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Updated: Aug 15, 2026

Conducting Multiple Imaging Modes with One Fluorescence Microscope
Published on: October 28, 2018
Fluorescence resonance energy transfer detected by scanning near-field optical microscopy
A K Kirsch1, V Subramaniam, A Jenei
1Department of Molecular Biology, Max Planck Institute of Biophysical Chemistry, Göttingen, Germany.
Abstract:
Fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) between excited fluorescent donor and acceptor molecules occurs via the Förster mechanism over a range of 1-10 nm. Because of the strong (sixth power) distance dependence of the signal, FRET has been used to assess the proximity of molecules in biological systems. We used a scanning near-field optical microscope (SNOM) operated in the shared-aperture mode using uncoated glass fibre tips to detect FRET between dye molecules embedded in polyvinyl alcohol films and bound to cell surfaces. FRET was detected by selective photobleaching of donor and acceptor fluorophores. We also present preliminary results on pixel-by-pixel energy transfer efficiency measurements using SNOM.
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