Scientists have published the most detailed photographs of the nerve endings of mice, for the first time applying a decade-old technique to living neurons. The pictures show individual nerves, tactile receptors and hair follicles, painted in bright fluorescent colors. All this is more like modern abstract art than advanced microscopy.
Now you can see what nobody has seen before. High resolution allows you to view the individual elements on the background, - Paul Heppenstall, from the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) in Italy, told The Verge.
Heppenstall says that his favorite photo is one that shows hundreds of nerve endings just below the skin (the topmost image below).
The images obtained by the specialists of the European Molecular Biology Laboratory are impressive at least in that, despite the simplicity of collection and storage in the laboratory, skin samples are resistant to microscopy analysis.
The problem is that it is an extremely impermeable fabric. It is very difficult to introduce antibodies and common labels into it. It also has background fluorescence. Therefore, if you highlight the fabric with blue light [with conventional imaging], it will fluoresce green. As a result, it is impossible to see anything, the researcher explained.
The so-called SNAP-tagging technique solves this problem with the help of a special protein that forms artificial forms that can pass through the skin barriers and be visible on a fluorescent background. Thanks to this combination of chemical and biological properties, we can observe stunning images.
The work of scientists does not end there. Heppenstall says his ultimate goal is to detect individual neurons and capture them in action.
I would like to look into the brain or into the spinal cord. Lighten the tissue first, and then see the nerve chains. Now we just observe what they are. But we also want to see how signals are transmitted through the nerve fibers.
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