Shodo ("The Way of Writing")
Richard J. McMurtrey (UCD), Ulli Bayer (UCD)

Zeiss Axiovert200 Scope
Smacking of Japanese calligraphy, this image depicts the beauty of neuronal structure. The image was created by introducing two shades of illumination into the neurons. First, DNA was introduced into the neurons that enabled the cell to express a new fusion protein; namely, a fusion of CaMKII, a unique protein involved in neuron growth and signaling, and Green Fluorescent Protein, a protein isolated from Aequorea victoria jellyfish that illuminates green under a certain wavelength of light. The second shade was created by applying a dye (Texas-Red phalloidin) to the neurons which binds specifically to the actin cytoskeleton and illuminates red. The photo was taken at 100X magnification and converted to a negative image in black and white.