Abstract
Optical tweezers and fluorescence microscopy are powerful methods for investigating the mechanical and structural properties of biomolecules and for studying the dynamics of the biomolecular processes that these molecules are involved in. Here we provide an outline of the concurrent use of optical tweezers and fluorescence microscopy for analyzing biomolecular processes. In particular, we focus on the use of super-resolution microscopy in optical tweezers, which allows visualization of molecules at the higher molecular densities that are typically encountered in living systems. We provide specific details on the alignment procedures of the optical pathways for confocal fluorescence microscopy and 1D-STED microscopy and elaborate on how to diagnose and correct optical aberrations and STED phase plate misalignments.
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The combined optical tweezers and fluorescence technologies used in this article are patented and licensed to LUMICKS B.V., in which I.H, E.J.G.P., and G.J.L.W. declare a financial interest.
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Man, T., Geldhof, J.J., Peterman, E.J.G., Wuite, G.J.L., Heller, I. (2022). One-Dimensional STED Microscopy in Optical Tweezers. In: Gennerich, A. (eds) Optical Tweezers. Methods in Molecular Biology, vol 2478. Humana, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-0716-2229-2_6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-0716-2229-2_6
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