School of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore.
School of Optical-Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, Shanghai, China.
Nat Commun. 2024 Aug 26;15(1):7332. doi: 10.1038/s41467-024-51574-5.
The nucleolus, a recognized biomolecular condensate, serves as the hub for ribosome biogenesis within the cell nucleus. Its quantity and morphology are discernible indicators of cellular functional states. However, precise identification and quantification of nucleoli remain challenging without specific labeling, particularly for suspended cells, tissue-level analysis and high-throughput applications. Here we introduce a single-cell laser emitting cytometry (SLEC) for label-free nucleolus differentiation through light-matter interactions within a Fabry-Perot resonator. The separated gain medium enhances the threshold difference by 36-fold between nucleolus and its surroundings, enabling selective laser emissions at nucleolar area while maintaining lower-order mode. The laser emission image provides insights into structural inhomogeneity, temporal fluid-like dynamics, and pathological application. Lasing spectral fingerprint depicts the quantity and size of nucleoli within a single cell, showcasing the label-free flow cytometry for nucleolus. This approach holds promise for nucleolus-guided cell screening and drug evaluation, advancing the study of diseases such as cancer and neurodegenerative disorders.
核仁是一种公认的生物分子凝聚物，作为细胞核内核糖体生物发生的中心。它的数量和形态是细胞功能状态的明显指标。然而，如果没有特定的标记，特别是对于悬浮细胞、组织水平分析和高通量应用，核仁的精确识别和定量仍然具有挑战性。在这里，我们介绍了一种单细胞激光发射细胞术 (SLEC)，它通过 Fabry-Perot 谐振器内的光物质相互作用实现无标记核仁区分。分离的增益介质将核仁与其周围环境之间的阈值差异提高了 36 倍，从而能够在核仁区域选择性地发射激光，同时保持较低阶模式。激光发射图像提供了关于结构非均匀性、时间类流动力学和病理应用的深入了解。激光发射光谱指纹描绘了单个细胞内核仁的数量和大小，展示了用于核仁的无标记流式细胞术。这种方法有望用于核仁引导的细胞筛选和药物评估，推进癌症和神经退行性疾病等疾病的研究。
