Cells are crowded microenvironments filled with macromolecules undergoing constant phys- ical and chemical interactions. The physicochemical makeup of the cells aff）cts various cellular responses, determines cell-cel...Cells are crowded microenvironments filled with macromolecules undergoing constant phys- ical and chemical interactions. The physicochemical makeup of the cells aff）cts various cellular responses, determines cell-cell interactions and influences cell decisions. Chemical and physical properties diff）r between cells and within cells. Moreover, these properties are subject to dynamic changes in response to environmental signals, which often demand adjustments in the chemical or physical states of intracellular molecules. Indeed, cellular responses such as gene expression rely on the faithful relay of information from the outside to the inside of the cell, a process terrned signal transduction. The signal often traverses a complex path across subcellular spaces with variable physical chemistry, sometimes even influencing it. Understanding the molecular states of such signaling molecules and their intracellular environments is vital to our understanding of the cell. Exploring such intricate spaces is possible today largely because of experimental and theoretical tools. Here, we focus on one tool that is commonly used in chemical physics studies light. We summarize recent work which uses light to both visualize the cellular environment and also control intracel- lular processes along the axis of signal transduction. We highlight recent accomplishments in optical microscopy and optogenetics, an emerging experimental strategy which utilizes light to control the molecular processes in live cells. We believe that optogenetics lends un- precedented spatiotemporal precision to the manipulation of physicochemical properties in biological contexts. We hope to use this work to demonstrate new opportunities for chemical physicists who are interested in pursuing biological and biomedical questions.展开更多
In this paper, we mainly study the preparation of an optical biosensor based on porous silicon(PSi) Bragg mirror and its feasibility for biological detection. The quantum dot(QD) labeled biotin was pipetted onto strep...In this paper, we mainly study the preparation of an optical biosensor based on porous silicon(PSi) Bragg mirror and its feasibility for biological detection. The quantum dot(QD) labeled biotin was pipetted onto streptavidin functionalized PSi Bragg mirror samples, the affinity reaction between QD labeled biotin and streptavidin in PSi occurred, so the QDs were indirectly connected to the PSi. The fluorescence of QD enhanced the signal of biological reactions in PSi. The performance of the sensor is verified by detecting the fluorescence of the QD in PSi. Due to the fluorescence intensity of the QDs can be enhanced by PSi Bragg mirror, the sensitivity of the PSi optical biosensor will be improved.展开更多
基金supported by the School of Molecular Cell Biology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
文摘Cells are crowded microenvironments filled with macromolecules undergoing constant phys- ical and chemical interactions. The physicochemical makeup of the cells aff）cts various cellular responses, determines cell-cell interactions and influences cell decisions. Chemical and physical properties diff）r between cells and within cells. Moreover, these properties are subject to dynamic changes in response to environmental signals, which often demand adjustments in the chemical or physical states of intracellular molecules. Indeed, cellular responses such as gene expression rely on the faithful relay of information from the outside to the inside of the cell, a process terrned signal transduction. The signal often traverses a complex path across subcellular spaces with variable physical chemistry, sometimes even influencing it. Understanding the molecular states of such signaling molecules and their intracellular environments is vital to our understanding of the cell. Exploring such intricate spaces is possible today largely because of experimental and theoretical tools. Here, we focus on one tool that is commonly used in chemical physics studies light. We summarize recent work which uses light to both visualize the cellular environment and also control intracel- lular processes along the axis of signal transduction. We highlight recent accomplishments in optical microscopy and optogenetics, an emerging experimental strategy which utilizes light to control the molecular processes in live cells. We believe that optogenetics lends un- precedented spatiotemporal precision to the manipulation of physicochemical properties in biological contexts. We hope to use this work to demonstrate new opportunities for chemical physicists who are interested in pursuing biological and biomedical questions.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Nos.61575168 and 61665012)the Xinjiang Science and Technology Project(No.201412112)
文摘In this paper, we mainly study the preparation of an optical biosensor based on porous silicon(PSi) Bragg mirror and its feasibility for biological detection. The quantum dot(QD) labeled biotin was pipetted onto streptavidin functionalized PSi Bragg mirror samples, the affinity reaction between QD labeled biotin and streptavidin in PSi occurred, so the QDs were indirectly connected to the PSi. The fluorescence of QD enhanced the signal of biological reactions in PSi. The performance of the sensor is verified by detecting the fluorescence of the QD in PSi. Due to the fluorescence intensity of the QDs can be enhanced by PSi Bragg mirror, the sensitivity of the PSi optical biosensor will be improved.
