Incident light fluorescence microscopy is growing rapidly in importance as an investigational tool in the fields of medical and biological research. All photomicrographs in this gallery were taken with Olympus microscopes operating in widefield mode and employing UIS optics and a PM-30 automatic camera system.

3T3 Fibroblasts - Nuclei of 3T3 cells grown in a confluent monolayer tissue culture environment were stained with DAPI and imaged utilizing a combination of fluorescence and phase contrast illumination.

Myosin in A549 Cells - Monolayer cultures of A549, a human lung carcinoma epithelial cell line, were fixed and stained with a fluorophore containing FITC to reveal myosin in the cytoskeletal network.

Adenocarcinoma - Adenocarcinoma of the human salivary gland exhibits orange-stained nuclei on a green background of cellular components when stained with propidium diiodide and FITC.

Human Metaphase Chromosome Centromeres - Using in situ hybridization fluorescence microscopy techniques, the centromere region of human metaphase chromosomes can be distinguished from adjacent areas.

HIV Infected Lympocytes - Human lympocytes grown in tissue culture and subsequently infected with HIV were stained using FITC as the fluorophore. Photomicrographs were recorded utilizing a UPL 40x fluorite objective coupled to a NIB dichroic filter combination. A 3.3x projection photo eyepiece was used to transfer light from the intermediate image plane to the photographic emulsion.

Japanese Maple Leaf - A fluorophores-stained cross section of a leaf petiole or leaf stalk from a Japanese maple (Acer palmatum) was examined utilizing widefield fluorescence microscopy to capture both secondary and autofluorescence emitted by the leaf tissues.

Cellular Cytoskeleton - Human lung carcinoma epithelial cells (A549) grown in monolayer tissue culture were double-stained to expose microtubules and actin filaments using a mixture of FITC and rhodamine-phalloidin. Photomicrographs of the specimen were recorded utilizing a UPL 40x fluorite objective coupled to a WIBA/WIG dichroic filter combination.

PtK2 Cell Microtubules and Nucleus - A vivid contrast between nuclear and cytoplasmic structure is evidenced by staining cell cultures with a combination of propidium diiodide (PI) and FITC. In the photomicrograph presented on this page, note the bright orange nucleus (stained with propidium) superimposed on a network of green filamentous microtubules stretching throughout the cytoplasm.

Pollen Grain Autofluorescence - Pollen is a seasonal problem for millions of people around the world who suffer from allergenic reactions to the antigens embedded on the outer casing of these microscopic grains. The image on this page reveals autofluorescence of tiny pollen grains visualized utilizing widefield fluorescence microscopy.

DNA and Actin Fluorescence - A marsupial kidney epithelial cell line (PtK2) grown in monolayer tissue culture and double-stained using FITC and propidium diiodide (PI) was imaged using fluorescence illumination. Photomicrographs were recorded utilizing a UPL 40x apochromatic objective coupled to a WU dichroic filter cube.

Rapid Diagonsis of Malaria - The malarial parasite can be rapidly diagnosed in humans using the fluorophore acridine orange coupled with other fluorophores and fluorescence microscopy.

A549 Cellular Mitosis - The process of cellular mitosis is captured with fluorescence microscopy utilizing A549 cells in monolayer culture triple-stained with fluorophores containing TRITC, FITC, and DAPI.