Arnd Pralle
Research interests
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InterestsFluorescence Microscopy, Confocal Microscopy, Fluorescence Imaging, Microscopy, Microscopic Techniques, Live Cell Imaging, Imaging, Three-Dimensional Imaging, Atomic Force Microscopy, Statistical Mechanics, Complex Systems, Surface Characterization, Confocal Laser Scanning Microscopy, Magnetic Nanoparticles, Magnetic Materials, Optical Trapping, Single Molecule Manipulation
Publications
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3.23Impact points
Engineered streptavidin monomer and dimer with improved stability and function.
Biochemistry. 09/2011; 50(40):8682-91.
Although streptavidin's high affinity for biotin has made it a widely used and studied binding protein and labeling tool, its tetrameric structure may interfere with some assays. A streptavidin mutant with a simpler quaternary structure would demonstrate a molecular-level understanding of its st... [more] Although streptavidin's high affinity for biotin has made it a widely used and studied binding protein and labeling tool, its tetrameric structure may interfere with some assays. A streptavidin mutant with a simpler quaternary structure would demonstrate a molecular-level understanding of its structural organization and lead to the development of a novel molecular reagent. However, modulating the tetrameric structure without disrupting biotin binding has been extremely difficult. In this study, we describe the design of a stable monomer that binds biotin both in vitro and in vivo. To this end, we constructed and characterized monomers containing rationally designed mutations. The mutations improved the stability of the monomer (increase in T(m) from 31 to 47 °C) as well as its affinity (increase in K(d) from 123 to 38 nM). We also used the stability-improved monomer to construct a dimer consisting of two streptavidin subunits that interact across the dimer-dimer interface, which we call the A/D dimer. The biotin binding pocket is conserved between the tetramer and the A/D dimer, and therefore, the dimer is expected to have a significantly higher affinity than the monomer. The affinity of the dimer (K(d) = 17 nM) is higher than that of the monomer but is still many orders of magnitude lower than that of the wild-type tetramer, which suggests there are other factors important for high-affinity biotin binding. We show that the engineered streptavidin monomer and dimer can selectively bind biotinylated targets in vivo by labeling the cells displaying biotinylated receptors. Therefore, the designed mutants may be useful in novel applications as well as in future studies in elucidating the role of oligomerization in streptavidin function.
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2.30Impact points
Random insertion of split-cans of the fluorescent protein venus into Shaker channels yields voltage sensitive probes with improved membrane localization in mammalian cells.
Journal of neuroscience methods. 07/2011; 199(1):1-9.
FlaSh-YFP, a fluorescent protein (FP) voltage sensor that is a fusion of the Shaker potassium channel with yellow fluorescent protein (YFP), is primarily expressed in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) of mammalian cells, possibly due to misfolded monomers. In an effort to improve plasma membrane expres... [more] FlaSh-YFP, a fluorescent protein (FP) voltage sensor that is a fusion of the Shaker potassium channel with yellow fluorescent protein (YFP), is primarily expressed in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) of mammalian cells, possibly due to misfolded monomers. In an effort to improve plasma membrane expression, the FP was split into two non-fluorescent halves. Each half was randomly inserted into Shaker monomers via a transposon reaction. Shaker subunits containing the 5' half were co-expressed with Shaker subunits containing the 3' half. Tetramerization of Shaker subunits is required for re-conjugation of the FP. The misfolded monomers trapped in ER are unlikely to tetramerize and reconstitute the beta-can structure, and thus intracellular fluorescence might be reduced. This split-can transposon approach yielded 56 fluorescent probes, 30 (54%) of which were expressed at the plasma membrane and were capable of optically reporting changes in membrane potential. The largest signal from these novel FP-sensors was a -1.4% in ΔF/F for a 100 mV depolarization, with on time constants of about 15 ms and off time constants of about 200 ms. This split-can transposon approach has the potential to improve other multimeric probes.
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Continuous monitoring of membrane protein micro-domain association during cell signaling
01/2011;
Central to understanding membrane bound cell signaling is to quantify how the membrane ultra-structure consisting of transient spatial domains modulates signaling and how the signaling influences this ultra-structure. Yet, measuring the association of membrane proteins with domains in living, intact... [more] Central to understanding membrane bound cell signaling is to quantify how the membrane ultra-structure consisting of transient spatial domains modulates signaling and how the signaling influences this ultra-structure. Yet, measuring the association of membrane proteins with domains in living, intact cells poses considerable challenges. Here, we describe a non-destructive method to quantify protein-lipid domain and protein cytoskeleton interactions in single, intact cells enabling continuous monitoring of the protein domains interaction over time during signaling.
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26.31Impact points
Remote control of ion channels and neurons through magnetic-field heating of nanoparticles.
Nature nanotechnology. 08/2010; 5(8):602-6.
Recently, optical stimulation has begun to unravel the neuronal processing that controls certain animal behaviours. However, optical approaches are limited by the inability of visible light to penetrate deep into tissues. Here, we show an approach based on radio-frequency magnetic-field heating of n... [more] Recently, optical stimulation has begun to unravel the neuronal processing that controls certain animal behaviours. However, optical approaches are limited by the inability of visible light to penetrate deep into tissues. Here, we show an approach based on radio-frequency magnetic-field heating of nanoparticles to remotely activate temperature-sensitive cation channels in cells. Superparamagnetic ferrite nanoparticles were targeted to specific proteins on the plasma membrane of cells expressing TRPV1, and heated by a radio-frequency magnetic field. Using fluorophores as molecular thermometers, we show that the induced temperature increase is highly localized. Thermal activation of the channels triggers action potentials in cultured neurons without observable toxic effects. This approach can be adapted to stimulate other cell types and, moreover, may be used to remotely manipulate other cellular machinery for novel therapeutics.
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2.05Impact points
Chapter 21: Quantitative fluorescence lifetime imaging in cells as a tool to design computational models of ran-regulated reaction networks.
Methods in cell biology. 02/2008; 89:541-68.
The understanding of cell function often requires that complex intracellular pathways are considered in quantitative terms. The access to precise measurement of activities in live cells is increasingly provided by the advances in fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM) of Förster (or fluores... [more] The understanding of cell function often requires that complex intracellular pathways are considered in quantitative terms. The access to precise measurement of activities in live cells is increasingly provided by the advances in fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM) of Förster (or fluorescence) resonance energy transfer (FRET)-based molecular biosensors. We discuss how quantitative in vivo imaging can be combined with in vitro biochemical characterization to develop computational systems models simulating the behavior of biochemical networks. We describe the application of such approach in computational modeling of the Ran GTPase function in mitotic spindle assembly. The RanGTP concentration gradient surrounding mitotic chromosomes induces the formation of a gradient of spindle assembly factors (SAFs) activated by RanGTP-induced release from inhibitory complexes of SAFs with importin beta. To visualize the gradient of activated SAFs in live cells, we used FLIM to detect the signal of a FRET-based biosensor that reports its RanGTP-induced liberation from importin beta. We review the technical aspects of FRET measurements by FLIM and discuss the step-wise design of systems models aided by quantitative imaging. As evidenced by the example of mitotic Ran gradient studies, the computational simulations are a powerful tool to test new hypotheses on biological function.
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34.48Impact points
Analysis of a RanGTP-regulated gradient in mitotic somatic cells.
Nature. 04/2006; 440(7084):697-701.
The RanGTPase cycle provides directionality to nucleocytoplasmic transport, regulating interactions between cargoes and nuclear transport receptors of the importin-beta family. The Ran-importin-beta system also functions in mitotic spindle assembly and nuclear pore and nuclear envelope formation. Th... [more] The RanGTPase cycle provides directionality to nucleocytoplasmic transport, regulating interactions between cargoes and nuclear transport receptors of the importin-beta family. The Ran-importin-beta system also functions in mitotic spindle assembly and nuclear pore and nuclear envelope formation. The common principle underlying these diverse functions throughout the cell cycle is thought to be anisotropy of the distribution of RanGTP (the RanGTP gradient), driven by the chromatin-associated guanine nucleotide exchange factor RCC1 (refs 1, 4, 5). However, the existence and function of a RanGTP gradient during mitosis in cells is unclear. Here we examine the Ran-importin-beta system in cells by conventional and fluorescence lifetime microscopy using a biosensor, termed Rango, that increases its fluorescence resonance energy transfer signal when released from importin-beta by RanGTP. Rango is predominantly free in mitotic cells, but is further liberated around mitotic chromatin. In vitro experiments and modelling show that this localized increase of free cargoes corresponds to changes in RanGTP concentration sufficient to stabilize microtubules in extracts. In cells, the Ran-importin-beta-cargo gradient kinetically promotes spindle formation but is largely dispensable once the spindle has been established. Consistent with previous reports, we observe that the Ran system also affects spindle pole formation and chromosome congression in vivo. Our results demonstrate that conserved Ran-regulated pathways are involved in multiple, parallel processes required for spindle function, but that their relative contribution differs in chromatin- versus centrosome/kinetochore-driven spindle assembly systems.
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8.58Impact points
A selective turn-on fluorescent sensor for imaging copper in living cells.
Journal of the American Chemical Society. 02/2006; 128(1):10-1.
We present the synthesis, properties, and biological applications of Coppersensor-1 (CS1), a new water-soluble, turn-on fluorescent sensor for intracellular imaging of copper in living biological samples. CS1 utilizes a BODIPY reporter and thioether-rich receptor to provide high selectivity and sens... [more] We present the synthesis, properties, and biological applications of Coppersensor-1 (CS1), a new water-soluble, turn-on fluorescent sensor for intracellular imaging of copper in living biological samples. CS1 utilizes a BODIPY reporter and thioether-rich receptor to provide high selectivity and sensitivity for Cu+ over other biologically relevant metal ions, including Cu2+, in aqueous solution. This BODIPY-based probe is the first Cu+-responsive sensor with visible excitation and emission profiles and gives a 10-fold turn-on response for detecting this ion. Confocal microscopy experiments further establish that CS1 is membrane-permeable and can successfully monitor intracellular Cu+ levels within living cells.
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8.58Impact points
Boronate-based fluorescent probes for imaging cellular hydrogen peroxide.
Journal of the American Chemical Society. 12/2005; 127(47):16652-9.
The syntheses, properties, and biological applications of the Peroxysensor family, a new class of fluorescent probes for hydrogen peroxide, are presented. These reagents utilize a boronate deprotection mechanism to provide high selectivity and optical dynamic range for detecting H2O2 in aqueous solu... [more] The syntheses, properties, and biological applications of the Peroxysensor family, a new class of fluorescent probes for hydrogen peroxide, are presented. These reagents utilize a boronate deprotection mechanism to provide high selectivity and optical dynamic range for detecting H2O2 in aqueous solution over similar reactive oxygen species (ROS) including superoxide, nitric oxide, tert-butyl hydroperoxide, hypochlorite, singlet oxygen, ozone, and hydroxyl radical. Peroxyresorufin-1 (PR1), Peroxyfluor-1 (PF1), and Peroxyxanthone-1 (PX1) are first-generation probes that respond to H2O2 by an increase in red, green, and blue fluorescence, respectively. The boronate dyes are cell-permeable and can detect micromolar changes in H2O2 concentrations in living cells, including hippocampal neurons, using confocal microscopy and two-photon microscopy. The unique combination of ROS selectivity, membrane permeability, and a range of available excitation/emission colors establishes the potential value of PR1, PF1, PX1, and related probes for interrogating the physiology and pathology of cellular H2O2.
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9.43Impact points
A fluorescent probe designed for studying protein conformational change.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 02/2005; 102(4):965-70.
The usefulness of fluorescence in studying protein motions derives from its sensitivity, kinetic resolution, and compatibility with both live cells and physiological assays. Recent advances in microscopy and membrane protein purification have permitted the observation of fluorescence changes that ac... [more] The usefulness of fluorescence in studying protein motions derives from its sensitivity, kinetic resolution, and compatibility with both live cells and physiological assays. Recent advances in microscopy and membrane protein purification have permitted the observation of fluorescence changes that accompany the functional transitions of complex eukaryotic membrane proteins. These techniques rely on probes that can clearly report the environmental changes of specific residues, but most commonly available side-chain-reactive probes are not well suited for this purpose. Here, we introduce a red Cys-reactive probe, aminophenoxazone maleimide (APM), designed with improved chemical and spectral properties for reporting protein conformational change. APM is compact, uncharged, and has a short linker between probe and protein, all of which ensure that it can closely track the motions of the side chain to which it is attached. It undergoes large polarity-dependent changes in Stokes shift, as well as large bathochromic shifts in both excitation maximum (from 521 nm in toluene to 598 nm in water) and emission maximum (580 nm to 633 nm). These polarity-dependent spectral changes offer a potentially simple means of relating fluorescence to local structure and motion, although they are partially offset by some complicating factors in APM fluorescence. We find that, like a rhodamine maleimide, APM senses the conformational changes underlying voltage sensing in the Shaker potassium channel, and it is superior at a site that shows limited reactivity to the rhodamine. The spectral characteristics of APM can also report subtle differences between aqueous positions in purified preparations of the beta2 adrenergic receptor.
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8.58Impact points
A selective, cell-permeable optical probe for hydrogen peroxide in living cells.
Journal of the American Chemical Society. 01/2005; 126(47):15392-3.
We present the synthesis, properties, and biological applications of Peroxyfluor-1 (PF1), a new type of optical probe for intracellular imaging of hydrogen peroxide in living biological samples. PF1 utilizes a boronate deprotection mechanism to provide unprecedented selectivity and optical dynamic r... [more] We present the synthesis, properties, and biological applications of Peroxyfluor-1 (PF1), a new type of optical probe for intracellular imaging of hydrogen peroxide in living biological samples. PF1 utilizes a boronate deprotection mechanism to provide unprecedented selectivity and optical dynamic range for detecting H2O2 in aqueous solution over similar reactive oxygen species including superoxide, nitric oxide, tert-butyl hydroperoxide, and hydroxyl radical. We further demonstrate the value of this reagent for biological applications by imaging changes in [H2O2] in living mammalian cells.
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3.04Impact points
Determination and correction of position detection nonlinearity in single particle tracking and three-dimensional scanning probe microscopy.
Microscopy and microanalysis : the official journal of Microscopy Society of America, Microbeam Analysis Society, Microscopical Society of Canada. 09/2004; 10(4):425-34.
A general method is presented for determining and correcting nonlinear position detector responses in single particle tracking as used in three-dimensional scanning probe microscopy based on optical tweezers. The method uses locally calculated mean square displacements of a Brownian particle to dete... [more] A general method is presented for determining and correcting nonlinear position detector responses in single particle tracking as used in three-dimensional scanning probe microscopy based on optical tweezers. The method uses locally calculated mean square displacements of a Brownian particle to detect spatial changes in the sensitivity of the detector. The method is applied to an optical tweezers setup, where the position fluctuations of a microsphere within the optical trap are measured by an interferometric detection scheme with nanometer precision and microsecond temporal resolution. Detector sensitivity profiles were measured at arbitrary positions in solution with a resolution of approximately 6 nm and 20 nm in the lateral and axial directions, respectively. Local detector sensitivities are used to reconstruct the real positions of the particle from the measured position signals.
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13.26Impact points
The orientation and molecular movement of a k(+) channel voltage-sensing domain.
Neuron. 11/2003; 40(3):515-25.
Voltage-gated channels operate through the action of a voltage-sensing domain (membrane segments S1-S4) that controls the conformation of gates located in the pore domain (membrane segments S5-S6). Recent structural studies on the bacterial K(v)AP potassium channel have led to a new model of voltage... [more] Voltage-gated channels operate through the action of a voltage-sensing domain (membrane segments S1-S4) that controls the conformation of gates located in the pore domain (membrane segments S5-S6). Recent structural studies on the bacterial K(v)AP potassium channel have led to a new model of voltage sensing in which S4 lies in the lipid at the channel periphery and moves through the membrane as a unit with a portion of S3. Here we describe accessibility probing and disulfide scanning experiments aimed at determining how well the K(v)AP model describes the Drosophila Shaker potassium channel. We find that the S1-S3 helices have one end that is externally exposed, S3 does not undergo a transmembrane motion, and S4 lies in close apposition to the pore domain in the resting and activated state.
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2.05Impact points
Cellular membranes studied by photonic force microscopy.
Methods in cell biology. 02/2002; 68:193-212.
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5.98Impact points
ATP-dependent membrane assembly of F-actin facilitates membrane fusion.
Molecular biology of the cell. 02/2001; 12(1):155-70.
We recently established an in vitro assay that monitors the fusion between latex-bead phagosomes and endocytic organelles in the presence of J774 macrophage cytosol (). Here, we show that different reagents affecting the actin cytoskeleton can either inhibit or stimulate this fusion process. Because... [more] We recently established an in vitro assay that monitors the fusion between latex-bead phagosomes and endocytic organelles in the presence of J774 macrophage cytosol (). Here, we show that different reagents affecting the actin cytoskeleton can either inhibit or stimulate this fusion process. Because the membranes of purified phagosomes can assemble F-actin de novo from pure actin with ATP (), we focused here on the ability of membranes to nucleate actin in the presence of J774 cytosolic extracts. For this, we used F-actin sedimentation, pyrene actin assays, and torsional rheometry, a biophysical approach that could provide kinetic information on actin polymerization and gel formation. We make two major conclusions. First, under our standard in vitro conditions (4 mg/ml cytosol and 1 mM ATP), the presence of membranes actively catalyzed the assembly of cytosolic F-actin, which assembled into highly viscoelastic gels. A model is discussed that links these results to how the actin may facilitate fusion. Second, cytosolic actin paradoxically polymerized more under ATP depletion than under high-ATP conditions, even in the absence of membranes; we discuss these data in the context of the well described, large increases in F-actin seen in many cells during ischemia.
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9.58Impact points
Sphingolipid-cholesterol rafts diffuse as small entities in the plasma membrane of mammalian cells.
The Journal of cell biology. 04/2000; 148(5):997-1008.
To probe the dynamics and size of lipid rafts in the membrane of living cells, the local diffusion of single membrane proteins was measured. A laser trap was used to confine the motion of a bead bound to a raft protein to a small area (diam < or = 100 nm) and to measure its local diffusion by hig... [more] To probe the dynamics and size of lipid rafts in the membrane of living cells, the local diffusion of single membrane proteins was measured. A laser trap was used to confine the motion of a bead bound to a raft protein to a small area (diam < or = 100 nm) and to measure its local diffusion by high resolution single particle tracking. Using protein constructs with identical ectodomains and different membrane regions and vice versa, we demonstrate that this method provides the viscous damping of the membrane domain in the lipid bilayer. When glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) -anchored and transmembrane proteins are raft-associated, their diffusion becomes independent of the type of membrane anchor and is significantly reduced compared with that of nonraft transmembrane proteins. Cholesterol depletion accelerates the diffusion of raft-associated proteins for transmembrane raft proteins to the level of transmembrane nonraft proteins and for GPI-anchored proteins even further. Raft-associated GPI-anchored proteins were never observed to dissociate from the raft within the measurement intervals of up to 10 min. The measurements agree with lipid rafts being cholesterol-stabilized complexes of 26 +/- 13 nm in size diffusing as one entity for minutes.
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1.85Impact points
Three-dimensional high-resolution particle tracking for optical tweezers by forward scattered light.
Microscopy research and technique. 04/1999; 44(5):378-86.
A quadrant photodiode placed in the back-focal plane of the microscope of a laser trap provides a high-resolution position sensor. We show that in addition to the lateral displacement of a trapped sphere, its axial position can be measured by the ratio of the intensity of scattered laser light to th... [more] A quadrant photodiode placed in the back-focal plane of the microscope of a laser trap provides a high-resolution position sensor. We show that in addition to the lateral displacement of a trapped sphere, its axial position can be measured by the ratio of the intensity of scattered laser light to the total amount of the light reaching the detector. The addition of the axial information offers true three-dimensional position detection in solution, creating, together with a position control, a photonic force microscope with nanometer spatial and microsecond temporal resolution. The measured position signals are explained as interference of the unscattered trapping laser beam with the laser light scattered by the trapped bead. Our model explains experimental data for trapped particles in the Rayleigh regime (radius a <0.2lambda) for displacements up to the focal dimensions. The cross-talk between the signals in the three directions is explained and it is shown that this cross-talk can be neglected for lateral displacements smaller than 75 nm and axial displacements below 150 nm. The advantages of three-dimensional single-particle tracking over conventional video-tracking are shown through the example of the diffusion of the GPI-anchored membrane protein Thy1.1 on a neurite.
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3.67Impact points
Photonic force microscope based on optical tweezers and two-photon excitation for biological applications.
Journal of structural biology. 08/1997; 119(2):202-11.
A new scanning probe microscope, the photonic force microscope (PFM), based on optical tweezers and two-photon absorption processes for biological applications is described. Optical tweezers are used to trap a fluorescent latex bead with a diameter of 200 nm in an aqueous solution in all three dimen... [more] A new scanning probe microscope, the photonic force microscope (PFM), based on optical tweezers and two-photon absorption processes for biological applications is described. Optical tweezers are used to trap a fluorescent latex bead with a diameter of 200 nm in an aqueous solution in all three dimensions. The fluorescent dye is chosen to fulfill the two-photon absorption criterion for the 1064-nm line of a Nd:YVO4 laser. The intensity of the fluorescence emission is utilized as a very sensitive position sensor along the optical axis. Two-dimensional images are formed by laterally scanning the trapped latex bead across biological samples while recording the two-photon-induced fluorescences intensity. A scanning probe image of the outer surface of a small neurite from a cultured rat hippocampal neuron is shown, which is hardly visible under differential interference contrast microscopy. The lateral resolution is given by the bead diameter; the axial resolution is 40 nm. Under the experimental conditions the maximal imaging force applied by the probe is below 5 pN.
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Chapter 21 Quantitative Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging in Cells as a Tool to Design Computational Models of Ran‐Regulated Reaction Networks
Methods in Cell Biology.
The understanding of cell function often requires that complex intracellular pathways are considered in quantitative terms. The access to precise measurement of activities in live cells is increasingly provided by the advances in fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM) of Förster (or fluores... [more] The understanding of cell function often requires that complex intracellular pathways are considered in quantitative terms. The access to precise measurement of activities in live cells is increasingly provided by the advances in fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM) of Förster (or fluorescence) resonance energy transfer (FRET)‐based molecular biosensors. We discuss how quantitative in vivo imaging can be combined with in vitro biochemical characterization to develop computational systems models simulating the behavior of biochemical networks. We describe the application of such approach in computational modeling of the Ran GTPase function in mitotic spindle assembly. The RanGTP concentration gradient surrounding mitotic chromosomes induces the formation of a gradient of spindle assembly factors (SAFs) activated by RanGTP‐induced release from inhibitory complexes of SAFs with importin β. To visualize the gradient of activated SAFs in live cells, we used FLIM to detect the signal of a FRET‐based biosensor that reports its RanGTP‐induced liberation from importin β. We review the technical aspects of FRET measurements by FLIM and discuss the step‐wise design of systems models aided by quantitative imaging. As evidenced by the example of mitotic Ran gradient studies, the computational simulations are a powerful tool to test new hypotheses on biological function.
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Physical properties of the plasma membrane studied by local probe techniques
Im Rahmen dieser Arbeit wurden physikalische Meßmethoden entwickelt, um die Struktur und Dynamik der Plasmamembran lebender Säugetierzellen zu untersuchen. Dabei lag der Schwerpunkt zum einem auf der mechanischen Kopplung der Membranlipidschicht zu dem darunter liegenden, unterstützend wirkenden Zyt... [more] Im Rahmen dieser Arbeit wurden physikalische Meßmethoden entwickelt, um die Struktur und Dynamik der Plasmamembran lebender Säugetierzellen zu untersuchen. Dabei lag der Schwerpunkt zum einem auf der mechanischen Kopplung der Membranlipidschicht zu dem darunter liegenden, unterstützend wirkenden Zytoskelett, und zum anderen auf der Beweglichkeit einzelner Membrankomponenten innnerhalb der Membranlipidschicht. Ausgangspunkte für die Entwicklung neuer Methoden waren die Rasterkraftmikroskopie (RKM) und ´single-particle tracking’ (SPT). Die RKMermöglicht die Abbildung von Ober‡ächen mit hoher Au‡ösung in physiologischer Umgebung, so lange die Wechselwirkungskräfte die Probenober‡äche nicht zu sehr deformieren. SPT ist eine Technik, um die Bewegung von einzelnen Molekülen zu verfolgen. Dafür werden diese mit Polysteren-kügelchen oder kolloidem Gold markiert und mit Videomikroskopie beobachtet. Auf diesen Techniken aufbauend wurden folgende Verfahren und Geräte für diese Arbeit entwickelt: Das Scanning-Photonic Force Microscope (SPFM) als Analogon zum RKM: In einer Laserfalle (einem mit einem Objektiv hoher Apperatur (100x, NA 1.3) fokussierten infraroten (IR) Laser) wird ein Fluorophor gefülltes Polysterenkügelchen (bead, r=0.1¹m) gefangen. Die Fluorophore des als Sonde verwendeten Kügelchens werden über einen Zwei-Photonen Prozeß durch den IR-Laser zur Fluoreszenz angeregt. Eine Auslenkung aus der Halteposition durch eine äußere Kraft führt zum Abfall der Fluoreszenz. Im SPFM wird die Sonde mit Hilfe des Lasers analog zum mechanischen Hebelarm im RKM über die Probe bewegt. Dabei wird wie beim RKM die Auslenkung und somit Kraft gemessen. Die wesentlichen Unterschiede sind die fehlende mechanische Verbindung zur Umwelt, die ein Abrastern beliebiger transparenter 3D-Strukturen ermöglicht, die extrem kleine Federkonstante des Sensors (0.1- 1¹N/m), welche daher besser an die Elastiztät von biologischen Objekten angepaßt ist, sowie die stark reduzierte viskose Dämpfung der kleineren Sonde, was schnelleres Messen ermöglicht. Das Photonic Force Microscope (PFM) ist die Weiterentwicklung des SPFM. Bei der verwendeten kleinen Federkonstante werden die thermischen Positions‡ uktuationen sehr groß. Daher wurde ein Detektor entwickelt, der Messung der Position der Sonde in der Falle in drei Dimensionen mit Nanometer Ortsau‡ösung und 50kHz-Bandbreite ermöglicht. Der Detektor basiert auf der Interferenz des an der Sonde vorwärts gestreuten Laserlichts mit dem ungestreuten Licht. Dieses Prinzip wurde zuvor nur für seitliche Auslenkungen entlang einer Achse verwendet und erstmals in dieser Arbeit drei dimensional angewandt. Die vollständige theoretische Beschriebung des Detektorsignals ist ebenfalls ein Novum. Im PFM werden mit diesem Detektor die thermischen 3D-Positions‡uktuationen einer durch den Laser in einem Volumen von 0.1*0.1*0.6¹m3 gehaltenen Sonde analysiert. Zusätzlich wirkende Potentiale und die Viskosität des umgebenden Mediums können gemessen werden.
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Photonic Force Microscope Based on Optical Tweezers and Two-Photon Excitation for Biological Applications
Journal of Structural Biology.
A new scanning probe microscope, the photonic force microscope (PFM), based on optical tweezers and two-photon absorption processes for biological applications is described. Optical tweezers are used to trap a fluorescent latex bead with a diameter of 200 nm in an aqueous solution in all three dimen... [more] A new scanning probe microscope, the photonic force microscope (PFM), based on optical tweezers and two-photon absorption processes for biological applications is described. Optical tweezers are used to trap a fluorescent latex bead with a diameter of 200 nm in an aqueous solution in all three dimensions. The fluorescent dye is chosen to fulfill the two-photon absorption criterion for the 1064-nm line of a Nd:YVO4laser. The intensity of the fluorescence emission is utilized as a very sensitive position sensor along the optical axis. Two-dimensional images are formed by laterally scanning the trapped latex bead across biological samples while recording the two-photon-induced fluorescence intensity. A scanning probe image of the outer surface of a small neurite from a cultured rat hippocampal neuron is shown, which is hardly visible under differential interference contrast microscopy. The lateral resolution is given by the bead diameter; the axial resolution is 40 nm. Under the experimental conditions the maximal imaging force applied by the probe is below 5 pN.
Following (2)
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Kok Hong Sean Lim
State University of New York at Buffalo -
Bruce E Cohen
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
