Transformed (Simian Virus 40) African Green Monkey Kidney Fibroblast Cells (COS-7 Line)

The culture of transformed African green monkey kidney cells (COS-7 line) featured in the digital image above was labeled with Alexa Fluor 350 conjugated to wheat germ agglutinin, a fluorescent lectin that selectively binds to sialic acid residues found in both mucoproteins and glycoproteins. The cells were also stained with Alexa Fluor 488 conjugated to phalloidin and the intercalating dye propidium iodide, which target the cytoskeletal filamentous actin network and nuclear DNA, respectively. 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.