An Introduction to Virtual Cell's Educational Animations

In addition to Virtual Cell's online game modules, animations have been developed to introduce students to new concepts. By walking through the still images and movies included for each topic, viewers can easily choose between either studying a specific step from one of the processes or taking a more immersive look at the process in it's entirety. In order to better serve all levels of educational interest, each topic is being offered with a choice between two approaches:

-- FIRST LOOK - An introductory level explanation of each topic and its animation. Intended for students in a general biology class at the freshman college level.

-- ADVANCED LOOK - An in-depth look at the information covered by each animation. Intended to be of use for advanced biology students from the baccalaureate to graduate level.

NEW ANIMATION ADDED! PROTEIN TRAFFICKING (GOLGI) CAN BE FOUND BELOW...

The Virtual Cell Animation Collection was featured in the Summer 2005 issue of Cell Biology Education! Click here to read the article and download the included PDF file.

Protein trafficking is used to describe the process of moving proteins from the rough ER, through the Golgi apparatus, where they are modified and packaged into vesicles. More detail...	Photosynthesis is the means by which plants make use of chorophyll and light to produce energy. This section covers the basic stages in the photosynthetic electron transport chain. More detail...	Photosynthesis allows plants to use the energy in light to produce molecular oxygen. Photosystem II is the complex where this action occurs. More detail...
Once translated, proteins are dispersed throughout the cellular environment. This section covers the transport of a protein into a specific organelle--the mitochondria. More detail...	Gradients are used to create energy that can power biological cyles. ATP synthase is powered by a hydrogen gradient, located in the mitochondria. This section covers the action of this specific gradient. More detail...	Cellular respiration occurs in the mitochondria and provides both animals and plants with the energy needed to power other cellular processes. This section covers the electron transport chain. More detail...
Transcription describes the process in which mRNA is produced. This section covers the creation of mRNA, as well as the factors leading up to its production. More detail...	After being transcribed, mRNA is processed. Before mRNA can be spliced, certain features must be added. These alterations are made during mRNA processing. More detail...	Before being used in translation, mRNA must be spliced. During splicing, exons are removed and the translateable introns that remain are spliced into a single strand of mRNA. More detail...
Translation is the process in which ribosomes translate a strand of mRNA into a protein. This section covers the steps leading up to the creation of such a protein. More detail...	The lac operon refers to the gene responsible for digesting lactose molecules in a bacterial cell. This section covers the activation and function of this gene. More detail...

NOTE: As the number of animations in the collection grows, a description of each category heading (found in the "Animation Archive" navigation menu on the left), as well as a list of the animations grouped under them, will be found here. Currently, a description of each completed animation can be found above. Clicking on the included link or thumbnail image will direct you to the introduction page for each animation topic.

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