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Updated: Jul 19, 2026

Visualizing Diffusional Dynamics of Gold Nanorods on Cell Membrane using Single Nanoparticle Darkfield Microscopy
Published on: March 5, 2021
Single nanoparticle photothermal tracking (SNaPT) of 5-nm gold beads in live cells
David Lasne1, Gerhard A Blab, Stéphane Berciaud
1Centre de Physique Moléculaire Optique et Hertzienne, CNRS (UMR 5798) and Université Bordeaux 1, Talence Cedex, France.
Abstract:
Tracking individual nano-objects in live cells during arbitrary long times is a ubiquitous need in modern biology. We present here a method for tracking individual 5-nm gold nanoparticles on live cells. It relies on the photothermal effect and the detection of the Laser Induced Scattering around a NanoAbsorber (LISNA). The key point for recording trajectories at video rate is the use of a triangulation procedure. The effectiveness of the method is tested against single fluorescent molecule tracking in live COS7 cells on subsecond timescales. We further demonstrate recordings for several minutes of AMPA receptors trajectories on the plasma membrane of live neurons. Single Nanoparticle Photothermal Tracking has the unique potential to record arbitrary long trajectory of membrane proteins using nonfluorescent nanometer-sized labels.

