The Number of Accumulated Photons and the Quality of Stimulated Emission Depletion Lifetime Images
- Ames Laboratory
Time binning is used to increase the number of photon counts in the peak channel of stimulated emission depletion (STED) fluorescence lifetime decay curves to determine how it affects the resulting lifetime image. The fluorescence lifetime of the fluorophore, Alexa Fluor 594 phalloidin, bound to F-actin is probed in cultured S2 cells at a spatial resolution of ~40 nm. This corresponds to a tenfold smaller probe volume compared to confocal imaging, and a reduced number of photons contributing to the signal. Pixel-by-pixel fluorescence lifetime measurements and error analysis show that an average of 40 ± 30 photon counts in the peak channel with a signal-to-noise ratio of 20 is enough to calculate a reliable fluorescence lifetime from a single exponential fluorescence decay. No heterogeneity in the actin cytoskeleton in different regions of the cultured cells was measured in the 40- to 400-nm spatial regime.
- Research Organization:
- Ames Lab., Ames, IA (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Science (SC)
- DOE Contract Number:
- DE-AC02-07CH11358
- OSTI ID:
- 1159302
- Report Number(s):
- IS-J 8392
- Journal Information:
- Photochemistry and Photobiology, Journal Name: Photochemistry and Photobiology; ISSN 0031-8655
- Publisher:
- The American Society of Photobiology
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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