Second harmonic generation (SHG) image of starch granules of a potato slice. The main constituent of the starch granules is highly ordered semicrystalline amylopectin, which renders them a noncentrosymmetric structure ideal for label-free SHG imaging. The forward and backward scattering SHG signal obtained from the radial distribution of the amylopectin is depicted by the red and green, respectively. The backward signal (green)from the amylopectin supramolecular assembly is more intense at the outer layers of the granules while the forward signal (red) intensity is higher at the inner core. Image was taken with LSM 710.

The goal of this project is to investigate the structural, biochemical and biophysical mechanisms of proteins and complexes involved in immunity to help broaden our understanding of immune system proteins, their interactions with microbes and the functional outcomes of those interactions. This involves investigating the assembly, structures and functions of mucosal antibodies in order to understand how these remarkable complexes protect vertebrates from external factors (e.g. pathogens) and how they can be engineered to treat disease.  The image shows engineered antibodies (green) bound to host pathogens in mouse lung (red). The image was taken with the Ultramicroscope, and 3D-segmented with Imaris Software.

A section of piglet corpus callosum processed using serial block-face scanning electron microscopy. Myelinated axons are depicted by the dark circular rings. This image was acquired using the Zeiss Sigma BP 3View SBF-SEM and segmented semi-automated, using Amira Software by Umnia Doha and Kingsley Boateng of IGB Core Facilities; Stephen Fleming & Dr. Ryan Dilger of the Dilger Lab, and the Piglet Nutrition and Cognition Lab in the Department of Animal Sciences.

Just like our own bodies need a mechanism to regulate gas and water content in our cells, plant tissue also needs a mechanism for this too. Plant stomata (pictured above) are pores that regulate transpiration of water and gas exchange. These pores open and close in response to their environment by the swelling of guard cells that flank the opening. Researchers in the Leakey lab can image stomata opening and closing in live plant tissue while controlling the carbon dioxide, humidity, and light levels. Image was taken with LSM710.

3D visualization of a portion of a maize bundle sheath cell with chloroplasts (left) and 3D visualizations of bundle sheath and mesophyll cell wall with plasmodesmata pit fields in a maize leaf sample (right).

The image illustrates the collagen microstructure of a pig's digital flexor tendon, captured using second harmonic generation (SHG) microscopy in the longitudinal orientation. The image reveals the intricate crimping, or waviness, of the collagen fibers that contributes to the tendon's nonlinear mechanical behavior and facilitates its biological function. The scale bar is 20µm. The forward scattered SHG signal is shown in red and the back scattered SHG signal is shown in green. Imaged on the LSM 710 by Amir Ostadi Moghaddam in the Wagoner Johnson Lab.

A thin section depicting a cross section of a Psaronius stem (bottom left) and inner root mantle (top right) from a Pennsylvanian coal ball (~300 million years ago) taken using a Zeiss Axio Zoom V16. Psaronius is an extinct Marattiaceae tree fern which grew 30 - 50 feet and was widespread during much of the late Pennsylvanian period in Euramerica. This image is a part of an effort to digitize the University of Illinois Phillips Coal Ball Collection.

3D Reconstruction Of Human Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Cancer Cells Undergoing Autophagy Dependent Cell Death.

The image shows a 3D stack of SBF-SEM images of human pancreatic neuroendocrine cancer cells undergoing autophagy dependent cell death. Chloroquine inhibits autophagy by inhibiting the degradation of autolysosome. This 3D image clearly shows that accumulation of autophagic vacuoles (autophagosome and autolysosome) were detected in chloroquine treated BON (human pancreatic neuroendocrine cancer) cells. The image was taken using SBF-SEM at the Carle R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology’s core facilities and segmented with the Amira 3D software.

Instrument: Zeiss Sigma VP SBF-SEM and Amira 3D Software