Imaging Across Biological Scales

CCIC combines tissue preparation, multiscale microscopy, expansion microscopy, and quantitative analysis to connect molecular detail with cellular interactions and whole-tissue context. Select any image to open a larger view.

Tissue architecture and biological niches

Cellular interactions in the hematopoietic stem-cell niche. Leptin-receptor-positive stromal cells interact with megakaryocytes in a spatially complex niche. Hematopoietic niche; multichannel fluorescence microscopy; 40 µm scale bar. [1]

Vasculature and whole-tissue context

Vascular architecture in cleared mouse liver. Large-volume imaging preserves vascular organization across a thick liver specimen.
Cleared mouse liver; multichannel fluorescence imaging. [2]

Cellular organization in mouse liver. Multichannel imaging connects cellular features with surrounding liver architecture.
Mouse liver; multichannel fluorescence microscopy. [3]

Red blood cells within a vascular network. Vascular imaging captures blood-cell flow in an adipose-rich tissue context.
Vascular network; fluorescence microscopy. [4]

Tissue vasculature. High-resolution imaging reveals the branching organization of a tissue vascular network.
Tissue vasculature; fluorescence microscopy. [5]

Cellular and organelle organization

Multiplexed mouse embryonic fibroblasts. Multiplexed imaging resolves complementary cellular structures in the same field.
Mouse embryonic fibroblasts; approximately 70 × 70 × 200 nm resolution. [6]

Microtubules and mitochondria in mouse embryonic fibroblasts. High-resolution imaging relates cytoskeletal organization to the mitochondrial network.
Mouse embryonic fibroblasts; approximately 70 × 70 × 200 nm resolution. [7]

Expansion microscopy and molecular detail

Expanded Ewing sarcoma cell. Physical expansion makes nanoscale cellular organization accessible to fluorescence imaging.
Ewing sarcoma cell; expansion microscopy. [8]

Mitochondrial cristae in a 20× expanded cell. Pan-labeling and physical expansion reveal fine mitochondrial membrane organization.
Cultured cell; 20× expansion microscopy. [9]

PCNA puncta in expanded cultured cells. Expansion microscopy resolves punctate PCNA organization together with RPA and the nuclear lamina.
Cultured cells; RPA, lamin, and PCNA labeling; expansion microscopy. [10]

Image credits

1. In collaboration with Sean Morrison.
2. In collaboration with Siyuan Zhang and Zhenyu Zhong.
3. In collaboration with Hao Zhu.
4. CCIC/Dean Lab.
5. CCIC/Dean Lab.
6. Dean Lab.
7. Dean Lab.
8. In collaboration with Jim Amatruda, CHLA.
9. In collaboration with Joerg Bewersdorf, Yale.
10. In collaboration with Peter Ly.

Supported by CPRIT. CCIC is supported in part by the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas through Core Facility Support Award RP250571.