Teka Khan, Michael Roberts’ lab
Syncytialization of trophoblasts and localization of the transcription factors SMAD7 (red) and TBX3 (yellow) in syncytial nuclei. Phalloidin (green) was used to mark the cell boundaries.
Instrument: Leica TCS SP8 confocal microscope
Christie Herd, Alexander Franz’s lab
La Crosse virus (LACV) can be vertically transmitted from an infected female mosquito to its offspring. This image shows LACV within the developing eggs of Aedes albopictus ovaries, 44 hours after ingestion of a blood-meal containing LACV. Each ovary is surrounded by a follicular sheath (green/phalloidin) and is composed of many ovarioles, which grow into an oblong shape as the oocyte (developing egg) matures. In each oocyte there are nurse cells which provide nutrients to the oocyte (blue/DAPI). LACV antigen is shown surrounding the nurse cells in many of the ovarioles (red/Alexa Fluor 595).
Instrument: Leica TCS SP8 confocal microscope
No image contests were held during 2020-2021.
Rayne Lim, Shyam Chaurasia’s lab
Retinal microvasculature isolated from the mouse eye using trypsin digestion and stained with periodic acid-Schiff stain.
Instrument: Zeiss Axiovert 200M widefield microscope
David Porciani, Donald Burke’s lab
When pop art meets a glowing RNA in a dividing cell. In a dividing B-cell leukemia cell, a fluorescently labeled RNA aptamer is internalized via receptor-mediated endocytosis and transported toward the perinuclear region during endosome maturation. The fluorescence of this RNA aptamer displays a punctate pattern (clockwise from top left: magenta, yellow, red, gold) in an area proximal to the nuclei (clockwise from top left: cyan, purple, green and blue) of a dividing cell.
Instrument: Leica TCS SP8 confocal microscope
Vinit Shanbhag, Michael Petris' lab
Confocal microscopy of focal adhesion and actin cytoskeleton in murine breast cancer cells. Actin (red) was detected using TRITC-conjugated phalloidin. Vinculin (green) at focal contacts was revealed using anti-vinculin antibody and FITC-conjugated secondary antibody. Cell nuclei were labeled using DAPI (blue). Formation of focal contacts and orientation of actin filaments is an important determinant of cell shape, motility and invasiveness.
Instrument: Leica TCS SP8 confocal microscope
Lori Gutzman, Rajiv Mohan’s lab
The dermal-epidermal junction in a normal horse hoof. Collagen alpha-1-type III is shown in the dermis using a yellow, orange, and red heat map. Cell nuclei labeled with DAPI and pseudocolored magenta are visible most prominently in the epidermis. This image is part of a study evaluating differences in collagen between normal horses and those at two different stages of laminitis, since collagen is increased in fibrotic disease.
Instrument: Olympus widefield microscope
Kimberly Jasmer, Mark Hannink's lab
Primary normal human embryonic melanocytes immunolabelled for the melanocyte-specific markers Mel5 (Alexa Fluor 488, green) and MART-1 (Alexa Fluor 568, red). Cell nuclei are labelled with DAPI (blue).
Instrument: Leica TCS SP8 confocal microscope
Anju Verma, Melissa Mitchum's lab
Cyst nematode feeding sites (syncytia) in Arabidopsis roots. Upon infecting roots, cyst nematodes (dark brown ovals) induce formation of syncytia (swollen roots areas) and feed from them. Normal roots are visible in the background.
Instrument: Leica M205 FA stereoscope
Madeline Miller, Christian Lorson's lab
Mouse neuromuscular junctions in a whole-mount neck muscle stained using anti-synapsophysin (green) and alpha-bungarotoxin (red). A mouse with spinal muscular atrophy (SMN) has been treated with morpholinos that target an intronic splicing silencer within the SMN gene. These morpholinos correct the pathogenic splicing event in SMN protein, thus increasing the mouse lifespan and resulting in healthy-looking neuromuscular junctions. Maximum projection of a confocal image stack deconvolved using AutoDeblur software.
Instrument: Zeiss 510 META confocal microscope
Sunilima Sinha, Michael Roberts' lab
Human embryonic stem cells treated for 5 days with the growth factor BMP4, the inhibitor of activin A signaling A83-01, and the fibroblast growth factor receptor inhibitor PD173074. The cells effectively differentiated to trophoblasts as indicated by a trophoblast marker KRT7 (green) expressed in cytoplasm and trophoblast-associated transcription factor EOMES (red) expressed in nuclei, co-labeled with DAPI (blue).
Instrument: Olympus widefield microscope
Yuefeng Guan, Shuqun Zhang's lab
Selected images from a time-lapse movie showing different stages of an in vitro fertilization in Arabidopsis thaliana. Two YFP-tagged pollen tubes (red and green) were attracted by a single ovule (a). When one pollen tube (green) fertilized the ovule (b), the other (red) was repelled (c, d). Images are overlays of bright field and YFP fluorescent channels. False colors were added for enhanced visualization.
Instrument: Olympus widefield microscope
Brandie Morgan, Martin Katz's lab
Cross section of a motor nerve root taken from the 8th thoracic spinal cord segment in a dog with canine degenerative myelopathy. Each color is a counted nerve fiber.
Instrument: Brightfield microscope
Tom Childs, Frank Booth's lab
Co-cultured primary skeletal muscle fibroblasts and muscle precursor cells. Desmin-stained muscle precursor cells (red), α-smooth muscle actin-stained differentiated fibroblasts (green), and DAPI-stained nuclei (blue).
Instrument: Olympus widefield microscope
Yujiang Fang, Helen Mullen's lab
Shown is a paraffin section of a recipient mouse thyroid 60 days after splenocyte transfer. Thyroid epithelial cells (TECs) were identified by pan-cytokeratin (green). Transgenic overexpression of the anti-apoptotic molecule FLIP (red) in TECs (yellow, overlay) promotes resolution of granulomatous experimental autoimmune thyroiditis.
Instrument: Zeiss 510 META confocal microscope
Huachun Wang, Shuqun Zhang's lab
Confocal image of an Arabidopsis embryo at the heart stage. Green color shows the expression pattern of a GFP marker gene during embryogenesis. The embryo was counterstained with propidium iodide (red) to show the cell outlines.
Instrument: Zeiss 510 META confocal microscope
David Chevalier, John Walker's lab
Fluorescent image of GFP expression in the abscission zone of flowers from Arabidopsis thaliana.
Instrument: Fluorescent stereomicroscope
Katsuhiko Kondo, Bruce McClure's lab
Pollen tubes in a self-incompatible Nicotiana alata style stained with aniline blue.
Instrument: Fluorescent stereomicroscope
Winner 2004
Huachun Wang, John Walker's lab
Arabidopsis thaliana mature seed showing early torpedo-shaped embryo after clearing with chloral hydrate. The image was obtained using Nomarski optics and processed for 2D deconvolution.
Instrument: Zeiss 510 META confocal microscope
Winner 2003
Jimmy Nail, Mark Kirk's lab
Winner 2002
Bec McClennan, Cathy Krull's lab
Winner 2001
Mary Swartz, Cathy Krull's lab