Fluorescence
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Proline Metabolism is Essential for Trypanosoma brucei brucei Survival in the Tsetse Vector
Bloodsucking insects play a major role in the transmission of pathogens that cause major tropical diseases. Their capacity to transmit these diseases is directly associated with the availability and turnover of energy sources. Proline is the main readily-mobilizable fuel of the tsetse fly, which is…Read article -
Which Sensor is the Best for Confocal Imaging?
The Hybrid Photodetectors (HyD) are! Why that is the case is explained in this short Science Lab article.Read article -
Chemical Basis for Alteration of an Intraocular Lens Using a Femtosecond Laser
The chemical basis for the alteration of the refractive properties of an intraocular lens with a femtosecond laser was investigated. Three different microscope setups have been used for the study: Laser Induced Fluorescence (LIF) microscopy, Raman microscopy and coherent anti-Stokes Raman Scattering…Read article -
The Fundamentals and History of Fluorescence and Quantum Dots
At some point in your research and science career, you will no doubt come across fluorescence microscopy. This ubiquitous technique has transformed the way in which microscopists can image, tag and trace anything from whole organisms to single proteins and beyond. In this article, we will examine…Read article -
Introduction to Widefield Microscopy
One of the most basic microscopy techniques is known as ‘Widefield Microscopy’. It is fundamentally any technique in which the entire specimen of interest is exposed to the light source with the resulting image being viewed either by the observer or a camera (which can also be attached to a computer…Read article -
What is Photomanipulation?
The term photomanipulation describes a wide range of techniques that enable the microscopist the transition from passive observer to instigator of events by offering a way of interacting with their sample via targeted illumination. Typically researchers are trying to observe specific processes of…Read article -
Photoactivatable, photoconvertible, and photoswitchable Fluorescent Proteins
Fluorescent proteins (FPs) such as GFP, YFP or DsRed are powerful tools to visualize cellular components in living cells. Nevertheless, there are circumstances when classical FPs reach their limits. Watching dedicated, spatially limited protein populations of a certain protein of interest is…Read article -
Work Efficiently in Developmental Biology and Medical Research with Stereo Microscopy: Rodent and Small Animal Surgery
This report provides information which can help improve the routine work of scientists and technicians performing studies involving surgery on small animals and rodents, i.e. mice, rats, hamsters etc., for developmental biology or medical research. The aim is to help make the work steps efficient…Read article -
TIRF Publication List
This monthly updated references list presents current papers using Leica AM TIRF in the major application fields for TIRF microscopy.Read article -
Multispectral Phloem-Mobile Probes: Properties and Applications
Using Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) seedlings, we identified a range of small fluorescent probes that entered the translocation stream and were unloaded at the root tip. These probes had absorbance/emission maxima ranging from 367/454 to 546/576 nm and represent a versatile toolbox for studying…Read article -
Practical Guide for Excellent GSDIM Super-Resolution Images
Do you know that most protists and bacteria lack in one feature that each of our body cell has? Our cells are touch and communicate with one another. They send and receive a variety of signals that coordinate their behavior to act together as a functional multicellular organism. Exploring the way of…Read article -
Work More Efficiently In Developmental Biology With Stereo Microscopy: Fruit Flies (Drosophila Melanogaster)
For scientists and technicians working with fruit flies, most often genus Drosophila, this report is intended to give useful information to help improve daily laboratory work by making the steps of fly pushing, fluorescent screening, dissection, and documentation/imaging more efficient. It also…Read article -
Measuring the 3D STED-PSF with a new Type of Fluorescent Beads
A new type of fluorescent bead is presented by GATTAquant. These beads, called GATTA-Beads, are characterized by a small diameter (23 nm), high intensity and size uniformity. In combination with state-of the-art STED microscopes such as the Leica TCS SP8 STED 3X and high-end image restoration…Read article -
Work Efficiently in Developmental Biology with Stereo and Confocal Microscopy: C. elegans
For scientists, technicians, and teachers working with the worm C. elegans in the research lab or classroom, this report is intended to give useful information to help improve their daly work. The aim is to make the work steps of worm picking, transgenesis, RNA interference, screening, and…Read article -
Video Talk by Roger Tsien: Fluorescent Protein Indicators
In this talk, Roger Tsien discusses how fluorescent proteins have been turned into indicators for a wide variety of biological molecules, including pH, ions, redox potential, and signaling molecules like phosphoinositides. The talk also covers reporters used to measure the activity of enzymes like…Read article -
Highly Selective Fluorescent and Colorimetric Probe for Live-cell Monitoring of Sulphide Based on Bioorthogonal Reaction
H2S is the third endogenously generated gaseous signaling compound and has also been known to involve a variety of physiological processes. To better understand its physiological and pathological functions, efficient methods for monitoring of H2S are desired. Azide fluorogenic probes are popular…Read article -
Introduction to Digital Camera Technology
A significant majority of modern optical microscopy techniques require the use of a digital camera. By working with digital devices researchers can observe specimens on a screen in real time or acquire and store images and quantifiable data. Here we introduce the basic principles behind digital…Read article -
FRAP with TCS SP8 Resonant Scanner
Fast FRAP experiments need a sufficient number of measurement points for meaningful interpretation and fitting analysis. To study very fast translocational processes, the use of a resonant scanner (RS) is preferred. The advantage in using FRAP with the RS is that statistics are much better in…Read article -
Video Talk by Roger Tsien: Fluorescent Proteins
Live cell imaging has been revolutionized by the discovery of the green fluorescent protein (GFP). This lecture covers the history of GFP, how it folds and becomes fluorescent, how it has been mutated to produce additional colors (blue, cyan, yellow), and the discovery of red fluorescent proteins…Read article -
How to Measure FRET
Here, I will expand, including what to measure when doing FRET. There are a number of approaches to FRET quantification: 1. Sensitized Emission – This two-channel imaging technique uses an algorithm that corrects for excitation and emission crosstalk.Read article -
You May Not Know Theodor Förster but You Know His Work: FRET
If you think FRET stands for Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer, you are wrong … in good company but wrong. FRET actually stands for Förster Resonance Energy Transfer. Find out why and more about FRET in this article.Read article -
How to Prepare Your Specimen for Immunofluorescence Microscopy
Immunofluorescence (IF) is a powerful method for visualizing intracellular processes, conditions and structures. IF preparations can be analyzed by various microscopy techniques (e.g. CLSM, Epifluorescence, TIRF, GSDIM), depending on the application or the researcher’s interest. Meanwhile, IF has…Read article -
Video Talk by Daniel Axelrod: Total Internal Reflection Fluorescence (TIRF) Microscopy
Total Internal Reflection Fluorescence (TIRF) Microscopy is a technique that only illuminates dye molecules near a surface. In this video, the pioneer of TIRF Microscopy describes what this technique is used for, explains the principles of the evanescent wave, gives many examples of different…Read article -
A Bright Dye for Live-Cell STED Microscopy
The aim of cell biology is to study smallest details on a cellular level preferably in a live cell experiment. By providing fast and direct super-resolution, STED (Stimulated Emission Depletion) microscopy is the perfect tool for studying cellular details in the nanometer range in vivo.Read article -
Nature Methods: Light-sheet Fluorescence Microscopy - Method of the Year 2014
Just about everyone who has examined fluorescent samples under the microscope is aware of the constant struggle to have enough signal to see the labeled structures while also avoiding fluorophore bleaching. What may be less apparent, at least to those who image bright, robust or fixed samples, is…Read article -
Influencing Factors and Applicability of the Viability EMA-qPCR for a Detection and Quantification of Campylobacter Cells from Water Samples
In recent years, increasing numbers of human campylobacteriosis cases caused by contaminated water have been reported. As the culture-based detection of Campylobacter is time consuming and can yield false-negative results, the suitability of a quantitative real-time PCR method in combination with an…Read article -
How to Choose the Right Confocal Microscope for Your Lab?
Confocal microscopy has come a very long way since its invention more than a half-century ago. Today, with novel technology driven by leading imaging companies, it has become the standard for fluorescence microscopy. Choosing the right confocal microscope for your specific research requires the…Read article -
Super-Resolution Microscopy – Get Your Free e-Book for Download
Until recently, the diffraction of light had placed a fundamental limit on how far biologists could peer into cells with optical microscopes, preventing them from resolving features less than 250 nm in size, missing critical structures within cells. Over the past 20 years scientists have developed…Read article -
Analysis of Autofluorescence in Polymorphonuclear Neutrophils: A New Tool for Early Infection Diagnosis
Diagnosing bacterial infection (BI) remains a challenge for the attending physician. An ex vivo infection model based on human fixed polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNs) gives an autofluorescence signal that differs significantly between stimulated and unstimulated cells. We took advantage of this…Read article -
Video Interview with Stefan Hell, the Inventor of Super-Resolution
Professor Stefan Hell is director at the Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry and head of the department of NanoBiophotonics in Goettingen and widely considered as the father of super-resolution. His inventions of 4Pi and STED microscopy were turned into the first commercial…Read article