430 マイクロスコープ(光学顕微鏡)でナノメーターオーダーの試料をとらえる

Abstract

To understand mechanism of neuronal elongation, we have visualized dynamics of cytoskeletal filaments in elongating tip of neuron with a computer-controlled polarized light microscopy and other methods. By showing these images, we will summarize our imaging technique that visualize cytoskeletal structures of sub-nm order in living cells. Thin protein filaments (several tens nm in diameter) have been imaged with different microscopes, including Pol-Scope (Oldenbourg, 1999), video-enhanced differential interference contrast (VEDIC) microscope, phase contrast microscope, and fluorescence microscope. Thickness of optical section of our microscope have been described as z-series of images of colloidal particle (Z-step interval : 50nm) and of growth cones (Z-step interval : 100nm). Finally, we will conclude possibility of optical microscope for measurement of sub-nm order.