Versatile manipulation using two optical traps

This video playfully demonstrates the versatile manipulation of single microtubules using JPK's NanoTracker™ optical tweezers instrument in conjunction with simultaneous sensitive fluorescence microscopy. The microtubules are fluorescently tagged using a chemical dye. Two optical traps are used to hold and manipulate the microtubule from both ends. Such constructs are key in biochemical / biophysics assays that probe the mechanics of microtubules, or of so-called motor proteins that bind to microtubules and walk along them by converting chemical energy into mechanical energy.

Many such experiments have revealed the intricate function of such motor proteins, allowing researchers to both understand such motor proteins as they operate in their cellular environment, and how chemical drugs can affect their functionality, opening the path towards more biomedical applications.