Fluorescence Microscopy

For many applications conventional widefield fluorescence microscopy is still the best choice. CCD and CMOS-based sensors used for conventional microscopy are often more sensitive that the photomultiplier tubes used in confocal microscopes and flow cytometers.  As the camera captures the whole field of view at the same time, it also allows for faster imaging in many cases. Examples where conventional microscopy may be appropriate include the visualization of individual molecules, receptors or small organisms such as bacteria and yeast.  Total Internal Reflection Fluorescence (or TIRF) is a powerful technique which combines the sensitivity of conventional fluorescence with selective illumination to improve contrast of features very close to the sample coverslip.   TIRF is often used for studies related to membrane dynamics, receptor-ligand interactions and vesicular transport.  Users have access to a dedicated conventional fluorescence system equipped for time-lapse microscopy and a laser-based multi-color TIRF system (also used as the base for the N-STORM system).

Equipment:

Nikon Eclipse Ti basic Fluorescence Microscope

Nikon Eclipse Ti TIRF Fluorescence Microscope

• Endocytosis and vesicle dynamics
• Single molecule studies
• Actin cytoskeleton and focal contact dynamics in live cells
• Yeast and bacteria studies
• High speed imaging of calcium dynamics