PicoQuant for liquid-liquid phase separation
Investigating liquid-liquid phase separation in biology using single-molecule and time-resolved fluorescence techniques
Liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) is a physical phenomenon where a liquid containing several components demixes into two separate phases - a dense, condensed and a dilute phase - depending on the concentration and other stimuli. This phenomenon is increasingly recognized as a fundamental process in cellular organization and function. Intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) play crucial roles in LLPS: They can promote phase separation, regulate the dynamics of proteins within condensates, serve as scaffolds for sequestering specific binding partners, and more.
One key method to study LLPS is fluorescence microscopy, which allows researchers to visualize the formation and dynamics of condensates, and to observe the behavior of molecules inside condensates in real-time. PicoQuant offers high-end time-resolved confocal microscopes that feature a variety of complementary methods for investigating LLPS and molecular dynamics, among them FLIM, FCS, single-molecule FRET, FRET imaging and anisotropy.
Download application note: Investigating LLPS of synapsin-1
Read this application note to learn how FLIM and multi-point FCS shed light on the behavior of synapsin-1 in biological condensates.
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Webinar: Streamlined Single-Molecule FRET and FCS Measurements
Watch this webinar recording to get an overview how single-molecule FRET, FRET imaging, fluorescence (cross-)correlation spectroscopy and time-resolved anisotropy can be combined to get a comprehensive understanding of IDPs behavior during LLPS.
Webinar: Behavior of FUS low-complexity domain during LLPS
Watch this webinar recording to learn what single-molecule FRET, FCS, and anisotropy revealed about the complex behavior of the FUS low-complexity domain during LLPS.
Single Photon Counting Confocal Microscope Luminosa
- Save time and simply focus on your samples
- Optimal performance for single molecule investigations
- Context-based, intuitive workflows for smFRET, FCS, FLIM, and more
- Enhanced integration of hardware and software enables new functionality for increased reproducibility and ease-of-use
- Reliable analysis results with minimal user interaction.
Upcoming events
EMBO | EMBL Symposium: Cellular mechanisms driven by phase separation
May 14-17 2024, Heidelberg, Germany
Poster: "Investigating liquid-liquid phase separation of synapsin-1 using FLIM and multi-point FCS"
ELMI
June 4-7 2024, Liverpool, UK
Poster: "Single-molecule FRET and FCS measurements for structural biology and phase separation studies"
GRC Conference on Biophysics and Biology of Intrinsically Disordered Proteins
June 23-28 2024, Les Diablerets, Switzerland
Poster: "Investigating liquid-liquid phase separation of synapsin-1 using FLIM and multi-point FCS"