Principles and Applications of Single Particle Tracking in Cell Research

Zhao Wang; Xuejing Wang; Ying Zhang; Weili Xu; Xiaojun Han

doi:10.1002/smll.202005133

Principles and Applications of Single Particle Tracking in Cell Research

Small. 2021 Mar;17(11):e2005133. doi: 10.1002/smll.202005133. Epub 2021 Feb 2.

Authors

Zhao Wang¹, Xuejing Wang², Ying Zhang³, Weili Xu¹, Xiaojun Han¹

Affiliations

¹ State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, 150001, China.
² College of Biomedical Engineering and Instrument Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China.
³ School of Materials and Chemical Engineering, Heilongjiang Institute of Technology, Harbin, 150027, China.

PMID: 33533163
DOI: 10.1002/smll.202005133

Abstract

It is a tough challenge for many decades to decipher the complex relationships between cell behaviors and cellular physical properties. Single particle tracking (SPT) with high spatial and temporal resolution has been applied extensively in cell research to understand physicochemical properties of cells and their bio-functions by tracking endogenous or exogenous probes. This review describes the fundamental principles of SPT as well as its applications in intracellular mechanics, membrane dynamics, organelles distribution, and processes of internalization and transport. Finally, challenges and future directions of SPT are also discussed.

Keywords: cell mechanics; intracellular transport; membrane dynamics; single particle tracking; trajectory analysis.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Review

MeSH terms

Cell Membrane
Single Molecule Imaging*