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Related Experiment Videos

Lighting up the cell surface with evanescent wave microscopy.

D Toomre1, D J Manstein

  • 1Max Planck Institute for Medical Research, Dept of Biophysics, Jahnstrasse 29, D-69120, Heidelberg, Germany. derek.toomre@mpimf-heidelberg.mpg.de

Trends in Cell Biology
|June 20, 2001
PubMed
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Evanescent wave microscopy, or total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy (TIR-FM), reveals cellular processes near the plasma membrane. Recent advances and green-fluorescent protein (GFP) have boosted its use for observing membrane fusion and molecular movement.

Area of Science:

  • Cell Biology
  • Microscopy Techniques
  • Biophysics

Background:

  • Evanescent wave microscopy, also known as total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy (TIR-FM), is crucial for studying cellular events at the plasma membrane.
  • It allows direct observation of dynamic processes like synaptic vesicle fusion and single-molecule tracking during signal transduction.
  • The technique's popularity has grown due to advancements like green-fluorescent protein (GFP) and improved instrumentation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • This review focuses on recent technical developments in TIR-FM.
  • It also highlights the latest applications of this powerful microscopy technique.

Main Methods:

  • The review discusses advancements in evanescent wave microscopy instrumentation.
  • It covers the use of fluorescent markers, particularly green-fluorescent protein (GFP).

Related Experiment Videos

  • Applications reviewed include observing membrane dynamics and molecular events near the cell surface.

    • Main Results:

    • TIR-FM enables high-resolution visualization of cellular processes occurring in the immediate vicinity of the plasma membrane.
    • The integration of GFP has significantly enhanced the capabilities and accessibility of TIR-FM.
    • New technical developments have expanded the scope of biological questions addressable by TIR-FM.

    Conclusions:

    • Evanescent wave microscopy is a vital tool for understanding membrane-proximal cellular functions.
    • Continued technical innovation is driving new applications and insights in cell biology.
    • TIR-FM, especially with GFP, offers unprecedented views into dynamic cellular events.