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 peroxisome in human cell line A-431 (HPA032027)
Vesicles - peroxisome
Vesicle is a collective name for a number of different, small membrane-bound organelles that may move things (cargo) around in the cell, between other organelles, or release it to the cell?s exterior.
Peroxisomes use molecular oxygen (O2) to oxidize organic substances, forming hydrogen peroxide as a by-product. Hydrogen peroxide can then be used by the enzyme catalase to oxidize other substrates, e.g. phenols and alcohol. A major function of the peroxisome is the breakdown of fatty acid molecules.
Early endosomes are the main sorting stations in the endocytic pathway. They are formed when a part of the plasma membrane is budding in with material that has been taken up from the exterior (endocytosis). The endosome can then move the material to the same or other parts of the plasma membrane. It can also fuse with a lysosome, thus degrading it.
Lysosomes are filled with hydrolytic enzymes and are responsible for degrading molecules within the cell. They can fuse with late endosomes, creating something called endolysosomes, degrading the material within the endosome.
Immunofluorescent staining
Vesicle staining can usually be seen as small, bright dots or circles that are uniform in size and shape. Their distribution in the cytosol varies depending on the type of vesicle: endosomes are usually located close to the nucleus and the Golgi apparatus, whereas peroxisomes are spread throughout the cell. Lysosomes are the larger of the three vesicle types and more densely stained. They are often located close to the Golgi apparatus.
