# Difference between revisions of "A Blind Spot in Confocal Reflection Microscopy: The Dependence of Fiber Brightness on Fiber Orientation in Imaging Biopolymer Networks"

Entry by Leon Furchtgott, APP 225 Fall 2010.

A Blind Spot in Confocal Reflection Microscopy: The Dependence of Fiber Brightness on Fiber Orientation in Imaging Biopolymer Networks. L.M. Jawerth, S. Munster, D.A. Vader, B. Fabry, and D.A. Weitz. (2010). Biophysical Journal, 98, L01-L03.

## Summary

The paper is interested in imaging techniques for biopolymers. In particular, the paper compares the effectiveness in imaging collagen networks of two confocal imaging methods, confocal reflection microscopy (CRM) and confocal fluorescence microscopy (CFM). The authors simultaneously image collagen using the two techniques and find that in CRM, fiber brightness depends strongly on fiber orientation. This explains why when using CRM to image collagen, the network appears to be aligned with the imaging plane, whereas in CFM, the network seems isotropic.

## Background

Difference between CRM and CFM:

Previous research in collagen network architecture:

## Results

Fig. 1. Simultaneous imaging of a collagen network using CRM and CFM. A. Typical image from CRM. B. Corresponding image using CFM. Red circles highlight fibers that do not appear in the reflection image. C. Overlay of panels A (green) and B (red). D. Projection of 50 x,z slices along the y axis using CRM image data. E. Equivalent projection using CFM. F. Overlay of panels D (green) and E (red).
Fig. 2. Relative frequency of the moment angle $\theta$ for CFM data (triangles) and CRM data (circles) in both rotated (solid) and non-rotated (open) samples. Light-shaded line: sine distribution expected for an isotropic sample. Inset: corresponding $\phi$ distributions.
Fig. 3. Intensity of individual fibers as a function of their $\theta$-angle for CFM (triangles) and CRM (circles) for both the rotated (open) and nonrotated (solid) cases. Shaded line shows expected values from theory.

## Relation to Soft Matter

This paper gives insight into a more experimental area of soft-matter physics than what we covered in our discussions of polymers. In particular it shows the great sensitivity of results about biopolymers to the imaging technique used and the dangers in using the wrong imaging technique for looking at polymers.