Live imaging of iridophore crystal movements

Specialized cells on zebrafish scales called iridophores house microscopic, light-reflecting guanine crystals. When a zebrafish experiences stress, these cells can shift to a vibrant yellow (right) by adjusting the angle of the crystals inside of them, a remarkable transformation driven by motor proteins.
Live imaging of iridophore crystal movements in a living iridophore stained with the JF549 dye, which labels the guanine crystals (note that JF549 stains crystals most intensely at their free ends). The crystals are seen to align with the cell’s long axis and move continuously in a back-and-forth fashion over distances of ~0.3 μm.
Credit: Gur et al.
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