Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 6, 2026

Three-dimensional Imaging of Bacterial Cells for Accurate Cellular Representations and Precise Protein Localization
Published on: October 29, 2019
Life is three-dimensional, and it begins with molecules
1Office of the Director, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America.
Abstract:
The iconic image of the DNA double helix embodies the central role that three-dimensional structures play in understanding biological processes, which, in turn, impact health and well-being. Here, that role is explored through the eyes of one scientist, who has been lucky enough to have over 150 talented people pass through his laboratory. Each contributed to that understanding. What follows is a small fraction of their story, with an emphasis on basic research outcomes of importance to society at large.
Related Concept Videos
Three-Dimensional Microscopy in Microbiology
Molecular Models
Three-Domain System of Life
Molecular Shapes
Two regions of electron density in a diatomic...
Chemistry of the Cell
Water
The polarity of the water molecule and its resulting hydrogen bonding makes water a unique substance with special properties that are intimately tied to the processes of life. Life originally evolved in an aqueous environment, and most of an organism’s cellular chemistry and metabolism occur inside the aqueous contents of the cell’s cytoplasm. Special properties of water are its high heat capacity...
Protein Dynamics in Living Cells
Fluorescent recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) is a fluorescent-protein-based detection technique used to quantify protein movement rates within the cell. This method exposes a small portion of the cell to an intense laser beam. The laser beam causes permanent photobleaching of the fluorophore-tagged proteins in the exposed region. As the bleached...

