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Light Microscopy Beyond the Wavelength Limit: Methods for Characterizing Cell Surface Membranes

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 July 2020

Michael Edidin ,
Anne K. Kenworthy  and
Levi Gheber
Michael Edidin
Affiliation:
Department of Biology, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD21218
Anne K. Kenworthy
Affiliation:
Department of Biology, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD21218
Levi Gheber
Affiliation:
Department of Biology, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD21218
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Extract

The cell surface mediates the flow of information and metabolites between a cell and its environment. We are interested in understanding the lateral organization of the surface, as part of our program in understanding its function. The model of lateral organization of cell surface membranes is evolving from one which emphasizes mobility and autonomy of membrane constituent molecules, to another which emphasizes the lateral concentration of membrane proteins and lipids into patches and membrane microdomains. Indirect evidence suggests that diameters of these patches and microdomains are often ≤ a wavelength of visible light, and so cannot be readily resolved by conventional light microscopy.

We have developed two complementary techniques for detecting patches and microdomains on the nm scale: image fluorescence resonance energy transfer, FRET, and near-field scanning optical microscopy, NSOM. The first of these techniques detects proximity of membrane proteins and lipids on a scale of a few nm in terms of the interactions of donor and acceptor fluorophores.

Type
Dynamics of Cellular Membrane Traffic
Information
Microscopy and Microanalysis , Volume 4 , Issue S2: Proceedings: Microscopy & Microanalysis '98, Microscopy Society of America 56th Annual Meeting, Microbeam Analysis Society 32nd Annual Meeting, Atlanta, Georgia July 12-16, 1998 , July 1998 , pp. 1018 - 1019
Copyright
Copyright © Microscopy Society of America

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References

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8. This research was supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health to M. Edidin.Google Scholar