Rat Tongue Tissue
The digital image featured in this section is a three-dimensional reconstruction of rat tongue tissue stained with Alexa Fluor 350 (wheat germ agglutinin; lectins), Alexa Fluor 568 (phalloidin; actin), and SYTOX Green (nuclei). The tongue is a mass of striated muscle tissue, interspersed with fat glands and surrounded by a mucous membrane. The upper surface of the tongue bears numerous mucous membrane projections called papillae as well as the taste buds.