Non-contact intracellular binding of chloroplasts in vivo

Abstract

Non-contact intracellular binding and controllable manipulation of chloroplasts in vivo was demonstrated using an optical fiber probe. Launching a 980-nm laser beam into a fiber, which was placed about 3μm above the surface of a living plant (Hydrilla verticillata) leaf, enabled stable binding of different numbers of chloroplasts, as well as their arrangement into one-dimensional chains and two-dimensional arrays inside the leaf without damaging the chloroplasts. Additionally, the formed chloroplast chains were controllably transported inside the living cells. The optical force exerted on the chloroplasts was calculated to explain the experimental results. This method provides a flexible method for studying intracellular organelle interaction with highly organized organelle-organelle contact in vivo in a non-contact manner.