Education & Outreach

Bert Fox Community High School

Group from Liverpool Regional High School
Left to right: Alana Isabella, Phil Langford (Bert Fox Community HS), Luca Quaroni (CLS), Adam Braithwaite, Georgina Chatterson, Natalie Isabella (Bert Fox Community HS), Amy Friesen (CLS), Tracy Walker (CLS)

These three students participated in an experiment to investigate protein concentrations along the length of rod cells of toads using the Mid-Infrared Spectromicroscopy beamline at the CLS. Rod cells are found in a layer at the back of the retina and are responsive to light. This was the first Students on the Beamlines project performed on the MidIR Spectromicroscopy beamline.

Graph 1

Differences were observed in both protein concentration and conformation along the rod cells, as well as variation in protein composition in the cilium region of the cells. This information confirms that already known about the structure of rod cells, but on a finer scale than previously determined.



Protein Distribution in Rod Cells

Download Poster (143 KB)

Finding an ideal rod cells using an optical microscope

Finding an ideal rod cells using an optical microscope

Operating the MidIR beamline to collect data
Operating the MidIR beamline to collect data
Locating the rod cells using the IR microscope

Locating the rod cells using the IR microscope

The rod cells are the long white cells in this microscope image. The circle is an air bubble.
The rod cells are the long white cells in this microscope image. The circle is an air bubble.
Diagram of a rod cell

Diagram of a rod cell


 

Last modified: 2012-01-19 17:01:09