Characterizing biostructures and cellular events in 2D/3D [using wide-field and confocal optical sectioning microscopy

Abstract

Cellular structures are made up of a very interesting puzzle of components, whose changes in molecular distribution are believed to underlie a wide range of cellular functions. For example, the cell cycle of mammalian cells is characterised by a series of ordered biochemical events. The availability of several specific probes has led to a renewed interest in optical microscopy as a very powerful tool in cell and molecular biology. This has led to the development of methods for studying the relationship between the 3D structure of specific cellular constituents and the cell function. Within this framework, several methods have been developed and applied. In the authors' study, wide-field optical sectioning microscopy and confocal scanning laser microscopy have been utilised, demonstrating the feasibility of a 3D reconstruction of biostructures imaged by an optical microscope.