Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 1, 2026

Combining Microfluidics and Microrheology to Determine Rheological Properties of Soft Matter during Repeated Phase Transitions
11:38

Combining Microfluidics and Microrheology to Determine Rheological Properties of Soft Matter during Repeated Phase Transitions

Published on: April 19, 2018

Macromolecular crowding and size effects on probe microviscosity.

Aron B Goins1, Hugo Sanabria, M Neal Waxham

  • 1Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, Texas 77030, USA.

Biophysical Journal
|September 16, 2008
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Multidomain Coupling Governs FoxP1 Assembly and Nuclear Compartmentalization.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026
Same author

Time heterogeneity of the Förster radius from dipole orientational dynamics impacts single-molecule Förster resonance energy transfer experiments.

Physical review research·2026
Same author

Chiral Polar Eu<sub>2</sub>(SeO<sub>3</sub>)<sub>2</sub>(SO<sub>4</sub>)(H<sub>2</sub>O)<sub>2</sub>: A Pathway Toward Narrow Optical Line Widths and Microsecond Lifetimes for Quantum Memory Candidates.

Journal of the American Chemical Society·2026
Same author

PP2A and CDK16 antagonistically regulate WIPI2B phosphorylation and neuronal autophagosome biogenesis.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026
Same author

Investigating the Cytoskeleton of DRGs Using Cryo-Electron Microscopy and Deep Learning.

Cytoskeleton (Hoboken, N.J.)·2026
Same author

Nanodomain formation in lipid bilayers II: The influence of mixed-chain saturated lipids.

Biochimica et biophysica acta. Biomembranes·2026

Mobile obstacles like dextran polymers significantly impact probe diffusion and microviscosity. This study quantifies how crowder size and density alter probe mobility, revealing insights into cellular environments.

Area of Science:

  • Biophysical Chemistry
  • Cellular Biophysics
  • Polymer Science

Background:

  • Understanding cellular microviscosity is crucial for biological processes.
  • Mobile obstacles in cellular environments affect molecular diffusion and dynamics.
  • Existing models require refinement to account for crowder size and density effects.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate how the excluded volume of dextran polymers of varying sizes impacts microviscosity.
  • To quantify the relationship between crowder concentration, crowder size, and probe diffusion.
  • To model the diffusion dynamics of a probe molecule in crowded solutions.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized multiphoton fluorescent correlation spectroscopy (FCS).
  • Employed calmodulin labeled with green fluorescent protein as the diffusing probe.

More Related Videos

Confocal Imaging of Confined Quiescent and Flowing Colloid-polymer Mixtures
10:56

Confocal Imaging of Confined Quiescent and Flowing Colloid-polymer Mixtures

Published on: May 20, 2014

Quantitative and Qualitative Examination of Particle-particle Interactions Using Colloidal Probe Nanoscopy
13:15

Quantitative and Qualitative Examination of Particle-particle Interactions Using Colloidal Probe Nanoscopy

Published on: July 18, 2014

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 1, 2026

Combining Microfluidics and Microrheology to Determine Rheological Properties of Soft Matter during Repeated Phase Transitions
11:38

Combining Microfluidics and Microrheology to Determine Rheological Properties of Soft Matter during Repeated Phase Transitions

Published on: April 19, 2018

Confocal Imaging of Confined Quiescent and Flowing Colloid-polymer Mixtures
10:56

Confocal Imaging of Confined Quiescent and Flowing Colloid-polymer Mixtures

Published on: May 20, 2014

Quantitative and Qualitative Examination of Particle-particle Interactions Using Colloidal Probe Nanoscopy
13:15

Quantitative and Qualitative Examination of Particle-particle Interactions Using Colloidal Probe Nanoscopy

Published on: July 18, 2014

  • Analyzed autocorrelation functions using a multiple-component model with maximum entropy method (MEMFCS).

    • Main Results:

    • Increased excluded volume from dextran polymers significantly slows probe mobility.
    • Probe mobility reduction follows a simple exponential relationship with crowder concentration.
    • Two distinct diffusion modes were identified: free diffusion and bulk viscosity-like diffusion.
    • At 10% crowder concentration, microviscosity was found to be approximately three times that of water.

    Conclusions:

    • Dextran polymer size composition influences the diffusion dynamics of probe molecules.
    • The study provides a quantitative model for microviscosity changes due to crowding.
    • The observed microviscosity at 10% crowder concentration mimics intracellular environments.