Enhancing the generating and collecting efficiency of single particle upconverting luminescence at low power excitation

Nanophotonics ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (7) ◽  
pp. 1993-2000 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chenshuo Ma ◽  
Chunyan Shan ◽  
Kevin Park ◽  
Aaron T. Mok ◽  
Paul J. Antonick ◽  
...  

AbstractUpconverting luminescent nanoparticles are photostable, nonblinking, and low chemically toxic fluorophores that are emerging as promising fluorescent probes at the single molecule level. High luminescence intensity upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) have previously been achieved by doping with high amounts of rare-earth ions using high excitation power (>2.5 MW/cm2). However, such particles are inadequate for in vitro live-cell imaging and single-particle tracking, as high excitation power can cause photodamage. Here, we compared UCNP luminescence intensities with different dopant concentrations and presented more efficient (about seven times) UCNPs at low excitation power by increasing the concentrations of Yb3+ and Tm3+ dopants (NaYF4: 60% Yb3+, 8% Tm3+) and adding a core-shell structure.

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chenshuo Ma ◽  
Chunyan Shan ◽  
Kevin Park ◽  
Aaron T. Mok ◽  
Xusan Yang

AbstractUpconverting luminescent nanoparticles are photostable, non-blinking, and low chemically toxic fluorophores that are emerging as promising fluorescent probe at single-molecule level. High luminescence intensity upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) is achieved with highly doped rare-earth ions co-doped (20% Yb3+) using high excitation power (>2.5 MW/cm2). However, such particles are inadequate for in-vitro live-cell imaging and single-particle tracking since high excitation power can cause photodamage. Here, we compared UCNPs luminescence intensities with different dopants concentrations and presented a more efficient (∼7x) UCNPs at low excitation power by increasing the concentrations of Yb3+ and Tm3+ dopants (NaYF4: 60% Yb3+, 8% Tm3+) and adding a core-shell structure.


2020 ◽  
Vol 117 (35) ◽  
pp. 21328-21335
Author(s):  
Zhijie Chen ◽  
Alan Shaw ◽  
Hugh Wilson ◽  
Maxime Woringer ◽  
Xavier Darzacq ◽  
...  

Theoretical and experimental observations that catalysis enhances the diffusion of enzymes have generated exciting implications about nanoscale energy flow, molecular chemotaxis, and self-powered nanomachines. However, contradictory claims on the origin, magnitude, and consequence of this phenomenon continue to arise. To date, experimental observations of catalysis-enhanced enzyme diffusion have relied almost exclusively on fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS), a technique that provides only indirect, ensemble-averaged measurements of diffusion behavior. Here, using an anti-Brownian electrokinetic (ABEL) trap and in-solution single-particle tracking, we show that catalysis does not increase the diffusion of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) at the single-molecule level, in sharp contrast to the ∼20% enhancement seen in parallel FCS experiments usingp-nitrophenyl phosphate (pNPP) as substrate. Combining comprehensive FCS controls, ABEL trap, surface-based single-molecule fluorescence, and Monte Carlo simulations, we establish thatpNPP-induced dye blinking at the ∼10-ms timescale is responsible for the apparent diffusion enhancement seen in FCS. Our observations urge a crucial revisit of various experimental findings and theoretical models––including those of our own––in the field, and indicate that in-solution single-particle tracking and ABEL trap are more reliable means to investigate diffusion phenomena at the nanoscale.


2016 ◽  
Vol 3 (5) ◽  
pp. 160225 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rhodri S. Wilson ◽  
Lei Yang ◽  
Alison Dun ◽  
Annya M. Smyth ◽  
Rory R. Duncan ◽  
...  

Recent advances in optical microscopy have enabled the acquisition of very large datasets from living cells with unprecedented spatial and temporal resolutions. Our ability to process these datasets now plays an essential role in order to understand many biological processes. In this paper, we present an automated particle detection algorithm capable of operating in low signal-to-noise fluorescence microscopy environments and handling large datasets. When combined with our particle linking framework, it can provide hitherto intractable quantitative measurements describing the dynamics of large cohorts of cellular components from organelles to single molecules. We begin with validating the performance of our method on synthetic image data, and then extend the validation to include experiment images with ground truth. Finally, we apply the algorithm to two single-particle-tracking photo-activated localization microscopy biological datasets, acquired from living primary cells with very high temporal rates. Our analysis of the dynamics of very large cohorts of 10 000 s of membrane-associated protein molecules show that they behave as if caged in nanodomains. We show that the robustness and efficiency of our method provides a tool for the examination of single-molecule behaviour with unprecedented spatial detail and high acquisition rates.


Molecules ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 24 (15) ◽  
pp. 2826 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shangguo Hou ◽  
Courtney Johnson ◽  
Kevin Welsher

Single molecule fluorescence spectroscopy has been largely implemented using methods which require tethering of molecules to a substrate in order to make high temporal resolution measurements. However, the act of tethering a molecule requires that the molecule be removed from its environment. This is especially perturbative when measuring biomolecules such as enzymes, which may rely on the non-equilibrium and crowded cellular environment for normal function. A method which may be able to un-tether single molecule fluorescence spectroscopy is real-time 3D single particle tracking (RT-3D-SPT). RT-3D-SPT uses active feedback to effectively lock-on to freely diffusing particles so they can be measured continuously with up to photon-limited temporal resolution over large axial ranges. This review gives an overview of the various active feedback 3D single particle tracking methods, highlighting specialized detection and excitation schemes which enable high-speed real-time tracking. Furthermore, the combination of these active feedback methods with simultaneous live-cell imaging is discussed. Finally, the successes in real-time 3D single molecule tracking (RT-3D-SMT) thus far and the roadmap going forward for this promising family of techniques are discussed.


PLoS ONE ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (10) ◽  
pp. e0221865
Author(s):  
Michael Hirsch ◽  
Richard Wareham ◽  
Ji W. Yoon ◽  
Daniel J. Rolfe ◽  
Laura C. Zanetti-Domingues ◽  
...  

2018 ◽  
Vol 115 (33) ◽  
pp. 8346-8351 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiang Li ◽  
Yu Jiang ◽  
Shaorong Chong ◽  
David R. Walt

In this paper, we report an example of the engineered expression of tetrameric β-galactosidase (β-gal) containing varying numbers of active monomers. Specifically, by combining wild-type and single-nucleotide polymorphism plasmids at varying ratios, tetrameric β-gal was expressed in vitro with one to four active monomers. The kinetics of individual enzyme molecules revealed four distinct populations, corresponding to the number of active monomers in the enzyme. Using single-molecule-level enzyme kinetics, we were able to measure an accurate in vitro mistranslation frequency (5.8 × 10−4 per base). In addition, we studied the kinetics of the mistranslated β-gal at the single-molecule level.


2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carel Fijen ◽  
Mattia Fontana ◽  
Serge G. Lemay ◽  
Klaus Mathwig ◽  
Johannes Hohlbein

ABSTRACTSingle-molecule detection schemes offer powerful means to overcome static and dynamic heterogeneity inherent to complex samples. Probing chemical and biological interactions and reactions with high throughput and time resolution, however, remains challenging and often requires surface-immobilized entities. Here, utilizing camera-based fluorescence microscopy, we present glass-made nanofluidic devices in which fluorescently labelled molecules flow through nanochannels that confine their diffusional movement. The first design features an array of parallel nanochannels for high-throughput analysis of molecular species under equilibrium conditions allowing us to record 200.000 individual localization events in just 10 minutes. Using these localizations for single particle tracking, we were able to obtain accurate flow profiles including flow speeds and diffusion coefficients inside the channels.A second design featuring a T-shaped nanochannel enables precise mixing of two different species as well as the continuous observation of chemical reactions. We utilized the design to visualize enzymatically driven DNA synthesis in real time and at the single-molecule level. Based on our results, we are convinced that the versatility and performance of the nanofluidic devices will enable numerous applications in the life sciences.


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