An Ion Life

Cell biologists often use fluorescent dyes to light up life within cells. But, like astronauts watching twinkling cites from space, distinguishing details is a challenge. Here a new technique uses multiplexed ion beam imaging to take detailed scans inside a single human cell, mapping out the contours of nanoscale structures while computer algorithms assemble them into 3D. With the cell’s DNA highlighted in blue, the techniques shed new light on tiny machinery involved in two of its most important processes – transcription, where the cell makes portable copies or ‘transcripts’ (red) of genes, and sites of DNA replication (green), essential for cell division and growth. Examining the organisation of these structures reveals clues to the health of the cell, and could form the basis of new diagnostic tests.

Written by John Ankers

John Ankers

Writer

A former researcher in systems biology, John is now an online biology tutor and professional coach supporting the wellbeing of scientists and NHS professionals. He's writing, too, of course.

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• Video from work by Ahmet F. Coskun and Guojun Han, and colleagues
• Baxter Laboratory, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
• Video originally published with a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
• Published in Nature Communications, February 2021