From intracellular temperature measurements to cell activity measurements

Place: Conference room, IMDEA Nanociencia.

Abstract: 

Measurement of intracellular thermometry in a fast, accurate, reliable, and non-invasive manner is crucial for the understanding of critical cellular processes. Different luminescent intracellular thermometers have been developed over the years that have allowed temperature measurement at organelles to evaluate cellular responses to external stimuli. Some of these reported thermal changes have been at the center of controversy due to their incompatibility with cellular thermodynamics. In this seminar, I will shed light on this issue using GFP as an example of an intranuclear thermometer. The difficulties assure the existence of bias that must be considered and avoided for reliable intracellular thermometry. Exceptional care must be taken when measuring temperature during cellular perturbation. Thus, changes in cellular activity influence the nanothermometers’ signal; the possibility of using the nanothermometers as a cellular activity sensor will also be discussed. As a final point, I will show the last update in temperature utilization to open the blood-brain barrier (Grant AECC Semillas).