Label-free, high-throughput measurements of dynamic changes in cell nuclei using angle-resolved low coherence...

Area of Science:

• Biophysics
• Cell Biology
• Optical Engineering

Background:

• Accurate measurement of nuclear deformation is crucial for understanding signal transduction.
• Traditional methods (labeling, imaging, image analysis) are time-consuming, invasive, and perturb cellular systems.
• Light scattering techniques offer a noninvasive alternative for probing cellular physical characteristics.

Purpose of the Study:

• To apply angle-resolved low-coherence interferometry (a/LCI) for the first time to noninvasively measure nuclear morphological changes in response to environmental stimuli.
• To demonstrate high-throughput measurements and the capability to probe aspherical nuclei using a/LCI.
• To showcase the versatility of a/LCI in cell and tissue engineering research models.

Main Methods:

• Utilized angle-resolved low-coherence interferometry (a/LCI), a light scattering technique, for nuclear morphology quantification.
• Applied a/LCI to living cells subjected to environmental stimuli like substrate topography and osmotic pressure.
• Performed high-throughput measurements without cell disruption or introduction of artifacts.

Main Results:

• Successfully measured subtle structural changes in cell nuclei due to environmental stimuli noninvasively.
• Achieved accuracy of >= 3% for a range of nuclear geometries, with minor deviations for complex shapes.
• Demonstrated rapid profiling of nuclear structural changes, suitable for high-throughput applications.

Conclusions:

• a/LCI is a versatile, noninvasive technique for rapidly measuring nuclear deformation in response to environmental cues.
• This approach broadens the application of a/LCI in cell and tissue engineering, enabling functional morphology studies.
• The high-throughput capability and accuracy make a/LCI suitable for biological applications linking morphology and function.