title: Infrared picosecond laser for perforation of single plant cells.
abstract: The functional analysis of plant cells at the cellular and subcellular levels requires novel technologies for the directed manipulation of individual cells. In this report, we demonstrate the use of an infrared (1,064 nm) picosecond laser for the perforation of tobacco cell protoplasts. A single pulse was sufficient to perforate the plasma membrane enabling the uptake of dye from the surrounding medium into the cytosol. Moreover, the procedure was shown to be suitable for the efficient delivery of DNA expression constructs to the nucleus, as demonstrated by the subsequent expression and correct targeting of a recombinant fluorescent protein. Single cell perforation using this novel optoporation method shows that isolated plant cells can be permeabilized without direct manipulation. This is a valuable procedure for cell-specific applications, particularly where the import of specific molecules into plant cells is required for functional analysis.
authors.affiliation: Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology IME, Forckenbeckstrasse 6, 52074 Aachen, Germany.
authors.forename: Helga
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Schinkel
authors.forename: Philipp
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Jacobs
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Schillberg
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wehner
mesh_terms: D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000502:physiology* / Q000528:radiation effects*; D002463:Cell Membrane Permeability / Q000528:radiation effects*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D018274:Electroporation / Q000379:methods*; D007259:Infrared Rays; D007834:Lasers; D014026:Nicotiana / Q000502:physiology* / Q000528:radiation effects*