Optogenetics: controlling cell function with light

Nature method's method of the year 2010 has been announced on an emerging method that is called Optogenetics. The combination of genetic and optical methods enabled scientists to explore biological processes with high temporal and cell-specific resolution. Not only neuroscience but also other cell/tissue related fields have now started to utilize optogenetics to open new landscapes for the study of biology.
Here is the video explaining the method of optogenetics:


Here you can reach to the news, articles and reviews on this promising method: MOY 2010, Nature Method

You may want to also visit the Stanford optogenetics resources

Finally, here are the recent articles on optogenetics:

(1) Global and local fMRI signals driven by neurons defined optogenetically by type and wiring, Nature 2010

(2) Optogenetics: Controlling the Brain with Light , Scientific American 2010

(3)Decoding the Brain with Light, Technology Review, 2009

(4)Optogenetics 3.0, Cell 2010

(5)Optogenetic interrogation of neural circuits: technology for probing mammalian brain structures, Nature Protocols 2010

Protein localization using electron and fluorescence nanoscopy

Molecular topography of a cell can be successfully monitored by combining powerful imaging techniques such as electron microscopy and fluorescence nanoscopy ( STED or PALM). Recently, Prof. Erik M Jorgensen and his colleagues described a correlative fluorescence electron microscopy technique to localize protein on specific organelles. Here organelles first are revealed by electron microscopy and proteins are monitored by fluorescence imaging. As a result of image correlation between these two imaging modalities, proteins can be localized with nanometer accuracy. The paper also demonstrates localization of histone proteins on mitochondria.

Here is the paper that was published in Nature Methods: "Protein localization in electron micrographs using fluorescence nanoscopy"

X-ray microscopy resolves three-dimensional cellular ultrastructures

Partially coherent object illumination allowed researchers to reconstruct the three-dimensional ultrastructures of cells such as the double nuclear membrane, nuclear pores, nuclear membrane channels, mitochondrial cristae and lysosomal inclusions. These results demonstrated visualization of structures at ~36-nm (Rayleigh) and ~70-nm (Fourier ring correlation) resolution.

Here is the paper that was reported in Nature Methods Journal: "Three-dimensional cellular ultrastructure resolved by X-ray microscopy"

Zero-cost diagnostics on papers

George Whitesides is a Chemistry professor at Harvard University, and his recent work seems to have the potential to change the way diagnostic medicine works. Dr. Whitesides and his team have recently developed a prototype “paper chip” that is capable of diagnosing multiple disease simply with the application of a blood drop.

Here is the talk given by Prof. Whitesides on paper diagnostics:



Here are the papers on paper diagnostics from the same research group:

Patterned Paper as a Platform for Inexpensive, Low-Volume, Portable Bioassays†, Angew Chem. 2007

Simple telemedicine for developing regions: camera phones and paper-based microfluidic devices for real-time, off-site diagnosis, Anal Chem, 2008

Three-dimensional microfluidic devices fabricated in layered paper and tape, PNAS, 2008

FLASH: A rapid method for prototyping paper-based microfluidic devices, Lab Chip, 2008

Understanding Wax Printing: A Simple Micropatterning Process for Paper-Based Microfluidics, Anal Chem, 2009

Paper-supported 3D cell culture for tissue-based bioassays, PNAS, 2009

Diagnostics for the Developing World: Microfluidic Paper-Based Analytical Devices, Anal Chem, 2009

Electrochemical sensing in paper-based microfluidic devices, Lab Chip, 2010

Programmable diagnostic devices made from paper and tape, Lab Chip, 2010

Paper‐Based ELISA, Angew Chem, 2010

And more and more publications over the last 3 years have been published by Prof. Whitesides' research group. Known with his contibutions to microfludics, Prof. Whitesides is opening up a field on paper based diagnositics...

High speed Atomic Force Microscopy unveils the steps of Myosin V

In Nature's October issue, the direct visualization of Myosin V motor proteins has been reported by using high-speed atomic force microscopy. The high-resolution movies not only provide corroborative ‘visual evidence’ for previously speculated or demonstrated molecular behaviours, including lever-arm swing, but also reveal more detailed behaviours of the molecules, leading to a comprehensive understanding of the motor mechanism.

Here is the recent report in Nature:
Video imaging of walking myosin V by high-speed atomic force microscopy
Noriyuki Kodera,Daisuke Yamamoto,Ryoki Ishikawa,Toshio Ando, Nature, 2010

Super-resolution Microscopy collection

Nature methods highlights the recent developments in the super-resolution imaging field. This collection of articles from several leaders in the field highlights the diversity of super-resolution microscopy techniques being developed and the principles that allow them to overcome this long-standing limitation.

Click here to see the collection, which is also sponsored by Nikon.

Here are the articles in the collection:

1- Primer: fluorescence imaging under the diffraction limit. D. Evanko. Nat. Methods 6, 19–20 (2009)

2- Microscopy and its focal switch. S.W. Hell. Nat. Methods 6, 24–32 (2009)

3- Putting super-resolution fluorescence microscopy to work. J. Lippincott-Schwartz & S. Manley. Nat. Methods 6, 21– 23 (2009)

4- Subdiffraction resolution in continuous samples. R. Heintzmann & M.G.L. Gustafsson. Nat. Photonics 3, 362–364 (2009)

5- Single-molecule mountains yield nanoscale cell images. W.E. Moerner. Nat. Methods 3, 781–782 (2006)

6- Live-cell photoactivated localization microscopy of nanoscale adhesion dynamics. H. Shroff et al. Nat. Methods 5, 417– 423 (2008)

7- Spherical nanosized focal spot unravels the interior of cells. R. Schmidt et al. Nat. Methods 5, 539–544 (2008)

8- Whole-cell 3D STORM reveals interactions between cellular structures with nanometer-scale resolution. B. Huang et al. Nat. Methods 5, 1047–1052 (2008)

9- Super-resolution video microscopy of live cells by structured illumination. P. Kner et al. Nat. Methods 6, 339– 342 (2009)

Label-Free Nonlinear Microscopy reveals Zebrafish Cell Cycling

Together with more explorations of intrinsic nonlinear properties of the biological samples, the nonlinear microscopy has become an extensively used tool to demonstrate morphological visualization of biological structures.

A recent report in Science August(20) issue achieves 3 dimensional reconstruction of early Zebrafish Embryos. In this study, researchers designed a framework for imaging and reconstruction unstained whole zebrafish embryos for their 10 cell division cycles and also they reported the measurements along the cell lineage with micrometer spatial resolution and minute temporal accuracy.

Click here to read more about this report:
Cell Lineage Reconstruction of Early Zebrafish Embryos Using Label-Free Nonlinear Microscopy
Nicolas Olivier, Miguel A. Luengo-Oroz, Louise Duloquin, Emmanuel Faure, Thierry Savy, Israël Veilleux, Xavier Solinas, Delphine Débarre, Paul Bourgine, Andrés Santos, Nadine Peyriéras, and Emmanuel Beaurepaire (20 August 2010)
Science 329 (5994), 967.