Accurate to the protein
A new fluorescent microscope studies the cell in even more detail
Ksenia Murasheva, Naked Science
The device takes fast and accurate pictures of protein-protein interactions in the cell. To see the movements of the necessary cellular components, scientists use the method of fluorescent labeling of proteins.
According to a press release published on EurekAlert!, at the University of Exeter, a new microscope has appeared that allows you to see cellular processes in even more detail. The device quickly and accurately determines the number of fluorescent proteins in the cell. The new installation is called TCS SP8 FALCON and is made by the manufacturer Leica Microsystems.
Fluorescence in biological research makes it possible to visualize many cellular processes. The essence of one of the methods is to combine the gene of the green fluorescent protein (ZFB) obtained from the jellyfish Aequorea victoria with the gene encoding the protein that needs to be studied. The result is a hybrid protein that both fluoresces and performs its functions in the cell. It becomes easier for scientists to monitor the movements of cell structural elements made up of such proteins using a fluorescent microscope.
The latest development of specialists from Leica Microsystems is, in fact, an addition to the university system of microscopes and can scan samples ten times faster than old devices. The microscope uses two new methods of rapid imaging of fluorescent objects and fluorescence correlation spectroscopy. These methods help to accurately determine the number of fluorescent proteins in a specific area of the cell and photograph them.
The speed and ease of data collection of the new microscope will allow scientists to study the molecular interaction, the conditions of the intracellular environment of certain areas of the cell in which there are many proteins.
A danio-rerio fish cell that propagates fluorescent signaling molecules through filopodia / ©University of Exeter
Thanks to the new system, researchers will be able to make dynamic maps of protein-protein interactions inside a living cell. These physical contacts between proteins are the basis of cellular processes such as transcription, that is, the transfer of genetic material from DNA to RNA, replication – DNA molecule doubling, signal transmission, and others. Accordingly, violations of protein-protein interactions can cause the development of many diseases, including Alzheimer's and cancer. A complete understanding of the fundamental principles of molecular interactions in the cell is the key to developing a possible treatment for these diseases.
In 2014, the Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to the creators of high-resolution fluorescence microscopy. Since then, her methods have been constantly improving. Last spring, scientists were able to obtain for the first time a detailed video recording of organelle interactions inside a living cell.
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