Use of a laser-induced optical force trap to study chromosome movement on the mitotic spindle

Applications of laser technology in the manipulation of human spermatozoa

The application of laser technology in the field of assisted reproductive technology (ART) has experienced rapid growth over the past decades owing to revolutionary techniques such as intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), preimplantation genetic testing (PGT), and in vitro manipulation of gametes and embryos. For male gametes, in vitro manipulation techniques include spermatozoa selection, sorting, immobilization, and quality assessment. A number of studies have been conducted to investigate the application of different laser technologies in the manipulation of human spermatozoa. However, there is a lack of a unified understanding of laser application in the in vitro manipulation of sperm and safety considerations in ART and, subsequently, the inability to make clear and accurate decisions on the clinical value of these laser technologies. This review summarizes the advancements and improvements of laser technologies in the manipulation of human spermatozoa, such as photobiomodulation therapy, laser trap systems for sperm analysis and sorting, laser-assisted selection of immotile sperm and laser-assisted immobilization of sperm prior to ICSI. The safety of those technologies used in ART is also discussed. This review will provide helpful and comprehensive insight into the applications of laser technology in the manipulation of human spermatozoa.

Enhanced optical forces on coupled chiral particles at arbitrary order exceptional points

Exceptional points (EPs)-non-Hermitian degeneracies at which eigenvalues and eigenvectors coalesce-can give rise to many intriguing phenomena in optical systems. Here, we report a study of the optical forces on chiral particles in a non-Hermitian system at EPs. The EPs are achieved by employing the unidirectional coupling of the chiral particles sitting on a dielectric waveguide under the excitation of a linearly polarized plane wave. Using full-wave numerical simulations, we demonstrate that the structure can give rise to enhanced optical forces at the EPs. Higher order EPs in general can induce stronger optical forces. In addition, the optical forces exhibit an intriguing "skin effect": the force approaches the maximum for the chiral particle at one end of the lattice. The results contribute to the understanding of optical forces in non-Hermitian systems and can find applications in designing novel optical tweezers for on-chip manipulations of chiral particles.

Single particle investigation of triolein digestion using optical manipulation, polarized video microscopy, and SAXS

HYPOTHESIS

Understanding how soft colloids, such as food emulsion droplets, transform based on their environment is critical for various applications, including drug and nutrient delivery and biotechnology. However, the mechanisms behind colloidal transformations within individual oil droplets still need to be better understood.

EXPERIMENTS

This study employs optical micromanipulation with microfluidics and polarized optical video microscopy to investigate the pancreatic lipase- and pH-triggered colloidal transformations in a single triolein droplet. Small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) provides complementary statistical insights and allows for detailed structural assignment.

FINDINGS

Optical video microscopy recorded the transformation of individual triolein emulsion droplets, with the smooth surface of these spherical particles becoming rough and the entire volume eventually being affected. The polarized microscopy revealed the coexistence of at least two distinct structures in a single particle during digestion, with their ratio and distribution altered by pH. The SAXS analysis assigned the optical anisotropy to emulsified inverse hexagonal- and multilamellar phases, coexisting with isotropic structures such as the micellar cubic phase. These results can help understand the phase transformations inside an emulsion droplet during triglyceride digestion and guide the design of advanced food emulsions.

Optical force and torque on small particles induced by polarization singularities

Optical forces in the near fields have important applications in on-chip optical manipulations of small particles and molecules. Here, we report a study of optical force and torque on small particles induced by the optical polarization singularities of a gold cylinder. We show that the scattering of the cylinder generates both electric and magnetic C lines (i.e., lines of polarization singularities) in the near fields. The intrinsic spin density of the C lines can induce complex optical torque on a dielectric/magnetic particle, and the near-field evolutions of the C lines are accompanied by a gradient force on the particle. The force and torque manifest dramatic spatial variations, providing rich degrees of freedom for near-field optical manipulations. The study, for the first time to our knowledge, uncovers the effect of optical polarization singularities on light-induced force and torque on small particles. The results contribute to the understanding of chiral light-matter interactions and can find applications in on-chip optical manipulations and optical sensing.

Sound generation in zebrafish with Bio-Opto-Acoustics

Hearing is a crucial sense in underwater environments for communication, hunting, attracting mates, and detecting predators. However, the tools currently used to study hearing are limited, as they cannot controllably stimulate specific parts of the auditory system. To date, the contributions of hearing organs have been identified through lesion experiments that inactivate an organ, making it difficult to gauge the specific stimuli to which each organ is sensitive, or the ways in which inputs from multiple organs are combined during perception. Here, we introduce Bio-Opto-Acoustic (BOA) stimulation, using optical forces to generate localized vibrations in vivo, and demonstrate stimulation of the auditory system of zebrafish larvae with precise control. We use a rapidly oscillated optical trap to generate vibrations in individual otolith organs that are perceived as sound, while adjacent otoliths are either left unstimulated or similarly stimulated with a second optical laser trap. The resulting brain-wide neural activity is characterized using fluorescent calcium indicators, thus linking each otolith organ to its individual neuronal network in a way that would be impossible using traditional sound delivery methods. The results reveal integration and cooperation of the utricular and saccular otoliths, which were previously described as having separate biological functions, during hearing.

Optical Tweezers Exploring Neuroscience

Over the past decade, optical tweezers (OT) have been increasingly used in neuroscience for studies of molecules and neuronal dynamics, as well as for the study of model organisms as a whole. Compared to other areas of biology, it has taken much longer for OT to become an established tool in neuroscience. This is, in part, due to the complexity of the brain and the inherent difficulties in trapping individual molecules or manipulating cells located deep within biological tissue. Recent advances in OT, as well as parallel developments in imaging and adaptive optics, have significantly extended the capabilities of OT. In this review, we describe how OT became an established tool in neuroscience and we elaborate on possible future directions for the field. Rather than covering all applications of OT to neurons or related proteins and molecules, we focus our discussions on studies that provide crucial information to neuroscience, such as neuron dynamics, growth, and communication, as these studies have revealed meaningful information and provide direction for the field into the future.

Genetic Material Manipulation and Modification by Optical Trapping and Nanosurgery-A Perspective

Light can be employed as a tool to alter and manipulate matter in many ways. An example has been the implementation of optical trapping, the so called optical tweezers, in which light can hold and move small objects with 3D control. Of interest for the Life Sciences and Biotechnology is the fact that biological objects in the size range from tens of nanometers to hundreds of microns can be precisely manipulated through this technology. In particular, it has been shown possible to optically trap and move genetic material (DNA and chromatin) using optical tweezers. Also, these biological entities can be severed, rearranged and reconstructed by the combined use of laser scissors and optical tweezers. In this review, the background, current state and future possibilities of optical tweezers and laser scissors to manipulate, rearrange and alter genetic material (DNA, chromatin and chromosomes) will be presented. Sources of undesirable effects by the optical procedure and measures to avoid them will be discussed. In addition, first tentative approaches at cellular-level genetic and organelle surgery, in which genetic material or DNA-carrying organelles are extracted out or introduced into cells, will be presented.

Laser Scissors and Tweezers to Study Chromosomes: A Review

Starting in 1969 laser scissors have been used to study and manipulate chromosomes in mitotic animal cells. Key studies demonstrated that using the “hot spot” in the center of a focused Gaussian laser beam it was possible to delete the ribosomal genes (secondary constriction), and this deficiency was maintained in clonal daughter cells. It wasn’t until 2020 that it was demonstrated that cells with focal-point damaged chromosomes could replicate due to the cell’s DNA damage repair molecular machinery. A series of studies leading up to this conclusion involved using cells expressing different GFP DNA damage recognition and repair molecules. With the advent of optical tweezers in 1987, laser tweezers have been used to study the behavior and forces on chromosomes in mitotic and meiotic cells. The combination of laser scissors and tweezers were employed since 1991 to study various aspects of chromosome behavior during cell division. These studies involved holding chromosomes in an optical while gradually reducing the laser power until the chromosome recovered their movement toward the cell pole. It was determined in collaborative studies with Prof. Arthur Forer from York University, Toronto, Canada, cells from diverse group vertebrate and invertebrates, that forces necessary to move chromosomes to cell poles during cell division were between 2 and 17pN, orders of magnitude below the 700 pN generally found in the literature.

Digital Microfluidics for Single Bacteria Capture and Selective Retrieval Using Optical Tweezers

When screening microbial populations or consortia for interesting cells, their selective retrieval for further study can be of great interest. To this end, traditional fluorescence activated cell sorting (FACS) and optical tweezers (OT) enabled methods have typically been used. However, the former, although allowing cell sorting, fails to track dynamic cell behavior, while the latter has been limited to complex channel-based microfluidic platforms. In this study, digital microfluidics (DMF) was integrated with OT for selective trapping, relocation, and further proliferation of single bacterial cells, while offering continuous imaging of cells to evaluate dynamic cell behavior. To enable this, magnetic beads coated with Salmonella Typhimurium-targeting antibodies were seeded in the microwell array of the DMF platform, and used to capture single cells of a fluorescent S. Typhimurium population. Next, OT were used to select a bead with a bacterium of interest, based on its fluorescent expression, and to relocate this bead to a different microwell on the same or different array. Using an agar patch affixed on top, the relocated bacterium was subsequently allowed to proliferate. Our OT-integrated DMF platform thus successfully enabled selective trapping, retrieval, relocation, and proliferation of bacteria of interest at single-cell level, thereby enabling their downstream analysis.

Technique of laser chromosome welding for chromosome repair and artificial chromosome creation

Here we report a technique of laser chromosome welding that uses a violet pulse laser micro-beam for welding. The technique can integrate any size of a desired chromosome fragment into recipient chromosomes by combining with other techniques of laser chromosome manipulation such as chromosome cutting, moving, and stretching. We demonstrated that our method could perform chromosomal modifications with high precision, speed and ease of use in the absence of restriction enzymes, DNA ligases and DNA polymerases. Unlike the conventional methods such as de novo artificial chromosome synthesis, our method has no limitation on the size of the inserted chromosome fragment. The inserted DNA size can be precisely defined and the processed chromosome can retain its intrinsic structure and integrity. Therefore, our technique provides a high quality alternative approach to directed genetic recombination, and can be used for chromosomal repair, removal of defects and artificial chromosome creation. The technique may also have applicability on the manipulation and extension of large pieces of synthetic DNA.

Mitotic tethers connect sister chromosomes and transmit "cross-polar" force during anaphase A of mitosis in PtK2 cells

Originally described in crane-fly spermatocytes, tethers physically link and transmit force between the ends of separating chromosomes. Optical tweezers and laser scissors were used to sever the tether between chromosomes, create chromosome fragments attached to the tether which move toward the opposite pole, and to trap the tethered fragments. Laser microsurgery in the intracellular space between separating telomeres reduced chromosome strain in half of tested chromosome pairs. When the telomere-containing region was severed from the rest of the chromosome body, the resultant fragment either traveled towards the proper pole (poleward), towards the sister pole (cross-polar), or movement ceased. Fragment travel towards the sister pole varied in distance and always ceased following a cut between telomeres, indicating the tether is responsible for transferring a cross-polar force to the fragment. Optical trapping of cross-polar traveling fragments places an upper boundary on the tethering force of ~1.5 pN.

Single-Beam Acoustic Trapping of Red Blood Cells and Polystyrene Microspheres in Flowing Red Blood Cell Saline and Plasma Suspensions

Single-beam acoustic tweezers (SBATs) represent a new technology for particle and cell trapping. The advantages of SBATs are their deep penetration into tissues, reduction of tissue damage and ease of application to in vivo studies. The use of these tools for applications in drug delivery in vivo must meet the following conditions: large penetration depth, strong trapping force and tissue safety. A reasonable penetration depth for SBATs in the development of in vivo applications was established in a previous study conducted in water with zero velocity. However, capturing objects in flowing fluid can provide more meaningful results. In this study, we investigated the capability of SBATs to trap red blood cells (RBCs) and polystyrene microspheres in flowing RBC suspensions. Two different types of RBC suspension were prepared in this work: an RBC phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) suspension and an RBC plasma suspension. The results indicated that SBATs successfully trapped RBCs and polystyrene microspheres in a flowing RBC PBS suspension with an average steady velocity of 1.6 cm/s in a 2-mm-diameter polyimide. Furthermore, SBATs were found able to trap RBCs in a flowing RBC PBS suspension at speeds as high as 7.9 cm/s in a polyimide tube, which is higher than the velocity in capillaries (0.03 cm/s) and approaches the velocity in arterioles and venules. Moreover, the results also indicated that polystyrene microspheres can be trapped in an RBC plasma suspension, where aggregation is observed. This work represents a step forward in using this tool in actual in vivo experimentation.

Spatial control of chromosomal location in a live cell with functionalized magnetic particles

Long-range chromosomal travel is a phenomenon unique to cell division. Methods for non-invasive, artificial manipulation of chromosomes, such as optical or magnetic tweezers, have difficulty in producing the motion of whole chromosomes in live cells. Here, we report the spatial control of chromosomes over 10 μm in a live mouse oocyte using magnetic particles driven by an external magnetic field. Selective capture of the chromosomes was achieved using antibodies specific for histone H1 in the chromosome that were conjugated to magnetic particles (H1-BMPs). When an external magnetic field was applied, the chromosomes captured by the H1-BMPs traveled through the cytosol and accumulated near the cell membrane though the movement of the chromosomes captured by H1-BMPs was strongly disturbed by the distribution of the cytoskeleton (e.g. actin filaments). Being non-invasive in nature, our approach will enable new opportunities in the remote manipulation of subcellular elements.

Optical force on a large sphere illuminated by Bessel beams: comparisons between ray optics method and generalized Lorenz-Mie theory

Optical forces are calculated for a dielectric spherical particle illuminated by a zero-order Bessel beam based on both the generalized Lorenz-Mie theory (GLMT) and the ray optics method (ROM). Particles with positive and negative refractive indices are examined. The peculiar characteristics of the Bessel beam allow for analytical expressions for the beam shape coefficients required in the GLMT as well as a decomposition of optical force into the gradient and the scattering forces irrespective of the particle size, which enable respective comparisons for the gradient and scattering forces between the results obtained from the GLMT and the ROM. Our results demonstrate that the discrepancy between the results obtained from the GLMT and the ROM depends on the particle refractive index n_p, the particle size, and, also, the particle location in the beam field. As the particle size increases, the difference between the results from the GLMT and the ROM shows a general tendency of decreasing, as can be expected, but the change may exhibit oscillatory rather than monotonic behavior. A phase diagram is presented that displays the regime for particle size and refractive index where a specified accuracy can be achieved for optical force by the ROM.

Real-time calcium measurements of live optically trapped microorganisms

A system has been developed that allows for the real-time measurement of calcium dynamics in swimming sperm. Specifically, the ratiometric dye Indo-I is used as a fluorescent indicator of intracellular calcium dynamics. The dual emissions are collected by a high-sensitivity back-illuminated CCD camera coupled to a Dual-View imaging system. From the CCD, the images are sent to a custom developed algorithm which processes the images and outputs the calcium measurements in real-time. Additionally, sperm velocity and position data are processed and outputted in real-time. The velocity and position data are obtained using a separate coupled red light (>670 nm) phase contrast imaging setup that does not optically interfere with the fluorescent imaging. Using this system the effects of optical trapping on calcium dynamics was determined. Optical trapping of sperm with a decaying focused laser power of 510 mW to 3 mW over 8 seconds causes a statistically insignificant change in calcium dynamics between in-trap and out-of-trap conditions. Progesterone, a calcium activator, was added and sperm were trapped under the 8 second power decay conditions. Progesterone treated sperm has a statistically higher average calcium level than untreated sperm, but shows no statistical difference between progesterone treated in-trap and out-of-trap conditions. Trapping at 16 seconds at 510 mW without decay, which have been shown to decrease sperm motility, shows a statistical difference between baseline pre-trap and in-trap intracellular calcium levels.

Development of a dual joystick-controlled laser trapping and cutting system for optical micromanipulation of chromosomes inside living cells

A multi-joystick robotic laser microscope system used to control two optical traps (tweezers) and one laser scissors has been developed for subcellular organelle manipulation. The use of joysticks has provided a "user-friendly" method for both trapping and cutting of organelles such as chromosomes in live cells. This innovative design has enabled the clean severing of chromosome arms using the laser scissors as well as the ability to easily hold and pull the severed arm using the laser tweezers.

Radiation pressure cross sections and optical forces over negative refractive index spherical particles by ordinary Bessel beams

When impinged by an arbitrary laser beam, lossless and homogeneous negative refractive index (NRI) spherical particles refract and reflect light in an unusual way, giving rise to different scattered and internal fields when compared to their equivalent positive refractive index particles. In the generalized Lorenz-Mie theory, the scattered fields are dependent upon the Mie scattering coefficients, whose values must reflect the metamaterial behavior of an NRI scatterer, thus leading to new optical properties such as force and torque. In this way, this work is devoted to the analysis of both radial and longitudinal optical forces exerted on lossless and simple NRI particles by zero-order Bessel beams, revealing how the force profiles are changed whenever the refractive index becomes negative.

An interdisciplinary systems approach to study sperm physiology and evolution

Optical trapping is a noninvasive biophotonic tool that has been developed to study the physiological and biomechanical properties of cells. The custom-designed optical system is built to direct near-infrared laser light into an inverted microscope to create a single-point three-dimensional gradient laser trap at the microscope focal point. A real-time automated tracking and trapping system (RATTS) is described that provides a remote user-friendly robotic interface. The combination of laser tweezers, fluorescent imaging, and RATTS can measure sperm swimming speed and swimming force simultaneously with mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP). The roles of two sources of adenosine triphosphate in sperm motility/energetics are studied: oxidative phosphorylation, which occurs in the mitochondria located in the sperm midpiece, and glycolysis, which occurs along the length of the sperm tail (flagellum). The effects of glucose, oxidative phosphorylation inhibitors, and glycolytic inhibitors on human sperm motility are studied. This combination of photonic physical and engineering tools has been used to examine the evolutionary effect of sperm competition in primates. The results demonstrate a correlation between mating type and sperm motility: sperm from polygamous (multi-partner) primate species swim faster and with greater force than sperm from polygynous (single partner) primate species. In summary, engineering and biological systems are combined to provide a powerful interdisciplinary approach to study the complex biological systems that drive the sperm toward the egg.

Detection of heteroplasmic mitochondrial DNA in single mitochondria

Background

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) genome mutations can lead to energy and respiratory-related disorders like myoclonic epilepsy with ragged red fiber disease (MERRF), mitochondrial myopathy, encephalopathy, lactic acidosis and stroke (MELAS) syndrome, and Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON). It is not well understood what effect the distribution of mutated mtDNA throughout the mitochondrial matrix has on the development of mitochondrial-based disorders. Insight into this complex sub-cellular heterogeneity may further our understanding of the development of mitochondria-related diseases.

Methodology

This work describes a method for isolating individual mitochondria from single cells and performing molecular analysis on that single mitochondrion's DNA. An optical tweezer extracts a single mitochondrion from a lysed human HL-60 cell. Then a micron-sized femtopipette tip captures the mitochondrion for subsequent analysis. Multiple rounds of conventional DNA amplification and standard sequencing methods enable the detection of a heteroplasmic mixture in the mtDNA from a single mitochondrion.

Significance

Molecular analysis of mtDNA from the individually extracted mitochondrion demonstrates that a heteroplasmy is present in single mitochondria at various ratios consistent with the 50/50 heteroplasmy ratio found in single cells that contain multiple mitochondria.

Gradient forces on double-negative particles in optical tweezers using Bessel beams in the ray optics regime

Gradient forces on double negative (DNG) spherical dielectric particles are theoretically evaluated for v-th Bessel beams supposing geometrical optics approximations based on momentum transfer. For the first time in the literature, comparisons between these forces for double positive (DPS) and DNG particles are reported. We conclude that, contrary to the conventional case of positive refractive index, the gradient forces acting on a DNG particle may not reverse sign when the relative refractive index n goes from |n|>1 to |n|<1, thus revealing new and interesting trapping properties.

Fundamentals of negative refractive index optical trapping: forces and radiation pressures exerted by focused Gaussian beams using the generalized Lorenz-Mie theory

Based on the generalized Lorenz-Mie theory (GLMT), this paper reveals, for the first time in the literature, the principal characteristics of the optical forces and radiation pressure cross-sections exerted on homogeneous, linear, isotropic and spherical hypothetical negative refractive index (NRI) particles under the influence of focused Gaussian beams in the Mie regime. Starting with ray optics considerations, the analysis is then extended through calculating the Mie coefficients and the beam-shape coefficients for incident focused Gaussian beams. Results reveal new and interesting trapping properties which are not observed for commonly positive refractive index particles and, in this way, new potential applications in biomedical optics can be devised.

Laser manipulation of atoms and particles

A variety of powerful techniques to control the position and velocity of neutral particles has been developed. As examples of this new ability, lasers have been used to construct a variety of traps, to cool atoms to temperatures below 3 x 10(-6) kelvin, and to create atomic fountains that may give us a hundredfold increase in the accuracy of atomic clocks. Bacteria can be held with laser traps while they are being viewed in an optical microscope, and organelles within a cell can be manipulated without puncturing the cell wall. Single molecules of DNA can now be stretched out and pinned down in a water solution with optical traps. These new capabilities may soon be applied to a wide variety of scientific questions as diverse as precision measurements of fundamental symmetries in physics and the study of biochemistry on a single molecule basis.

Forces of a single-beam gradient laser trap on a dielectric sphere in the ray optics regime

We calculate the forces of single-beam gradient radiation pressure laser traps, also called "optical tweezers," on micron-sized dielectric spheres in the ray optics regime. This serves as a simple model system for describing laser trapping and manipulation of living cells and organelles within cells. The gradient and scattering forces are defined for beams of complex shape in the ray-optics limit. Forces are calculated over the entire cross-section of the sphere using TEM(00) and TEM(01) (*) mode input intensity profiles and spheres of varying index of refraction. Strong uniform traps are possible with force variations less than a factor of 2 over the sphere cross-section. For a laser power of 10 mW and a relative index of refraction of 1.2 we compute trapping forces as high as approximately 1.2 x 10(-6) dynes in the weakest (backward) direction of the gradient trap. It is shown that good trapping requires high convergence beams from a high numerical aperture objective. A comparison is given of traps made using bright field or differential interference contrast optics and phase contrast optics.

Inversion of gradient forces for high refractive index particles in optical trapping

The unexpected fact that a spherical dielectric particle with refractive index higher than the surrounding medium will not always be attracted towards high intensity regions of the trapping beam is fully demonstrated here using a simple ray optics approach. This unusual situation may happen due to the inversion of gradient forces, as shown here. Therefore, conventional schemes, such the one based on the use of two counter-propagating beams to cancel the scattering forces, will fail to trap the particle. However, effective trapping still can be obtained by adopting suitable incident laser beams.

Trapping double negative particles in the ray optics regime using optical tweezers with focused beams

The capabilities of optical tweezers to trap DNG (double negative) spherical particles, with both negative permittivity and permeability, are explored in detail by analyzing some interesting theoretical features not seeing in conventional DPS (double positive) particles possessing positive refractive index. The ray optics regime is adopted and, although this regime is quite simple and limited, its validity is already known and tested for DPS particles such as biological cells and molecules trapped by highly focused beams. Simulation results confirm that even for ray optics, DNG particles present unusual and interesting trapping characteristics.

Controlled rotation of birefringent particles in an optical trap

Optical traps have been used in a multitude of applications requiring the sensing and application of forces. However, optical traps also have the ability to accurately apply and sense torques. Birefringent particles experience a torque when trapped in elliptically polarized light. By measuring the frequency content of the exiting beam, the rotational rates can be set up in a feedback loop and actively controlled. Here we describe an optical trap with feedback torque control to maintain constant rotational rates despite the introduction of an increased drag on the particle. As a result, this research has the potential to advance the understanding of rotary motor proteins such as F1 ATPase.

Optical tweezers for single cells

Optical tweezers (OT) have emerged as an essential tool for manipulating single biological cells and performing sophisticated biophysical/biomechanical characterizations. Distinct advantages of using tweezers for these characterizations include non-contact force for cell manipulation, force resolution as accurate as 100aN and amiability to liquid medium environments. Their wide range of applications, such as transporting foreign materials into single cells, delivering cells to specific locations and sorting cells in microfluidic systems, are reviewed in this article. Recent developments of OT for nanomechanical characterization of various biological cells are discussed in terms of both their theoretical and experimental advancements. The future trends of employing OT in single cells, especially in stem cell delivery, tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, are prospected. More importantly, current limitations and future challenges of OT for these new paradigms are also highlighted in this review.

The use of optical tweezers to study sperm competition and motility in primates

Optical trapping is a non-invasive biophysical tool which has been widely applied to study physiological and biomechanical properties of cells. Using laser 'tweezers' in combination with custom-designed computer tracking algorithms, the swimming speeds and the relative swimming forces of individual sperm can be measured in real time. This combination of physical and engineering tools has been used to examine the evolutionary effect of sperm competition in primates. The results demonstrate a correlation between mating type and sperm motility: sperm from polygamous (multi-partner) primate species swim faster and with greater force than sperm from polygynous (single partner) primate species. In addition, sperm swimming force linearly increases with swimming speed for each species, yet the regression relating the two parameters is species specific. These results demonstrate the feasibility of using these tools to study rapidly moving (microm s(-1)) biological cells.

Optical tweezers: tethers, wavelengths, and heat

This chapter briefly review the four major methods of optical trapping: (1) directly on to single cells or groups of cells, (2) directly on to organelles and structures inside of the cell, (3) on to a bead as a "handle" to apply force, and (4) on to a bead that has been coated with an antigen or antibody that is moved to the cell membrane for the purpose of activation of a chemical response (no force is applied to the cell). In addition, this chapter discusses the issue of optimal wavelength selection for trapping and the potential temperature rise within the trap.

Exploring mechanochemical processes in the cell with optical tweezers

Force and torque, stress and strain or work are examples of mechanical and elastic actions which are intimately linked to chemical reactions in the cell. Optical tweezers are a light-based method which allows the real-time manipulation of single molecules and cells to measure their interactions. We describe the technique, briefly reviewing the operating principles and the potential capabilities to the study of biological processes. Additional emphasis is given to the importance of fluctuations in biology and how single-molecule techniques allow access to them. We illustrate the applications by addressing experimental configurations and recent progresses in molecular and cell biology.

Optical Micromanipulation Methods for Controlled Rotation, Transportation, and Microinjection of Biological Objects

The use of laser microtools for rotation and controlled transport of microscopic biological objects and for microinjection of exogenous material in cells is discussed. We first provide a brief overview of the laser tweezers-based methods for rotation or orientation of microscopic objects. Particular emphasis is placed on the methods that are more suitable for the manipulation of biological objects, and the use of these for two-dimensional (2D) and 3D rotations/orientations of intracellular objects is discussed. We also discuss how a change in the shape of a red blood cell (RBC) suspended in hypertonic buffer leads to its rotation when it is optically tweezed. The potential use of this approach for the diagnosis of malaria is also illustrated. The use of a line tweezers having an asymmetric intensity distribution about the center of its major axis for simultaneous transport of microscopic objects, and the successful use of this approach for induction, enhancement, and guidance of neuronal growth cones is presented next. Finally, we describe laser microbeam-assisted microinjection of impermeable drugs into cells and also briefly discuss possible adverse effects of the laser trap or microbeams on cells.

Evaluation of trapping efficiency of optical tweezers by dielectrophoresis

A relatively new method for measuring optically induced forces on microparticles and cells, different from the conventional Brownian motion and viscous drag force calibration methods widely used, is introduced. It makes use of the phenomenon of dielectrophoresis for the calibration of optical tweezers through the dielectrophoretic force calculations. A pair of microelectrodes is fabricated by photolithography on a microscope slide and it is connected to a high-frequency generator. The calibration of the optical tweezers setup is performed by the manipulation of polystyrene beads and yeast cells. Calibration diagrams of the transverse forces versus power are deduced for different cell radii and numerical apertures of the objective lenses. The optical system and the related technique provide a fast and easy method for optical tweezers calibration.

Optical micromanipulations inside yeast cells

We present a combination of nonlinear microscopy and optical trapping applied to three-dimensional imaging and manipulation of intracellular structures in living cells. We use Titanium-sapphire laser pulses for nonlinear microscopy of the nuclear envelope and the microtubules marked with green fluorescent protein in fission yeast. The same laser source is also used to trap small lipid granules naturally present in the cell. The trapped granule is used as a handle to exert a pushing force on the cell nucleus. The granule is moved in a raster-scanning fashion to cover the area of the nucleus and hence displace the nucleus away from its normal position in the center of the cell. Such indirect manipulations of an organelle (e.g., nucleus) can be useful when direct trapping of the chosen organelle is disadvantageous or inefficient. We show that nonlinear microscopy and optical manipulation can be performed without substantial damage or heating of the cell. We present this method as an important tool in cell biology for manipulation of specific structures, as an alternative to genetic and biochemical methods. This technique can be applied to several fundamental problems in cell biology, including the mechanism of nuclear positioning and the spatial coordination of nuclear and cell division.

Optical Trapping of Unilamellar Phospholipid Vesicles: Investigation of the Effect of Optical Forces on the Lipid Membrane Shape by Confocal-Raman Microscopy

Optical trapping of liposomes is a useful tool for manipulating these lipid vesicles for sampling, mechanical testing, spectroscopic observation, and chemical analysis. Through the use of confocal Raman microscopy, this study addresses the effects of optical forces on the structure of unilamellar, dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) vesicles, both optically trapped in solution and adhered to a coverslip. The energy and forces involved in optical trapping of lipid vesicles were derived in terms of the dielectric contrast between the phospholipid membrane and the surrounding solution; reflection forces at the membrane/water interface were found to be negligible. At optical powers of 9 mW and greater, unilamellar liposomes trapped in bulk solution experience a gradient force sufficiently strong to bend the vesicle membrane, so that a second bilayer from the same vesicle is drawn into the optical trap, with an energy of approximately 6 x 10(-13) erg. For vesicles adhered to a coverslip, the confocal probe can be scanned through the attached vesicle. Optical forces are insufficient to detach the bilayer that is adhered to the glass; however, the upper DPPC bilayer can be manipulated by the optical trap and the shape of the vesicle distorted from a spherical geometry. The effect of calcium ion on the flexibility of membrane bilayers was also tested; with 5 mM calcium ion in solution, the lipid bilayer of a surface-attached liposome is sufficiently rigid so that it cannot be distorted at moderate laser powers.

Resource Letter: LBOT-1: Laser-based optical tweezers

This Resource Letter provides a guide to the literature on optical tweezers, also known as laser-based, gradient-force optical traps. Journal articles and books are cited for the following main topics: general papers on optical tweezers, trapping instrument design, optical detection methods, optical trapping theory, mechanical measurements, single molecule studies, and sections on biological motors, cellular measurements and additional applications of optical tweezers.

Manipulation of a Large DNA Molecule using the Phase Transition

A conventional method of DNA sequencing can determine up to 1000 base pairs at one time. Therefore, long DNA should be cut into many short fragments that are suitable for DNA sequencing. Those fragments, however, lose their order information. If the fragments are prepared from the terminus of the long DNA, the reorganization process can be omitted. This process consists of following unit operations; manipulation of genomic DNA, fixation with a stretched form, cutting from the terminus, recovery and amplification. In these unit operations, manipulation and cutting of DNA are focused in this report. Globular transformation suppresses break down of long genome DNA and permits manipulation of large DNA. Because globular transition is reversible, the coiled DNA can be sequentially spun from the globular DNA like a spindle. Thespun DNA was successfully fixed on a glass surface in an arbitrary pattern. To prepare fragments from the stretched DNA molecule, a method to cut DNA moleculen was developed. Since most restriction enzyme requires magnesium ion for their activation, the restriction enzyme was successfully activated only when magnesium ion was electrochemically supplied.

Trapping forces, force constants, and potential depths for dielectric spheres in the presence of spherical aberrations

We present and verify a theoretical model that predicts trapping forces (escape forces), force constants (trap stiffnesses), and trapping potential depths for dielectric spheres with diameters smaller than or equal to the wavelength of the trapping light. Optical forces can be calculated for arbitrary incident light distributions with a two-component approach that determines the gradient and the scattering force separately. We investigate the influence of spherical aberrations that are due to refractive-index mismatch on the maximum trapping force, the force constant, and the potential depth of a trap, which are important for optical tweezer applications. The relationships between the three parameters are explained and studied for different degrees of spherical aberration and various spheres (refractive indices n(s) = 1.39-1.57, radii a = 0.1-0.5 microm, lambda(0) = 1.064 microm). We find that all three parameters decrease when the distance to the coverslip increases. Effects that could make the interpretation of experimental results ambiguous are simulated and explained. Computational results are compared with the experimental data found in the literature. A good coincidence can be established.

Three-dimensional magneto-optic trap for micro-object manipulation

A magneto-optic trap for micro-objects is described. Magnetic beads were trapped by optical tweezers while being rotated by a new integrated magnetic manipulator. Rotation was achieved with eight electromagnets with tip-pole geometry. The time orbital potential technique was used to achieve rotation of magnetic beads. Trapping in three dimensions and rotation of magnetic beads on three axes are demonstrated with forces up to 230 pN and force momenta of up to 10(-16)N m . A position-detection apparatus based on an interferometric scheme provides nanometer sensitivities in a few milliseconds.

Optical trapping of dielectric particles in arbitrary fields

We present a new method to calculate trapping forces of dielectric particles with diameters D < or = lambda in arbitrary electromagnetic, time-invariant fields. The two components of the optical force, the gradient force and the scattering force, are determined separately. Both the arbitrary incident field and the scatterer are represented by plane-wave spectra. The scattering force is determined by means of the momentum transfer in either single- or double-scattering processes. Therefore the second-order Born series is evaluated and solved in the frequency domain by Ewald constructions. Numerical results of our two-force-component approach and an established calculation method are compared and show satisfying agreement. Our procedure is applied to investigate axial trapping by focused waves experiencing effects of aperture illumination and refractive-index mismatch.

Giant cell formation in cells exposed to 740 nm and 760 nm optical traps

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

Optical trapping is becoming a useful and widespread technique for the micromanipulation of cells and organelles. Giant cell formation following optical trapping was studied to detect the potential adverse effects.

STUDY DESIGN/MATERIALS AND METHODS

The nuclei of preselected single CHO cells were exposed to 740 nm and 760 nm laser microbeam generated by a titanium-sapphire tunable laser at 88 and 176 mW and different time exposures. The irradiated single cells were recorded and observed morphologically following exposure. Giant cells were tabulated and photographed.

RESULTS

The irradiated cells either failed to divide, or they underwent nuclear proliferation to form giant cells through endoreduplication.

CONCLUSION

Giant cells were induced by both 740 nm and 760 nm. The frequency of giant cell formation was higher for the longer time exposures and at the higher power densities. The use of an optical etalon to remove intracavity mode beating and high peak powers of the titanium-sapphire laser caused a significant reduction in the formation of giant cells.

Microinstrument gradient-force optical trap

A micromachined fiber-optic trap is presented. The trap consists of four single-mode, 1064-nm optical intersection. The beam fibers mounted in a micromachined silicon and glass housing. Micromachining provides the necessary precision to align the four optical fibers so that the outputs have a common intersection forms a strong three-dimensional gradient-force trap with trapping forces comparable with that of optical tweezers. Characterization of the multibeam fiber trap is illustrated for capture of polystyrene microspheres, computer simulations of the trap stiffness, and experimental determination of the trapping forces.

Forces of a single-beam gradient laser trap on a dielectric sphere in the ray optics regime

We calculate the forces of single-beam gradient radiation pressure laser traps, also called "optical tweezers," on micron-sized dielectric spheres in the ray optics regime. This serves as a simple model system for describing laser trapping and manipulation of living cells and organelles within cells. The gradient and scattering forces are defined for beams of complex shape in the ray-optics limit. Forces are calculated over the entire cross-section of the sphere using TEM00 and TEM*00 mode input intensity profiles and spheres of varying index of refraction. Strong uniform traps are possible with force variations less than a factor of 2 over the sphere cross-section. For a laser power of 10 mW and a relative index of refraction of 1.2, we compute trapping forces as high as approximately 1.2 x 10(-6) dynes in the weakest (backward) direction of the gradient trap. It is shown that good trapping requires high convergence beams from a high numerical aperture objective. A comparison is given of traps made using bright field or differential interference contrast optics and phase contrast optics.

Laser scissors and tweezers

In summary, we described the use of laser scissors and tweezers from three perspectives: (a) the historical background from which these two techniques evolved, (b) an understanding and lack of understanding of the mechanisms of interaction with the biological systems, and (c) the applications of the scissors and tweezers alone and in combination. As the technology improves and we gain a better understanding of how these two tools operate they will become even more useful in probing cell structure and function, as well as practically manipulating cells in genetics, oncology, and developmental biology.

Design for fully steerable dual-trap optical tweezers

A design for complete beam steering (in three dimensions) of one or two optical tweezers traps is presented. The two most important requirements for efficient and stable movement of an optical trap are identified. A detailed recipe for the construction of a movable optical tweezers trap that fulfills these requirements is given (exemplified with an inverted microscope). The system has been found to allow for precise and free movements of both traps in all three dimensions in a dual-trap optical tweezers configuration and to be robust and reliable, as well as forgiving of small misalignments in the optical system.

Physiological monitoring of optically trapped cells: assessing the effects of confinement by 1064-nm laser tweezers using microfluorometry

We report the results of microfluorometric measurements of physiological changes in optically trapped immotile Chinese hamster ovary cells (CHOs) and motile human sperm cells under continuous-wave (CW) and pulsed-mode trapping conditions at 1064 nm. The fluorescence spectra derived from the exogenous fluorescent probes laurdan, acridine orange, propidium iodide, and Snarf are used to assess the effects of optical confinement with respect to temperature, DNA structure, cell viability, and intracellular pH, respectively. In the latter three cases, fluorescence is excited via a two-photon process, using a CW laser trap as the fluorescence excitation source. An average temperature increase of < 0.1 +/- 0.30 degrees C/100 mW is measured for cells when held stationary with CW optical tweezers at powers of up to 400 mW. The same trapping conditions do not appear to alter DNA structure or cellular pH. In contrast, a pulsed 1064-nm laser trap (100-ns pulses at 40 microJ/pulse and average power of 40 mW) produced significant fluorescence spectral alterations in acridine orange, perhaps because of thermally induced DNA structural changes or laser-induced multiphoton processes. The techniques and results presented herein demonstrate the ability to perform in situ monitoring of cellular physiology during CW and pulsed laser trapping, and should prove useful in studying mechanisms by which optical tweezers and microbeams perturb metabolic function and cellular viability.