Contact: Karen Kreeger
karen.kreeger@uphs.upenn.edu
215-349-5658
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine

Form and Function

Caption: Microtubule and membrane dynamics of yeast cells inside a curved channel – new cell tip formation. Color time-lapse movie of several wild-type yeast cells growing inside a curved channel. The cell on the far left attempts to form a new cell tip where its microtubules make frequent contact with virgin cell membrane. This is evident by an increase in the intensity of the green-stained membrane, indicative of new polarized cell growth, and attempted protrusion of a new cell tip. However, this new cell tip remains confined within the channel. Serendipitously, due to a small piece of dirt (green amorphous spot) which creates a small opening in the channel, the cell on the far right can successfully make a new protruding cell tip at the site of microtubule and virgin membrane contact.

Credit: Phong Tran, PhD, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine

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