Presentation Abstract

Session Title: Platform: Imaging & Optical Microscopy - Applications
Location: Room 113AB
Presentation Number: 1033-Plat
Presentation Time: 2/4/2013 11:45:00 AM
Abstract Title: IMAGING OF TEMPERATURE DISTRIBUTION IN A LIVING CELL
Author Block: Kohki Okabe1,2, Seiichi Uchiyama1, Noriko Inada3, Yoshie Harada4, Takashi Funatsu1.
1University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan, 2JST, PRESTO, Kawaguchi, Japan, 3Nara Institute of Science and Technology, Ikoma, Japan, 4Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan.
Abstract Body: Temperature is a fundamental physical quantity that governs every biological reaction within living cells, and temperature distribution reflects cellular thermodynamics and function. In medical studies, the cellular pathogenesis of diseases (e.g., cancer) is characterized by extraordinary heat production. Therefore, intracellular temperature imaging of living cells should promote better understanding of cellular events and the establishment of novel diagnoses and therapies. However, imaging of temperature distributions in living cells has never been achieved. Here we demonstrate the first intracellular temperature imaging based on a fluorescent polymeric thermometer and fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM). The spatial and temperature resolutions of our thermometry were at the diffraction limited level (200 nm) and 0.2 °C, respectively. The intracellular temperature distribution we observed indicated that the nucleus and centrosome of a COS7 cell both showed a significantly higher temperature than the cytoplasm and that the temperature gap between the nucleus and the cytoplasm differed depending on the cell cycle. The heat production from mitochondria was also observed as a proximal local temperature increase. These findings demonstrate an intrinsic connection between temperature and organelle function. Thus, our intracellular temperature imaging has a significant impact on the comprehension of cell function and will provide insights into the regulatory mechanisms of intracellular signaling.
Commercial Relationship:  K. Okabe: None. S. Uchiyama: None. N. Inada: None. Y. Harada: None. T. Funatsu: None.


Technical Support Help Desk
Phone: 217-398-1792
Email: Help Desk