Webinars

Live cell single-molecule imaging is a powerful approach to analyze the sub-cellular dynamics and biochemical properties of biomolecules in their endogenous context. Single-molecule methods have the unique capability to dissect the molecular heterogeneity underlying biological processes. Instead of observing the average behavior of an ensemble of macromolecules, single-molecule experiments can identify sub-populations of molecules with distinct biochemical properties. Therefore, this approach has the power to uncover an entirely unexplored layer of cell biology and will reveal novel biological concepts that challenge existing paradigms. Single-molecule detection of proteins in living cells requires the sparse labeling of the target protein with bright, photostable fluorophores. The combination of the HaloTag®, which forms a covalent bond with its ligand, with cell permeable Janelia Fluor® dyes allows the titratable, intracellular labeling of the tagged protein to achieve single-molecule detection. In this webinar, Dr. Jens Schmidt from Michigan State University will outline the scientific questions single-molecule imaging can address, the equipment required to carry out the experiments, and best practices for using the HaloTag® and Janelia Fluor® dyes to generate the best data.