On Thu, 25 Jan 1996 01:01:02 +0100, Martin K|hler wrote:
 
>  Equipment for "UNCAGING OF CAGED SUBSTANCES"?
>
>I wonder what equipment is used or should be used for uncaging (photolysis)
>of caged (photoactivable) compounds.
>
 
>Questions about instrumentation:
>
>- What light sources are used (types of lasers, Xenon arc lamps, Mercury arc
>lamps, flash lamps)?
>
>- How is the exact light path to the cell/cells/subcells? What types of
>optics and components are used?
>
>- What effect or energy is needed?
>
>- What companies provide necessary parts (like Oriel, Newport, Melles Griot,
>Hamamatsu)?=20
>
>- What complete commersial systems are available for this, and how are their
>performance?
>
 
Dear Martin,
 
We use a Bio-Rad MRC-1000 UV system. The laser on this system is a Coherent
Enterprise 250mW Argon ion. The method used is very similar to FRAP. The UV
lines of the laser (363nm & 351nm) are scaned across the specimin using the
clsm just as if you were imaging with UV, but usually in a highly localised
area of the cell. This is where this method has an advantage over using a
flash lamp, you can control which cell or indeed which part of a cell the
caged compound is released from. The imaging is done by switching to the
488nm line and imaging the fluorescent compound eg. Fluo-3. If you would
like furthur details you make contact me directly.
 
Happy flashing,
Stephen H. Cody,                                        __    /
Biomedical Confocal Microscopy Research Centre        _/  \__/ \
Department of Pharmacology,                          /          \
University of Western Australia,                    /            \
Nedlands WA 6009,                                   \*  ____     /
Australia.                                           \_/    \_ _/
         email:  [log in to unmask]              __
         Phone:  61 09 346 4569   Fax: 61 09 346 3469         \/