Biophys J. 2011 Jan 19;100(2):L8-10. doi: 10.1016/j.bpj.2010.12.3690.
Characterization of molecular dynamics on living cell membranes at the nanoscale is fundamental to unravel the mechanisms of membrane organization and compartmentalization. Here we demonstrate the feasibility of fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS) based on the nanometric illumination of near-field scanning optical microscopy (NSOM) probes on intact living cells. NSOM-FCS applied to fluorescent lipid analogs allowed us to reveal details of the diffusion hidden by larger illumination areas. Moreover, the technique offers the unique advantages of evanescent axial illumination and straightforward implementation of multiple color excitation. As such, NSOM-FCS represents a powerful tool to study a variety of dynamic processes occurring at the nanometer scale on cell membranes.
在纳米尺度上对活细胞膜上的分子动力学进行特征描述,对于揭示膜组织和区隔化的机制至关重要。在这里,我们展示了基于近场扫描光学显微镜 (NSOM) 探针在完整活细胞上的纳米级照明的荧光相关光谱 (FCS) 的可行性。应用于荧光脂质类似物的 NSOM-FCS 使我们能够揭示更大照明区域所隐藏的扩散细节。此外,该技术还具有消逝场轴向照明的独特优势和多色激发的直接实现。因此,NSOM-FCS 是研究细胞膜上纳米尺度上发生的各种动态过程的有力工具。