Regensburg 2010 – scientific programme

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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik

BP 32: Posters: Physics of Cells

BP 32.20: Poster

Thursday, March 25, 2010, 17:15–20:00, Poster B1

A precise and rapid UV laser ablation system for developmental cell biology studies — •Felix Oswald and Stephan Grill — Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden, Germany

We are presenting a state-of-the-art laser ablation system for use in cell biology studies. Diffraction-limited dissection of biological samples is achieved by coupling a pulsed ultraviolet laser (355 nm) to a conventional inverted microscope equipped with a confocal imaging system. With this setup, we can thus perform photo and plasma-induced ablation in areas up to 100 µm² and at high rates (500 Hz) by directing the beam with a fast mirror scanning system. Ablation experiments of the myosin-actin cytoskeleton of Caenorhabditis elegans embryos demonstrates the versatility and power of such a nanoscalpel in probing the mechanical properties of cellular structures during development.