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Confocal Microscopy Image Gallery
Tahr Ovary Epithelial Cells (HJ1.Ov Line)
The Himalayan tahr (Hemitragus jemlahicus), which is related to the wild goat, was the source for the HJ1.Ov cell line. Scientists at The Naval Bioscience Laboratory established the line from the ovarian tissue of a female member of the species.
In culture, HJ1.Ov cells are morphologically similar to epithelial cells and typically exhibit adherent growth to glass and polymer surfaces. The avascular tissues that line the organs of the body and the secretory portions of glands and their ducts are comprised of epithelial cells. There are a number of different types of epithelial cells that are organized in varying manners, but the cells characteristically form an unbroken barrier due to their very close association with one another.
The epithelial tissue that encases mammalian ovaries is continuous with the peritoneum. A relatively thin layer of connective tissue comprised of collagen fibers called the tunica albuginea is located beneath the stratum of simple cuboidal epithelial cells. In some species, the epithelial tissue surrounding the ovaries expands periodically, a capability that is particularly pronounced in species whose ovaries become significantly enlarged during the breeding season. Ovarian epithelial tissue is commonly referred to by the misnomer germinal epithelium. When the name first came into usage, most scientists thought that the tissue supplied germ cells. Despite the later realization that the epithelium is not the source of germ cells, the traditional term continues to be widely used.
The single tahr ovary epithelial cell presented in the digital image above was resident in a culture treated with MitoTracker Deep Red 633 (pseudocolored magenta) and Alexa Fluor 568 conjugated to phalloidin, fluorescently labeling the mitochondrial network and F-actin, respectively. The nucleic acid stain YO-PRO-1 was utilized to counterstain cell nuclei. Images were recorded with a 60x oil immersion objective using a zoom factor of 2.0 and sequential scanning with the 488-nanometer spectral line of an argon-ion laser, the 543-nanometer line from a green helium-neon laser, and the 633-nanometer line of a red helium-neon laser. During the processing stage, individual image channels were pseudocolored with RGB values corresponding to each of the fluorophore emission spectral profiles unless otherwise noted above.
Additional Confocal Images of Tahr Ovary Epithelial (HJ1.Ov) Cells
F-Actin and Mitochondria Distribution in HJ1.Ov Cells - A triple fluorophore combination of MitoTracker Red CMXRos, BODIPY FL conjugated to phallacidin, and TO-PRO-3 was used to label an adherent log phase culture of tahr ovary cells for mitochondria, the filamentous actin network, and nuclear DNA, respectively. The cells were first treated with the MitoTracker probe in growth medium for one hour, washed and fixed with paraformaldehyde (prepared in growth medium), permeabilized, and blocked with bovine serum albumen. The cells were subsequently labeled with the conjugated phallacidin and counterstained with the cyanine monomer (TO-PRO-3) reagent.
Tahr Ovary Epithelial Cells with MitoTracker Deep Red 633, Alexa Fluor 568, and YO-PRO-1 - The tahr ovary epithelial cell culture appearing in this confocal image was labeled with Alexa Fluor 568 conjugated to phalloidin, targeting the F-actin cytoskeletal network. The cells were also stained with MitoTracker Deep Red 633 and YO-PRO-1, which preferentially bind with intracellular mitochondria and DNA in the cell nucleus, respectively.
Contributing Authors
Nathan S. Claxton, Shannon H. Neaves, and Michael W. Davidson - National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, 1800 East Paul Dirac Dr., The Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida, 32310.