Question

Is it possible to perform Fluorescence Recovery After Photobleaching (FRAP) experiments in the Optical Microscopy Laboratory?

Answer

Photoperturbation experiments are widely used to study diffusion and dynamics of subcellular structures or proteins of interest. The irreversible photobleaching of the fluorophore in a specific area of the sample and the subsequent analysis of any fluorescence recovery in the same area are used to extract information regarding the dynamics and the structure of the cellular environment under study. Our confocal systems are equipped with laser sources of adequate power to perform photoperturbation experiments and our staff is experienced in conducting this type of experiment. Additionally, image analysis services are available to obtain parameters describing the dynamics of the process under investigation.