Image365

Day 51 of #LMB365 shows the embryonic germ cells of the mouse. Using immunofluorescence and confocal microscopy Ross Hill (@rosshill92) visualises the developing testis of a mouse embryo where the cells that ultimately produce sperm in adult mice are stained green. These cells are unique in that they are solely responsible for passing genetic information from one generation to the next. These cells are of particular interest to scientists in the group of Gerry Crossan in the PNAC Division who study DNA repair in germ cells.

Day 50 of #LMB365 shows a spinning centrifuge exerting outward force on the samples within it. This principle is exploited by biochemists at the LMB to separate the contents within a cell by their relative size. The separated components can each be studied in detail to understand how they contribute to a cell’s function

The LMB’s Graduate Student Association meets weekly for tea and cake in the canteen. Day 49 of #LMB365 shows a recent gathering of PhD students who are clearly enjoying the sugar rush before returning to their experiments.

To understand processes at the molecular levels, basic components of the cell can be purified, crystallised and then visualised with X-rays to allow their molecular structure to be determined. These crystals, photographed for day 48 of #LMB365 by Malte Gersch, contain a protein that is regarded as a potential drug target against Parkinson’s disease.

On day 47 of #LMB365 the LMB’s IT team have provided a photo of one of the 12 LMB comms rooms they maintain. These rooms deliver network services to scientists’ desktop machines via approximately 10,000 data outlets across the building.

The DNA cycle path in Cambridge, which starts near the LMB, depicts the sequence of the BRCA2 gene, which is involved in some forms of breast cancer. In the lab, we use CRISPR to cause targeted errors in specific genes to study their function. We call these errors ‘indels’. Day 46 of #LMB365, a photo taken by Andrew Beale, shows an ‘indel’ in the BRCA2 gene.