Dresden 2011 – scientific programme

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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik

BP 29: Posters: Biopolymers \& Biomaterials

BP 29.17: Poster

Thursday, March 17, 2011, 17:15–20:00, P3

Artificial biopolymer networks with optically trapped anchor points — •Matthias Koch, Dominic Ruh, and Alexander Rohrbach — University of Freiburg, Georges-Koehler-Allee 102, 79110 Freiburg, Germany

Microtubules are biopolymers which self-organize over a large spatial and temporal scale in living cells as a response to a variety of external stimuli. Most of the highly complex intracellular processes like cell-division or mechanotransduction are based on microtubule networks. The mechanical properties of single biopolymers like actin filaments or microtubules have already been studied in a wide context. However, the exploration of a coordinated, two dimensional microtubule network has not been studied so far.

Optical tweezers allow generating an array of anchor points for artificial polymer networks consisting of fluorescently labelled microtubule filaments attached to optically trapped 1μm spheres. We aim at building up such networks using time-multiplexed optical traps for both 3D force generation and measurements. Thereby, the trapping laser focus, steered by an acousto-optic deflector, is displaced in the focal plane of a photonic force microscope at a rate of up to 50 kHz in order to create multiple (up to 40) time shared optical traps. The positions of the trapped particles can be evaluated using back focal plane interferometry, allowing resolving momentum propagation through the microtubule network. This configuration will allow probing the visco-elastic properties of biopolymers and obtain deeper insights in their complex interaction as part of the cytoskeleton.