Chapter 2, Problem 14RQ

Summary Introduction

To review:

The tracking of intracellular molecules by super-resolution imaging.

Introduction:

Super-resolution imaging is the process by which intracellular molecules can be tracked live inside a living system especially a bacterial cell. The process of transport of macromolecules during intracellular events can be easily tracked with the help of specific dyes that can bind to target molecules. The properties of these dyes to absorb and emit light at different wavelengths in visible light can help track many intracellular events.

Super-resolution imaging combines the properties of fluorescent color absorbing dyes and emitting dyes to track live intracellular events like cell division, deoxyribose nucleic acid (DNA) replication. The dye binds to the target molecule and its movement is tracked by the fluorophore emission spectrum. This is based on peak position movements as light from each point appears as a narrow peak. There is an uncertainty of the exact peak position of ten percent yet the tracking of a single protein bound to a fluorophore could be obtained.

Another application of this method is the use of green and yellow fluorescent dye to track two key proteins par A and par C involved in bacterial transition between stalked and flagella cells. The movement of the fluorescence across the cell can be tracked because of the different colored dyes confirming the role of the two proteins in the process by live tracking. The emission of light is also not uniform in case fluorophore emits a light.