The digestive system of a mouse is similar to the digestive systems of most other vertebrates, including humans. The basic components of the system include the mouth, pharynx, esophagus, stomach, small intestine, and large intestine.

A tubular part of the alimentary canal, the intestines serve as the location where most of the chemical digestion of food takes place. The intestines also function in the absorption of nutrients by the body and the collection of waste materials for excretion.

The intestines are considered to be divided into several different regions that extend from the stomach to the anus. The most basic division of the intestines is into the small intestine and the large intestine. The small intestine is the section closest to the stomach and is generally much longer and narrower than the large intestine. A variety of afflictions can affect the small and large intestines, such as enteritis, colitis, diverticulosis, and cancer. Various strains of laboratory mice are often utilized as models for such conditions.

Alexa Fluor 350 conjugated to the lectin wheat germ agglutinin, which selectively binds to N-acetylglucosamine and N-acetylneuraminic (sialic acid) residues and is frequently used to target the Golgi apparatus in mammalian cells, was utilized to label the mouse intestine tissue sample depicted in the digital image above. The specimen was counterstained for filamentous actin with Alexa Fluor 568 conjugated to phalloidin and for nuclear DNA with SYTOX Green. Images were recorded in grayscale with a 12-bit digital camera coupled to either a Nikon E-600 or Eclipse 80i microscope equipped with bandpass emission fluorescence filter optical blocks. During the processing stage, individual image channels were pseudocolored with RGB values corresponding to each of the fluorophore emission spectral profiles.

Mouse Intestine Tissue Triple Labeled with Alexa Fluor 350, Alexa Fluor 568, and SYTOX Green - The sample of mouse intestine tissue presented in this section was triple labeled before imaging. Alexa Fluor 568 (red emission) conjugated to phalloidin was utilized to target F-actin and Alexa Fluor 350 (blue emission) conjugated to wheat germ agglutinin was used to target sialic acid and N-acetylglucosaminyl residues. The popular green fluorescent nuclear and chromosome counterstain SYTOX Green was also employed.

Targeting F-Actin and Oligosaccharide Residues in Murine Tissue Samples - In order to localize a red fluorescent tag to filamentous actin in a sample of mouse intestine tissue, the specimen was labeled with Alexa Fluor 568 conjugated to phalloidin, a phallotoxin commonly utilized in cell biology. Another Alexa Fluor dye, Alexa Fluor 350, conjugated to the lectin wheat germ agglutinin, which selectively binds to N-acetylglucosamine and N-acetylneuraminic residues, was also applied to the sample, as was the nucleic acid stain SYTOX Green.

Mouse Intestine Probed with Wheat Germ Agglutinin - Lectins are carbohydrate-binding proteins that bind to specific configurations of sugar molecules. Oligosaccharide residues are found on cell surfaces and covalently linked to specific cellular components. Consequently, lectins can be utilized to identify various cell types and cell constituents. The lectin wheat germ agglutinin (WGA) binds to N-acetylglucosamine and N-acetylneuraminic (sialic acid) residues and is frequently used to identify the Golgi complex. The mouse intestine tissue illustrated in this section was labeled with Alexa Fluor 350 conjugated to WGA.

Utilizing Lectins, Phallotoxins, and Fluorophores to Stain Sections of a Mouse Intestine - Phallotoxins are peptides isolated from the toxic Amanita phalloides mushroom that bind filamentous actin. A phallotoxin, phalloidin, conjugated to Alexa Fluor 568 was employed to target the F-actin in the featured mouse intestine tissue sample. Alexa Fluor 350 conjugated to the lectin wheat germ agglutinin was also utilized to label the specimen. Cell nuclei were targeted with the popular nucleic acid stain SYTOX Green.