Due to the resolution limit of light microscopes, actin filament orientation in cells was previously accessible only with electron microscopes, but can now be imaged in live cells. Above, color-coded actin filament orientation is overlaid on an image of fluorescence intensity. The orientation corresponds to the color wheel at bottom left. The image was computed from these movies. Credit: Shalin Mehta and Tomomi Tani
WOODS HOLE – Scientists at the Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) and colleagues have unveiled a new microscope that can track the position and orientation of individual molecules in living cells—nanoscale measurements that until now have posed a significant challenge.
As reported in the Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences, the team’s “instantaneous fluorescence polarization” microscope offers new insights into how cells achieve directed functions or forces.
Understanding how cellular components work requires peering at a nanoscale—to the activity of billionth-of-a-meter-sized molecules that assemble to form the cell’s components and drive their functions.
The team used the microscope to address various biological questions in collaboration with other scientists at the MBL, including Amy Gladfelter of University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and Clare Waterman of the National Institutes of Health.
The MBL is dedicated to scientific discovery – exploring fundamental biology, understanding biodiversity and the environment, and informing the human condition through research and education.
Founded in Woods Hole in 1888, the MBL is a private, nonprofit institution and an affiliate of the University of Chicago.
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