Queen bee ovariole (width)

This is a queen bee ovariole imaged on a confocal microscope. This type of image helps scientists understand how the ovary works in a bee and how it responds to environmental signals that repress or activate it. The red staining is DNA. The green is a stain for cortical actin, which marks the boundaries of cells in most cases. The section with the prominent red-stained nuclei is the nurse cell cluster. These cells are making RNA and protein and transporting them into the adjacent cells.

Professor Peter Dearden and his colleagues work with model organisms, like honey bees, to learn more about genes. Switching genes on and off provides insight on how an organism’s phenotype is affected. Using model organisms allows scientists to gain a better understanding of human development and disease. Learn more about this work in The genotype/phenotype connection.

Image: Peter Dearden