Life inside a human cell

For both general interest and 3D animation, this link is pretty cool:

http://aimediaserver.com/studiodaily/videoplayer/?src=harvard/harvard.swf&width=640&height=520

As unrealistic this may seem, it's worth pointing out that everything depicted here, down to the shape of molecules, is based on our best understanding of the hard sciences. A lot of this is immunology based. Even more amazing is that some things, like DNA translation, has been slowed down from real speed to allow us to visualize it (you won't believe that is the case when you see it).

And yes... that "thing" slowly walking along the other "thing" with quite the payload is just how we understand it to be.

It gives one a deeper appreciation for just how complex yet organized and refined the machinery of life really is.
 
Hey, you don't need to tell me - I've dropped acid. Cool video
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Amazing video. Thanks for that.

EDIT: I's rep you if I could.
 
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I am awestruck by this video, even if you have read about the mechanics before, it is a testament to the power of art to communicate and teach, as well as effect the soul.
 
Another explanation.
http://www.aes.me.uk/blog/2006/09/06/cell-animation

Harvard university commissioned an animation of the internals of a cell (online version is a truncated version of the full 7-minute version). It's meant to be fairly accurate - structures were derived from known structure information wherever possible - and more importantly, it looks cool.

I haven't found an online explanation of what you're seeing, so this is what I saw - bear in mind this is a very quick description typed in at 3am, so it's a bit wishy washy :p

You are in a blood vessel, then zoom in to a cell rolling along the endothelium wall (basically looking for injuries or cells that are generally "upset"). The closeup of the long spindly proteins are, I believe, contact proteins between the two cells. You then see a cell membrane - not the GCSE model, but what it actually looks like - including a lipid raft surfing containing a group of localised proteins. You then zoom out and see some of the general cytoskeletal structure under the cell membrane (if anyone can identify specifics, please let me know).

You see an actin filament being manufactured from its constituent monomers; these fibres are instrumental in pulling subcellular structures around the cell and also for providing a framework for materials to be transported around the cell on. A protein comes in and chop the actin fibre - the manufacture and dissociation of both actin and microtubules is a regulated, dynamic process. Similarly you see microtubule formation and a microtubule catastrophe - when microtubules dissociate, it's very fast. Then the coolest bit of the video - a microtubule motor protein pulls some sort of cargo (I'm guessing a lipid globule) to its destination in the cell. The cellular motor proteins really do look like this - their mechanism of action is basically a walk forwards.

The aniation fades to the nuclear surface, and some mRNA pops out of the nuclear pores - these molecules are derived from DNA and contain the code to make a single protein. They form loops (this is an interesting part of the animation, and if anyone can point me towards some references about why they do this 3'-5' end association thing I'd love to read them - alternatively it may be artistic license :p ) and a ribosome comes in and scans for the start of the protein coding sequence. It moves along the mRNA and a protein comes out of the end. An orange and blue thing floats across the screen for no apparent reason. Then you see another ribosome land on the ER translocon and repeat the protein synthesis process - it injects the protein straight into the ER, which is the beginning of the pathway for proteins that are required on the cell membrane or outside the cell (there are other reasons for sending a protein down the ER pathway). You see the walker again, then a shot of some vesicles fusing with the Golgi body - a series of membrane stacks that forms a protein modification machine.

The animation then cuts to outside the cell again, and you see some proteins being thrown out by exocytosis - in the process, some integrins are placed on the cell surface. The cell they are on decides it wants to form an adhesive interaction with the basal lamina, because after about 10 seconds the integrin molecules all "stand up" - they move into their active, adhesive form. Then you see the blood vessel again, and the cell that was rolling along the wall enters into a cellular junction and disappears.
 
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That was beautiful. Touching, in fact. I don't know what I was touched by, but it was good.

Does anyone know the name of the music track used?
 
<Neo> Whoa. </Neo>

If that's as 'correct' as is being made out, it's truly awe inspiring.
 
I am awestruck by this video, even if you have read about the mechanics before, it is a testament to the power of art to communicate and teach, as well as effect the soul.

We've been discussing many of these mechanisms for weeks now in medical school, and even our professors were moved by the video.
 
Great video!
Nanomachines at its best.

Any mpeg available?

The full version was available online for a while from XVIVO as an MP4, but they were asked to remove it by Harvard in advance of them bringing out their own version.

I dropped the Harvard Biology webmaster a note asking them when they were going to be making the full movie available, so maybe I'll have an answer in a few days.

Apparently the full version has a voice over and proper tags and notes all over it.
 
That would be super cool, since I have no idea what those little creatures are doing in the video :p
 
Finally got an answer back from Harvard after tracking down someone who knew what I was talking about.

Thank you for your request and interest in the Inner Life of the Cell animation.

We are presently making adjustments to the current animation. We expect to have it completed later in the fall and to have segments available to share upon completion.

We'll be in touch.
I'm a bit disappointed they say they will only be sharing "segments".
 
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