein.
The Southeast Collaboratory for Structural Genomics
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