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Distribution of metabolites in a mouse kidney, CMP. Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0). Source: Wellcome Collection.
Distribution of metabolites (small molecules produced while chemical reactions take place in a cell to provide energy) in cells in a mouse kidney. Three small molecules (the amino acids aspartate and glutamine and the antioxidant glutathione) were visualised using a technique called computational molecular phenotyping (CMP). Grayscale light micrographs were taken of silvered antibodies against aspartate, glutamine and glutathione and these were then digitally converted into red, blue and green respectively. The three separate images were aligned and this resulting image shows how metabolism varies between cells in a single organ. The higher the concentration of the molecule within the cell, the brighter that colour appears. The concentrations of these small molecules can vary widely between cells, but within a cell the levels are tightly regulated appropriate to the current metabolic needs of the cell at that time. Visible blocks of colour in the image may represent a single cell or a group of neighbouring cells with a similar metabolic state. Horizontal width of image is 2.9 mm. Light microscopy 2014