Influenza viruses enter the body in small droplets and then attach to molecules on the cell surface. Teams from Switzerland and Japan developed a new method, ViViD-AFM, which combines atomic force microscopy (AFM) and fluorescence. Yohei Yamauchi at ETH Zurich led the work. The method can zoom in on the cell surface while the cell stays alive. It gives more detail than fluorescence alone and does not destroy cells like electron microscopy.
The researchers saw that cells actively try to take in the virus. The virus binds to receptors and moves until it finds a spot with many receptors. Clathrin shapes a pocket in the membrane and the cell makes a vesicle that carries the virus inside. The method can test drugs in cell culture in real time and could study other viruses or vaccines. The research appears in PNAS.
Difficult words
- droplet — Very small liquid particles in the air.droplets
- attach — To join or stick to a surface.
- atomic force microscopy — A lab technique to see tiny surface details.atomic force microscopy (AFM)
- fluorescence — Light given off by some chemicals or cells.
- receptor — A protein on a cell that binds molecules.receptors
- clathrin — A protein that helps form a cell pocket.
- vesicle — A small membrane sac that carries material.
- membrane — The thin layer that surrounds a cell.
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Discussion questions
- Do you think testing drugs in real time is useful? Why?
- Would you prefer research methods that do not destroy cells? Why or why not?
- Have you used a microscope at school? What did you see?
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