One way to study cells is to tag specific molecules with reporter proteins, that can be detected using laboratory methods. This allows the study of protein location, function and production.
Conjunctival Goblet Cells (CGCs) are specialized epithelial cells that secrete mucins to generate the tear film’s mucus layer.
A Johns Hopkins Medicine scientist who spent 30 years figuring out how to put chemical labels into cells to track their movement in living tissues has found that certain self-renewing stem cells have built-in tracers -; made out of sugars -; that can do the job without added chemical "labels" when injected into mouse brains.