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 Concept Videos

Super-resolution Fluorescence Microscopy01:37

Super-resolution Fluorescence Microscopy

Super-resolution fluorescence microscopy (SRFM) provides a better resolution than conventional fluorescence microscopy by reducing the point spread function (PSF). PSF is the light intensity distribution from a point that causes it to appear blurred. Due to PSF, each fluorescing point appears bigger than its actual size, and it is the PSF interference of nearby fluorophores that causes the blurred image. Various approaches to achieving higher resolution through SRFM have recently been developed.
Protein Dynamics in Living Cells01:19

Protein Dynamics in Living Cells

Different fluorescence-based techniques are used to study the protein dynamics in living cells. These techniques include FRAP, FRET, and PET.
Fluorescent recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) is a fluorescent-protein-based detection technique used to quantify protein movement rates within the cell. This method exposes a small portion of the cell to an intense laser beam. The laser beam causes permanent photobleaching of the fluorophore-tagged proteins in the exposed region. As the bleached...

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by
Same author

CD44 restricts EGFR mobility to polarize cytoskeletal signalling modules driving bleb-based migration.

Nature cell biology·2026
Same author

Neutrophil Migration: Using All the Tricks of Mesenchymal and Amoeboid Cells to Navigate Many Environments.

Cold Spring Harbor perspectives in biology·2026
Same author

Lamin B receptor upregulation in metastatic melanoma causes nuclear envelope fragility in confined migration during cancer invasion.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2026
Same author

CD44 and Ezrin restrict EGF receptor mobility to generate a novel spatial arrangement of cytoskeletal signaling modules driving bleb-based migration.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2025
Same author

Blebology: principles of bleb-based migration.

Trends in cell biology·2024
Same author

NLRP3 is essential for neutrophil polarization and chemotaxis in response to leukotriene B4 gradient.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2023
Same journal

Mechanisms underpinning chromosome structure in metazoans.

Molecular biology of the cell·2026
Same journal

Conserved and Divergent Modes of Substrate Interaction Define Selective Localizations and Functions of a Cdc14 Phosphatase.

Molecular biology of the cell·2026
Same journal

Dimerization of the centriolin-like protein Nud1 governs spindle pole body inheritance in budding yeast.

Molecular biology of the cell·2026
Same journal

Non-muscle Myosin II acts as a negative feedback mediator to control cell contraction dynamics in adherent cells.

Molecular biology of the cell·2026
Same journal

The tetraspanin disc proteins, peripherin-2 and ROM1, facilitate CNG channel localization to the rod outer segment.

Molecular biology of the cell·2026
Same journal

Csf1 facilitates adaptive membrane lipid remodeling linked to ER-plasma membrane contact sites.

Molecular biology of the cell·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 28, 2026

Live Cell Imaging of F-actin Dynamics via Fluorescent Speckle Microscopy (FSM)
19:16

Live Cell Imaging of F-actin Dynamics via Fluorescent Speckle Microscopy (FSM)

Published on: August 5, 2009

How we discovered fluorescent speckle microscopy.

E D Salmon1, Clare M Waterman

  • 1Department of Biology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA. tsalmon@email.unc.edu

Molecular Biology of the Cell
|November 1, 2011
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Fluorescent speckle microscopy (FSM) reveals dynamic cellular processes. Initially thought to be an artifact, speckles in microtubules actually show how tubulin dimers assemble, offering valuable insights into cell dynamics.

More Related Videos

Conducting Multiple Imaging Modes with One Fluorescence Microscope
08:32

Conducting Multiple Imaging Modes with One Fluorescence Microscope

Published on: October 28, 2018

Multicolor Fluorescence Detection for Droplet Microfluidics Using Optical Fibers
10:21

Multicolor Fluorescence Detection for Droplet Microfluidics Using Optical Fibers

Published on: May 5, 2016

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 28, 2026

Live Cell Imaging of F-actin Dynamics via Fluorescent Speckle Microscopy (FSM)
19:16

Live Cell Imaging of F-actin Dynamics via Fluorescent Speckle Microscopy (FSM)

Published on: August 5, 2009

Conducting Multiple Imaging Modes with One Fluorescence Microscope
08:32

Conducting Multiple Imaging Modes with One Fluorescence Microscope

Published on: October 28, 2018

Multicolor Fluorescence Detection for Droplet Microfluidics Using Optical Fibers
10:21

Multicolor Fluorescence Detection for Droplet Microfluidics Using Optical Fibers

Published on: May 5, 2016

Area of Science:

  • Cell Biology
  • Biophysics
  • Microscopy Techniques

Background:

  • Fluorescent speckle microscopy (FSM) is crucial for studying dynamic macromolecular assemblies in living cells.
  • Cytoskeletal filaments like microtubules and actin, and focal adhesions, are key cellular structures analyzed using FSM.
  • The method's discovery stemmed from observing unexpected fluorescence patterns in microtubules.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the origin and significance of the "speckled" appearance of microtubules observed under specific imaging conditions.
  • To determine if these speckles represent an artifact or provide meaningful biological information.
  • To establish FSM as a valuable tool for understanding cellular dynamics.

Main Methods:

  • Utilizing time-lapse recording of vertebrate epithelial cells.
  • Employing sensitive cooled charge-coupled detector cameras for high-resolution imaging.
  • Injecting varying concentrations of fluorescent tubulin into cells to observe microtubule dynamics.

Main Results:

  • Microtubules appeared as smooth threads at high fluorescent tubulin concentrations.
  • At unusually low fluorescent tubulin concentrations, microtubules exhibited a "speckled" appearance with variable intensity and spacing.
  • Experiments confirmed that these speckles reflect the stochastic association of tubulin dimers with microtubule ends.

Conclusions:

  • The "speckled" appearance in FSM is not an artifact but a direct indicator of microtubule assembly dynamics.
  • FSM provides a valuable method for visualizing and quantifying the stochastic dynamics of cytoskeletal components.
  • This serendipitous discovery significantly advanced the study of dynamic cellular processes.