Abstract
We measure the organization and substructure of HT29 epithelial cells in a monolayer using angle-resolved low-coherence interferometry. This new technique probes cellular structure by measuring scattered light, as in flow cytometry, but offers an advantage in that the structure can be examined in situ, avoiding the need to disrupt the cell monolayer. We determine the size distribution of the cell nuclei by fitting measured light-scattering spectra to the predictions of Mie theory. In addition, we obtain information about the cellular organization and substructure by examining the spatial correlations within the monolayer. A remarkable finding is that the spatial correlations over small length scales take the form of an inverse power law, indicating the fractal nature of the packing of the subcellular structures. We also identify spatial correlations on a scale large compared with the size of a cell, indicating an overlying order within the monolayer.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 2256-2264 |
| Number of pages | 9 |
| Journal | Biophysical Journal |
| Volume | 82 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Apr 1 2002 |
Funding
This work was conducted at the MIT Laser Biomedical Research Center and was supported by grants from the Hamamatsu Corporation, the National Science Foundation (CHE-0111370) and the National Institute of Health through the National Center for Research Resources (P41-RR02594). Adam Wax is supported by an NRSA fellowship grant from the National Institutes of Health (F32 RR05075–02).
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Biophysics