Cell Counter
At the Cell Counter: Critters
It’s springtime @ the Cell Counter. Across the labscape, creatures of all sorts are coming into focus. In this edition, we branch out from our usual format and show you some of the beautiful creatures (and parts thereof) we’ve imaged with the SpectraMax MiniMax 300 Imaging Cytometer. Enjoy this vernal gallery!
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The nematode C. elegans has long served as a model system for developmental biology due to its simplicity and fully characterized pattern of cell lineages. Here, C. elegans expressing GFP were imaged using the transmitted light and green fluorescent channels of the MiniMax cytometer.
Located in the mammalian cochlea, the organ of Corti transduces sound vibration into nerve signals. Here, organs of Corti with GFP-expressing cells were isolated from mouse and imaged in the transmitted light and green fluorescent channels of the MiniMax cytometer. Inset, enlarged detail of cellular layers.
Zebrafish are heroes of the vertebrate genetics world. They are amenable to mutant screens and small enough to fit into the wells of a microplate. If you can get them to slow down, you can get beautiful images like these. Here, a GFP-expressing zebrafish was stained with AlexaFluor 647-labeled phalloidin, which highlights its tail muscles.
Heart muscle with H&E staining, imaged in the TL channel of the MiniMax cytometer.
Jumping and running are brought to you by the gastrocnemius muscle. Here, mouse gastrocnemius muscle was stained with a muscle-specific antibody and imaged on the transmitted light (left) and 541 nm fluorescence (right) channels of the MiniMax cytometer.
Auto-fluorescence of Arabidopsis thaliana seeds imaged in the 541 channel of the MiniMax cytometer.
Representative section of rat brain from a slide imaged with the 541 nm fluorescence channel of the MiniMax cytometer.
Cells Analysis Toolkit
- SpectraMax ® i3 Multi-Mode Microplate Detection Platform
- SpectraMax ® MiniMax™ 300 Imaging Cytometer
- SoftMax ® Pro Software
About StainFree Cell Detection Technology
Imaging cell-based assays typically requires the use of fluorescent probes that can be toxic to living cells or may only function in fixed cells. A label-free method for analyzing cell counts and cell confluence enables researchers to quantitatively monitor cell proliferation and health without time-consuming workflows that may disrupt cell viability.
The SpectraMax i3/i3x Multi-Mode Microplate Platform with MiniMax 300 Imaging Cytometer uses unique, patent-pending StainFree Cell Detection Technology that allows you to perform cell proliferation, cytotoxicity, and other assays without nuclear stains like DAPI, which intercalates with DNA, or live cell dyes that are actually toxic to cells in the long term.