Cultured cells on a plastic dish tend to move about as if looking for something (another cell contact perhaps). This movement of cell is an active process coordinated by multiple proteins and processes. One of the major categories of proteins involved in this process is cytoskeleton. The dynamic filaments and networks of cytoskeleton proteins define cell shape, cell adhesion, and cell movement. The laboratory is mainly interested in biochemical and mechanical properties of these proteins. Read more about the cytoskeleton here: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK21051/
This image was created using Coomassie staining solution (G 250) on paper. The resulting images were composed digitally. The image draws inspiration from the image of Coomassie blue stained fibroblast cell by Colin Smith published in Molecular biology of the Cell (Garland Publishers). Coomassie staining solution is regularly used in laboratories to stain proteins.
This work by Ipsa Jain and Minhaj S. laboratory, Instem, Bangalore is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.