•BIOLOGEEKs•

Geeking out, the fun way!

[biologeeks]

Δείτε το Tweet του χρήστη @DustinGrowick

[biologeeks]

Granulocytes - Cell Cartoons

The granulocytes are so called because they have densely granules in their cytoplasm; they are also called polymorphonuclear leukocytes because of their lobulated nuclei. There are three types of granulocytes: Neutrophils can perform phagocytosis and are the most abundant type of granulocytes and the most abundant type of white blood cells overall in most mammals. Eosinophils make up...

“The granulocytes are so called because they have densely granules in their cytoplasm; they are also called polymorphonuclear leukocytes because of their lobulated nuclei. There are three types of granulocytes: “

[biologeeks]

[biologeeks]

[biologeeks]

How male and female brains diverge is a hotly debated topic, but the study of model organisms points to differences that cannot be ignored.

SEX ON THE BRAIN: A mammalian embryo is female by default. Males develop when the Sry gene of the Y chromosome is expressed, spurring the development of testes. During fetal development, the testes produce large amounts of testosterone, much of which is converted to estrogen. Both hormones then act on the brain, inducing the cellular process of masculinization.

Interesting story. Can’t help but think: if all males are used in research, are all drugs optimized for men?

[biologeeks]

Beautifully crafted cell mebrane et al. :

[micecroscopy-deactivated2016073]

Testing out some new antibodies and viruses to label excitatory and inhibitory neurons in the entorhinal cortex. Ask away for explanations!

[biologeeks]

Such well dye-ed (minimal noise/pretty clean!)

#biologeeks #neurogeeks

[biologeeks]

[biologeeks]

[biologeeks]

Pyroptosis :

Pyroptosis is a form of programmed cell death associated with antimicrobial responses during inflammation.

[neurosciencestuff]

Lactate for Brain Energy

In comparison to other organs, the human brain has the highest energy requirements. The supply of energy for nerve cells and the particular role of lactic acid (lactate) has been a matter of intense research for many years. A hypothesis from the 1990’s postulates, that a well-orchestrated collaboration between two cell types, astrocytes and neurons, is the basis of brain energy metabolism. Astrocytes produce lactate, which flows to neurons to cover their high energy needs. Due to a lack of experimental techniques, it remained unclear whether an exchange of lactate existed between astrocytes and neurons. The group of Professor Bruno Weber from the Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology now shows that there is a significant concentration gradient of lactate between astrocytes and neurons.

Lactate transport is dependent on concentration

The entry and exit of lactate into and out of cells of the body is concentration dependent and is mediated by a specific lactate transporter (called monocarboxylate transporter or MCT). A typical property of certain transporter proteins is called trans-acceleration. “MCTs can be imagined as revolving doors in a shopping mall, which begin to turn faster when more people enter or exit”, explains Bruno Weber, Professor of Multimodal Experimental Imaging at the University of Zurich. The researchers made use of this property and accelerated the “revolving doors”. By increasing the extracellular pyruvate concentration, they stimulated the outward transport of lactate. Interestingly, lactate levels only changed in astrocytes but not in neurons. Based on this finding and on results from several control experiments a clear lactate gradient between astrocytes and neurons was confirmed. “Due to the fact that lactate transport by MCTs is a passive transport, such a concentration difference is a necessary condition for a lactate flux to be present”, says Bruno Weber.

The scientists utilized a novel fluorescent protein that binds lactate, thereby changing the amount of light released by the fluorescent molecule. This way they could measure the lactate concentration in single cells. “We expressed the lactate sensor in astrocytes or neurons in the brain of anesthetized mice and measured the fluorescence changes with a special two-photon microscope”, explains Bruno Weber.

More than 20 years after the formulation of the hypothesis that neurons metabolize lactate, the researchers have made an important step closer to final proof of this hypothesis. Bruno Weber closes by stating that “Numerous brain diseases have been associated with metabolic deficits. This underlines the importance of an accurate understanding of the processes contributing to brain energy metabolism at the cellular level”.

[biologeeks]

[biologeeks]

If you are a biologist, then you know!!

And the digital version of course! Aaaaall the tabs!

The struggle is REAL!

[biologeeks]

NIH-funded study finds zebrafish model may help identify treatments for a severe form of childhood epilepsy

According to new research on epilepsy, zebrafish have certainly earned their stripes. Results of a study in Nature Communications suggest that zebrafish carrying a specific mutation may help researchers discover treatments for Dravet syndrome (DS), a severe form of pediatric epilepsy that results in drug-resistant seizures and developmental delays.

Extra interesting is the simultaneous 96-cell screening technique used which allows for very rapid detection of potential therapeutic drugs.

Read more about Dravet syndrome and how the little zebrafish can help understand and adress the pathology at www.nih.gov.

[hansonsanatomy]

the heart, the valves, and their sounds

[biologeeks]

Now how cool is that!? @insta_anatomy

[biologeeks]

A visual compendium of glowing creatures, 

by tabletopwhale.com.

“The majority of the information used in this chart comes from the textbook Bioluminescence: Chemical Principles and Methods (Revised Edition) by Osamu Shimomura.”

Head on over at Eleanor’s blog  tabletopwhale.com for more mindblowing infographics!

Girl got skills AND knowledge!

A true biologeek at heart (and by education - she’ a molecular biologist you guys!) and an amazing illustrator, she creates infographics to spread the bio love!

Eleanor if you’re reading this right now : You Roooock!!

[biologeeks]