Imaging of mobile long-lived nanoplatforms in the live cell plasma membrane.

ABSTRACT: The plasma membrane has been hypothesized to contain nanoscopic lipid platforms, which are discussed in the context of "lipid rafts" or "membrane rafts." Based on biochemical and cell biological studies, rafts are believed to play a crucial role in many signaling processes. However, there is currently not much information on their size, shape, stability, surface density, composition, and heterogeneity. We present here a method that allows for the first time the direct imaging of nanoscopic long-lived platforms with raft-like properties diffusing in the live cell plasma membrane. Our method senses these platforms by their property to assemble a characteristic set of fluorescent marker proteins or lipids on a time scale of seconds. A special photobleaching protocol was used to reduce the sur

SUBMITTER: Brameshuber M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3009904 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature