Optical trapping in plant cells

Abstract

Optical tweezers allow for noninvasive manipulation of subcellular compartments to study their physical interactions and attachments. By measuring (delay of) displacements, (semi)quantitative force measurements within a living cell can be performed. In this chapter, we provide practical tips for setting up such experiments paying special attention to the technical considerations for integrating optical tweezers into a confocal microscope. Next, we describe experimental approaches we have taken to trap intracellular structures in plant cells.