Microtubles in vitro

This fluorescent micrograph shows microtubules developing in vitro. As part of an in vitro assay tubulin was labelled with rhodamine (a fluorescent dye) to determine microtubule polymerization and viability. Microtubules are an important component of the cell's cytoskeleton, composed of a single type of protein, called tubulin, microtubules function to determine cell shape and are dynamic structures involved in a variety of cell movements.