On the welcome page of the dictionary, three major sections are shown: Normal tissues, Cancer and Cell structure. Below the image of each section are links to introductory texts for i) normal tissue histology, ii) hallmarks of cancer, and iii) cell structure overview. For the cancer-section there is also a link to current cancer statistics (incidence, survival, etc) for Sweden and the rest of the world. Within each section there are direct links to histology descriptions of different tissue types and tumor forms as well as descriptions of cell structures.
For the 'Tissue & cell types' and 'Tumor' sections, tissue-slides stained with hematoxylin and eosin (HE) are shown at three different levels of magnification. On the top level, an overview of the whole tissue-sample is shown with boxes in black indicating where zoomed-in representative parts of the tissue are available for viewing. Clicking on these boxes will zoom in on that part to show tissue structures, cells and features in greater detail. Throughout these sections, arrows indicate relevant tissue structures, cell-types and other features.
For the 'Cell structure' section, immunofluorescent images of formaldehyde-fixed cell lines are shown. The various cell structures that are demonstrated are always shown in the green channel using an antibody found in the Human Protein Atlas. The antibody name is linked to the subcellular location summary page of the target gene. The other channels: nucleus, microtubules and endoplasmic reticulum, are always shown in the blue, red and yellow channels, respectively. The channels can be toggled on and off by clicking on the respective coloured button above the image. When applicable, the immunofluorescent images are complemented by immunohistochemically stained cells where the location of the particular cell structure is shown in brown.
A common feature for all sections is that a general descriptive text about the tissue, tumor-type or cell structure is provided when browsing a particular topic.
Staining of intermediate filaments in human cell line U-2 OS (HPA027480)
Scale bar represents 10?m
Cytoskeleton - intermediate filaments
Intermediate filaments have a twisted, rope-like structure that supports the cell structure. Cells that are subject to mechanical stress, such as hair and skin cells, often contain more intermediate filaments. Intermediate filaments are found both in the cytosol as well as attached to the inner side of the nuclear membrane. The cytosolic intermediate filaments are assigned to support and hold organelles in place. The nuclear laminas, which are attached to the inner nuclear membrane, support the membrane and provide anchorage sites for nuclear structures such as chromosomes and nuclear pores. Intermediate filaments are also involved in cell-cell contact, holding sheets of epithelial cells together via cell-cell (desmosome) junctions.
Immunofluorescent staining
Immunofluorescent staining of intermediate filaments can vary quite a lot. The filaments are usually at least partly located close to the nucleus, but may stretch throughout the cell. Common for most stainings is that the filaments exhibit a somewhat tangled structure with strands crossing every so often.