AI Article Synopsis
- Optical trapping can reveal details about the structural and kinetic properties of cell components but is challenging due to the small difference in refractive indices between target structures and cytoplasm.
- Researchers propose creating spherical organelles within the endoplasmic reticulum, filled with specially designed proteins, to serve as better targets for optical trapping.
- These engineered organelles have a high refractive index and larger size, making them easier to manipulate with optical trapping techniques compared to traditional probes like subcellular organelles or synthetic beads.
Article Abstract
Optical trapping supplies information on the structural, kinetic or rheological properties of inner constituents of the cell. However, the application of significant forces to intracellular objects is notoriously difficult due to a combination of factors, such as the small difference between the refractive indices of the target structures and the cytoplasm. Here we discuss the possibility of artificially inducing the formation of spherical organelles in the endoplasmic reticulum, which would contain densely packed engineered proteins, to be used as optimized targets for optical trapping experiments. The high index of refraction and large size of our organelles provide a firm grip for optical trapping and thereby allow us to exert large forces easily within safe irradiation limits. This has clear advantages over alternative probes, such as subcellular organelles or internalized synthetic beads.
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Source |
|---|---|
| http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4102344 | PMC |
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1364/BOE.5.001993 | DOI Listing |
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