Unit 1 Vocabulary - Cell Theory and Microscopy

Eukaryotic cell

Cell that has a nucleus and membrane-bound organelles

Prokaryotic cell

Cell without a nucleus and membrane-bound organelles

Light microscopy

Visualize cells and subcellular units larger than 200nm

Electron microscopy

Visualize molecules and subcellular structures larger than 10nm

Active processes

Use live cells to study molecular interactions and processes

Static timepoints

Used fixed cells to study localization and structure of molecules

Brightfield microscopy

Type of light microscopy that uses a bright background to observe specimens with high contrast such as stained samples

Phase contrast microscopy

Visualizes transparent objects by converting differences in refractive index of some parts of the specimen into light intensity differences

Differential interference contrast microscopy

Enhances contrast in unstained, transparent samples by using polarized light and optical path length differences to create a three dimensional look

Transmission electron microscopy (TEM)

Technique that uses an electron beam that passes through a thin prepared sample; looks like a cross section

Scanning electron microscopy (SEM)

Technique used to view the surfaces of larger objects as well as surfaces of very small samples by passing an electron beam off of the sample, producing a three dimensional look

Immunofluorescence

Allows for visualization of specific proteins within fixed cells using fluorophore conjugated antibodies

Fluorophore

absorbs protons and releases a portion of the energy at a longer wavelength

Conjugate

covalently attach

Indirect immunofluorescence

A technique that uses secondary antibodies conjugated to fluorophores to detect primary antibodies bound to specific proteins in cells

DAPI

A fluorescent stain that binds strongly to adenine-thymine rich regions in DNA

Green Fluorescence Protein (GFP)

A protein that exhibits bright green fluorescence when exposed to ultraviolet or blue light, commonly used as a marker in cellular and molecular biology

Fluorescent Protein Fusion

Determine localization of a protein by utilizing a promoter to generate a protein of interest tagged with GFP

Translational Reporter

Determine if the promoter that drives gene expression is active