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Applying Multiphoton Imaging to the Study of Membrane Dynamics in Living Cells
Author(s) -
White John G.,
Squirrell Jayne M.,
Eliceiri Kevin W.
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
traffic
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.677
H-Index - 130
eISSN - 1600-0854
pISSN - 1398-9219
DOI - 10.1034/j.1600-0854.2001.21105.x
Subject(s) - endomembrane system , live cell imaging , biology , membrane , dynamics (music) , optical sectioning , microscopy , biophysics , intracellular , cell membrane , microbiology and biotechnology , confocal microscopy , cell , vesicle , optics , biochemistry , physics , acoustics
The endomembrane system of a cell is a highly dynamic, ephemeral structure that is difficult to visualize. Reconstructions from sections of fixed material can provide high‐resolution information on intercellular membrane architecture, but such techniques are fraught with artifacts and are of little help in understanding the dynamics of intracellular membrane traffic. Recently, the availability of fluorescent membrane probes and the development of techniques for optically sectioning intact specimens have allowed glimpses of membrane dynamics to be visualized in living tissue. In this review we discuss the potential of a new optical sectioning technique, multiphoton imaging, for visualizing membrane dynamics in living cells. Multiphoton microscopy offers an unparalleled ability to obtain images from deep within specimens while minimizing the effects of phototoxicity.