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Updated: May 1, 2026
Intravital Microscopy for Imaging Subcellular Structures in Live Mice Expressing Fluorescent Proteins
Published on: September 1, 2013
Intravital Microscopy Reveals Differences in the Kinetics of Endocytic Pathways between Cell Cultures and Live
Andrius Masedunskas1, Natalie Porat-Shliom2, Kamil Rechache3
1Intracellular Membrane Trafficking Unit, Oral and Pharyngeal Cancer Branch, National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, National Institutes of Health, 30 Convent Dr. 303A, Bethesda 20892-4340, MD, USA. andrius.masedunskas@gmail.com.
Abstract:
Intravital microscopy has enabled imaging of the dynamics of subcellular structures in live animals, thus opening the door to investigating membrane trafficking under physiological conditions. Here, we sought to determine whether the architecture and the environment of a fully developed tissue influences the dynamics of endocytic processes. To this aim, we imaged endocytosis in the stromal cells of rat salivary glands both in situ and after they were isolated and cultured on a solid surface. We found that the internalization of transferrin and dextran, two molecules that traffic via distinct mechanisms, is substantially altered in cultured cells, supporting the idea that the three dimensional organization of the tissue and the cues generated by the surrounding environment strongly affect membrane trafficking events.
