Application of the near-field optical microscope to the imaging of non-labelled microtubules and comparison with other techniques

Microtubules (MT), formed from the polymerization of tubulin, are important in the cytoskeleton (which maintains cell shape) and in the elongation of the neuronal process. The existence of a number of unanswered questions regarding their assembly/disassembly and resulting dynamic instability is studied. Non-labelled MTs have been observed with a variety of microscopes and the images were compared. Near-field optical microscope (NOM) is seen to offer the advantages of sub-wavelength resolution while retaining the non-intrusive advantages of an optical technique. When coupled with shear force microscopy, NOM uniquely provides a cheap and attractive method of imaging subcellular structures with vertical as well as lateral resolution.