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Watercolour and ink on paper illustration of HIV assembly and budding. Once additional viral RNA and proteins have been made inside an infected target cell (usually CD4 T cells, a type of white blood cell found in the immune system), they are assembled and packaged together into new virus particles (virions) ready for release. HIV Gag protein and gag-pol (red) form an ordered arrangement below the cell membrane (white/grey) capturing the HIV genome (yellow). Viral proteins Vpr and Vif (purple; lower middle) are also incorporated. The assembled virus then pinches off from the cell picking up cell membrane on the way to create the viral envelope. Width of image is approximately 100 nm.



This image forms part of a series of illustrations which capture HIV at eight different points in the viral life cycle as it infects a cell and replicates.

HIV assembly and budding, HIV viral life cycle, illustration

Illustration of raw onion as seen through a scanning electron microscope. Raw onion reveals an ordered underlying structure similar to cracks or fracture lines in rocks. Width of image is 1280 micrometres.

These drawings form part of a series of work "Raw to Processed" which considers food and its relationship to health, looking at patterns in the structure of food and how these change when food is processed.

Raw onion

Core particle of the bluetongue virus (BTV) showing the inner and outer core proteins, coloured to highlight the various symmetries of the structure. The double-stranded RNA genome is protected inside the core. As double-stranded RNA is poisonous to the cell, it stays locked in the viral core where it is transcribed directly to mRNA using the virus's own polymerases. The mRNA is then extruded through pores in the core to be translated by the host cell machinery. 
Bluetongue is a disease of ruminants and the virus is transmitted by insect vectors. It belongs to the family Reoviridae and the genus Orbivirus

Bluetongue virus core particle

Scanning electron micrograph of the surface of epidermal cells on the surface of a salmon embryo. The pattern seen here is formed from ridge-like folds of the plasma membrane (microplicae) which are thought to reduce friction. The larger pattern seen is formed from the shape of the skin cells. Horizontal image width is 50 microns.

Epidermal cell surface on a salmon embryo, SEM

False-coloured scanning electron micrograph of a close up view of the eyes in a hoverfly. Two compound eyes (for accurate perception of movement) and three simple eyes arranged in a triangle at the top of the head (ocelli; top centre of image) are visible. Hoverflies belong to the family Syrphidae and have one pair of wings. Width of image is 2 mm.

Hoverfly eyes, SEM

Confocal micrograph of fractal patterns self-organised in a Bacillus subtilis biofilm. Bacillus subtilis is a Gram-positive, rod-shaped bacterium commonly found in soil. Populations of different lineages of B. subtilis each express a different fluorescent protein: sfGFP (green), mKate2 (red) or mTurquoise2 (blue). Fractal features arise from local mechanical instabilities produced during uniaxial growth and division of rod-shaped bacteria. This image was used to study self-organisation and emergence of morphological features in cell populations. Understanding how bacterial biofilms form is a key step in the fight against bacterial infections. Image created in collaboration with T. Rudge, P. Steiner, A. Kan and J. Haseloff. Width of image is 0.75 mm.

Fractal patterns in a Bacillus subtilis biofilm, LM

False-coloured scanning electron micrograph (SEM) of a stack of multiple layers of graphene (few-layer graphene, FLG). Graphene is a 2-dimensional sheet of carbon one atom thick, and has been described as a wonder material as it is one of the thinnest, strongest materials so far discovered and conducts electricity more efficiently than copper. This image shows micrometre-scale, multi-layered graphene with few structural detects. Few-layer graphene is being researched for its ability to deliver anti-fungal drugs. It was produced by shredding graphite into smaller pieces (dry milling) with the anti-fungal drug amphotericin B. Graphene layers are very difficult to prepare in large volumes, and this is a simple and eco-friendly (solvent-free) way of preparing a water-soluble form of an antifungal drug which is normally insoluble in water. Different shades of colour reflect different numbers of graphene layers. Diameter of the few-layer graphene is approximately 10 micrometres.

Few-layer graphene, SEM

Core particle of the bluetongue virus (BTV) showing the inner and outer core proteins, coloured to highlight the various symmetries of the structure. The double-stranded RNA genome is shown inside the core. As double-stranded RNA is poisonous to the cell, it stays locked in the viral core where it is transcribed directly to mRNA using the virus's own polymerases. The mRNA is then extruded through pores in the core to be translated by the host cell machinery. 
Bluetongue is a disease of ruminants and the virus is transmitted by insect vectors. It belongs to the family Reoviridae and the genus Orbivirus

Bluetongue virus core particles

Fluorescence immunohistochemistry and confocal microscopy were used to image normal (left) and cancerous (right) human colon tissue samples. Both samples were stained for the presence of protein biomarkers (QuiPCaMs), which are being researched in order to improve cancer diagnosis and prognosis. The presence of three different proteins, all biomarkers of cancer, was simultaneously detected using a different fluorescent marker (green, blue, red) for each. What appears to be a symmetrical pattern in normal tissue becomes more irregular in the tissue sample with disease. Each circle (whole tissue core) is 0.6 mm in diameter.

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HIV assembly and budding, HIV viral life cycle, illustration

Raw onion

Bluetongue virus core particle

Epidermal cell surface on a salmon embryo, SEM

Hoverfly eyes, SEM

Fractal patterns in a Bacillus subtilis biofilm, LM

Fractal patterns in a Bacillus subtilis biofilm, LM

Few-layer graphene, SEM

Bluetongue virus core particles

Detecting colon cancer in human tissues, LM

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HIV assembly and budding, HIV viral life cycle, illustration

Raw onion

Bluetongue virus core particle

Epidermal cell surface on a salmon embryo, SEM

Hoverfly eyes, SEM

Fractal patterns in a Bacillus subtilis biofilm, LM

Fractal patterns in a Bacillus subtilis biofilm, LM

Few-layer graphene, SEM

Bluetongue virus core particles

Detecting colon cancer in human tissues, LM

Stay in the know

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