Therese Roth, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Fellow (Yamashita laboratory), Life Sciences Institute, University of Michigan

Neurofibromatosis type 1 is a condition characterized by changes in skin coloring (pigmentation) and the growth of tumors along nerves in the skin, brain, and other parts of the body. These are plexiform neurofibroma tumor cells. Although most of these tumors remain benign, about 4% progress to malignancy. The red identifies tubulin, which helps give the cells their shape, while the blue labels the nuclei of the cells.