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Brighter Muscles
17 April 2013

Brighter Muscles

Scientists are developing new ways to study how ‘furring-up’ of blood vessels by cholesterol restricts blood flow and leads to heart disease. Blood vessels are made of many different cell types: membranes, nerves, elastic fibres and smooth muscle. It’s smooth muscle where excess cholesterol accumulates, but in the complex structure of an artery, analysing this distinct cell type is a particular challenge. The image shows a new technique developed to view the smooth muscle cells that surround blood vessels. A gene that gives rise to a fluorescent protein (stained turquoise/white) was inserted into a developing mouse. Researchers added a genetic ‘switch’ to the new protein (red), which is present only in muscle, so they can turn it off (left) and on (right). With this method changes in smooth muscle, particularly its DNA (blue), can now be studied as heart disease progresses.

Written by Julie Webb

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BPoD stands for Biomedical Picture of the Day. Managed by the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences until Jul 2023, it is now run independently by a dedicated team of scientists and writers. The website aims to engage everyone, young and old, in the wonders of biology, and its influence on medicine. The ever-growing archive of more than 4000 research images documents over a decade of progress. Explore the collection and see what you discover. Images are kindly provided for inclusion on this website through the generosity of scientists across the globe.

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