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Updated: Jun 2, 2026
06:32
A Thermoplasmonic Approach for Investigating Plasma Membrane Repair in Living Cells and Model Membranes
Published on: January 19, 2024
Transient Plasmonic Photothermal Imaging Deciphers Dynamic Thermal Transfer during the Cell Cycle
He Gao1,2, Pei Song1,3, Jing-Ru Wang1
1State Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Life Science, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, 163 Xianlin Road, Nanjing 210023, China.
Chemical & Biomedical Imaging
|June 1, 2026
Summary
Cells dynamically regulate internal heat distribution throughout the cell cycle, maintaining a stable thermodynamic environment crucial for metabolic activities and cell division. This thermal adaptability ensures cellular robustness.
Area of Science:
- Cellular biology
- Thermodynamics
- Biophysics
Background:
- A stable thermodynamic environment is essential for cellular functions, particularly during cell division.
- Maintaining a balance between heat generation and dissipation is critical for life-sustaining processes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To measure thermal conductivity within single cells.
- To investigate dynamic thermal regulation during the cell cycle.
- To understand cellular adaptation and heat balance for robustness.
Main Methods:
- Transient plasmonic photothermal microscopy.
- Fluorescence-image-based cell cycle analysis.
- Single-cell mass spectrometry for metabolomic analysis.
Main Results:
- Intracellular thermal conductivity is heterogeneous, with low values observed in the perinuclear region.
- Cellular thermal conductivity dynamically adjusts with energy metabolism across the cell cycle.
- Metabolomic analysis identified relevant pathways linked to thermal regulation.
Conclusions:
- Cells exhibit dynamic thermal regulation to maintain thermodynamic robustness.
- Internal heat balance is actively managed to ensure cellular adaptability.
- These findings offer insights into cellular strategies for thermal homeostasis.
