Biophysicists from Utrecht University have developed a strategy for using light-emitting nanocrystals as a marker in living cells. By recording the movements of these quantum dots, they can clarify the structure and dynamics of the cytoskeleton. Their findings were published on 21 March in Nature Communications.
The quantum dots used by the researchers are particles of semi-conducting material just a few nanometres wide, and are the subject of great interest because of their potential for use in photovoltaic cells or computers. “The great thing about these particles is that they absorb light and emit it in a different colour,” explains research leader Lukas Kapitein. “We use that characteristic to follow their movements through the cell with a microscope.”…
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Anna Akhmanova:
Cellular Dynamics
Lukas Kapitein: Biophysics
Florian Berger:
Theoretical Biophysics
Agathe Chaigne:
Cell division dynamics
Ginny Farías:
Neuronal Organelle Dynamics
Martin Harterink:
C. elegans neurobiology
Casper Hoogenraad: Molecular Neuroscience
Maarten Kole:
Axonal Signalling
Harold MacGillavry:
Synapse organization
Sabrina Oliveira:
Molecular Targeted Therapies
Ihor Smal: Image Analysis, Smart Microscopy and AI
Frederik Verweij:
Extracellular Vesicle Biology