The self-orientation of mammalian cells in optical tweezers-the importance of the nucleus

Nicolas M.B. Perney, Peter Horak, Neil A. Hanley, Tracy Melvin*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

6 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Here we present the first evidence showing that eukaryotic cells can be stably trapped in a single focused Gaussian beam with an orientation that is defined by the nucleus. A mammalian eukaryotic cell (in suspension) is trapped and is re-oriented in the focus of a linearly polarized Gaussian beam with a waist of dimension smaller than the radius of the nucleus. The cell reaches a position relative to the focus that is dictated by the nucleus and nuclear components. Our studies illustrate that the force exerted by the optical tweezers at locations within the cell can be predicted theoretically; the data obtained in this way is consistent with the experimental observations.

Original languageEnglish
Article number024001
JournalPhysical biology
Volume9
Issue number2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Apr 2012

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Biophysics
  • Structural Biology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Cell Biology

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