Optical complexities of living cytoplasm--implications for live cell imaging and photo-micromanipulation techniques

The ability to manipulate the intracellular environment within living cells and to monitor the cytosolic chemical changes which occur during cell stimulation has lead to major advances in our understanding of how cells read and respond to their environment. Perhaps the most powerful suite of techniques for achieving these dual objectives is based on the use of light (photons). Because cells are 'transparent', light has been used to both interrogate and manipulate the chemistry inside living cells, exploiting technical advances in both the physical and biochemical sciences. However, cells are neither transparent nor homogeneous with respect to their optical properties. The interface between light and the living cell cytoplasm thus represent an important, yet largely ignored, interface. There has been no review of the optical properties of cytoplasm and little discussion about how the optical properties of living cytoplasm influence the outcome of such measurements and manipulations. In this short review, we discuss the importance of understanding the optical properties of cytoplasm for such techniques and how imperfections in experimental interpretation can arise.