Nan Shen1,2, Dabajyoti Datta1, Chris B. Schaffer1,3,4,5, Eric Mazur1,6
Molecular & Cellular Biomechanics, Vol.2, No.1, pp. 17-26, 2005, DOI:10.3970/mcb.2005.002.017
Abstract Analysis of cell regulation requires methods for perturbing molecular processes within living cells with spatial discrimination on the nanometer-scale. We present a technique for ablating molecular structures in living cells using low-repetition rate, low-energy femtosecond laser pulses. By tightly focusing these pulses beneath the cell membrane, we ablate cellular material inside the cell through nonlinear processes. We selectively removed sub-micrometer regions of the cytoskeleton and individual mitochondria without altering neighboring structures or compromising cell viability. This nanoscissor technique enables non-invasive manipulation of the structural machinery of living cells with several-hundred-nanometer resolution. Using this approach, we unequivocally demonstrate that mitochondria are… More >
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