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Study of the Subcellular Mechanical Properties of Live Cells in Tissues by Brillouin Scattering (CAT#: STEM-ST-0103-YJL)

Introduction

Extracellular matrices (ECMs) of both plants and metazoans ensure the coherence of organ growth by enabling neighboring cells to physically assemble and communicate. The ECM is a highly versatile structure that enables cells to acquire shapes that are adapted to the functional requirements of either soft or hard tissues, such as the brain or bones, respectively. The plasticity of the ECM in animals is regulated by the adhesive and structural functions of both glycosaminoglycans and fibrous proteins, such as collagen. In plants, ECMs have evolved into specialized molecular structures formed by a network of load-bearing stiff cellulose polymers sheltered in a matrix of structural, as well as signaling, glycoproteins. Animal and plant cells both degrade and reassemble the constituent polymers of their ECMs to alter their stiffness and adapt to changes in hydrostatic pressure. Thus, adaptation to fluctuating mechanical signals necessitates active regulation of the mechanical properties of the ECM.




Principle

From a quantum point of view, Brillouin scattering is an interaction of light photons with acoustic or vibrational quanta (phonons), with magnetic spin waves (magnons), or with other low frequency quasiparticles interacting with light. The interaction consists of an inelastic scattering process in which a phonon or magnon is either created (Stokes process) or annihilated (anti-Stokes process). The energy of the scattered light is slightly changed, that is decreased for a Stokes process and increased for an anti-Stokes process. This shift, known as the Brillouin shift, is equal to the energy of the interacting phonon and magnon and thus Brillouin scattering can be used to measure phonon and magnon energies.

Applications

Brillouin scattering is used to determine acoustic velocities and elastic properties of a number of crystalline solids, glasses, and liquids.

Procedure

1. Sample preparation
2. Measurement by scattering detection instrument
3. Data analysis

Materials

Brillouin scattering measurement system (Brillouin spectrometer)