Welcome to Laser Pointer Forums - discuss green laser pointers, blue laser pointers, and all types of lasers

LPF Donation via Stripe | LPF Donation - Other Methods

Links below open in new window

ArcticMyst Security by Avery

Lasers and protozoa

Arayan

Arayan

0
Joined
Oct 26, 2009
Messages
1,746
Points
48
Today I have noticed a strange and nice phenomenon on a ciliated protozoa. This single-celled organism is called "Blepharisma japonicum" and posses a reddish pigment which was used for chemical defence and for photoreception.
The strange thing is the following: if I put a cell under a blu ray laser (<5 mW 405 nm) for few seconds the cell becomes fluorescent! I tried with other ciliate species but this phenomenon is visible only with Blepharismas. Very very nice :) :)
 

Attachments

  • blephLaseroff.jpg
    blephLaseroff.jpg
    57.5 KB · Views: 251
  • blephLaserøn.jpg
    blephLaserøn.jpg
    61.2 KB · Views: 297
Last edited:





E

Elgranto7

0
Joined
Oct 22, 2009
Messages
83
Points
0
Do you mean you expose the bacteria to the violet radiation, remove the light and it continues to glow?

BTW do you work at a lab? :D
 
Arayan

Arayan

0
Joined
Oct 26, 2009
Messages
1,746
Points
48
Do you mean you expose the bacteria to the violet radiation, remove the light and it continues to glow?
Click to expand...
Yes if the light was removed (even the microscope's lamp) the cells continues to glow for few seconds. I'm preparing a small movie, when I can I upload it. Only a small clarification, these are not bacteria but protozoa :D
BTW do you work at a lab?
Click to expand...
Yes I'm a microbiologist and I work in a state University :)
 
E

Elgranto7

0
Joined
Oct 22, 2009
Messages
83
Points
0
these are not bacteria but protozoa :D
Click to expand...

Yes Eukaryotes, my bad lol. I havent had a science class in about 6 months as i'm on a gap year :D. Going a bit rusty.. not good xD
---
The reddish pigment must be slightly phosphorescent maybe? either that or the (near) UV light triggers the activation energy required for some kind of reaction to take place causing bioluminescence in the protozoa.
 
Last edited:
Arayan

Arayan

0
Joined
Oct 26, 2009
Messages
1,746
Points
48
The reddish pigment must be slightly phosphorescent maybe? either that or the (near) UV light triggers the activation energy required for some kind of reaction to take place causing bioluminescence in the protozoa.
Click to expand...
This kind of protozoa never produce bioluminescence but, on the contrary, the red pigment becames toxic also for the producers under the light. Anyway this fluorescence could be a process similar to what you speak.... and compliments for your knowledge in small eukaryotes ;)
 
Arayan

Arayan

0
Joined
Oct 26, 2009
Messages
1,746
Points
48
just for completeness, I tried it with green and red lasers, but I do not get any fluorescence.
 
Cyparagon

Cyparagon

0
Joined
Sep 12, 2007
Messages
9,399
Points
113
Likely because a bluray photon has more energy. The same is true of almost all GITD material.
 
Arayan

Arayan

0
Joined
Oct 26, 2009
Messages
1,746
Points
48
Likely because a bluray photon has more energy. The same is true of almost all GITD material.
Click to expand...
This seems to be the most logical explanation, although no one has reported, up to now, that this pigment may be fluorescent.
 

Attachments

  • iio2.jpg
    iio2.jpg
    50.3 KB · Views: 160
Benm

Benm

0
Joined
Aug 16, 2007
Messages
7,896
Points
113
Arayan said:
This kind of protozoa never produce bioluminescence...
Click to expand...

It really doesnt have to be capable of that in order to produce fluorescense or phosphorescense. Many of the plant pigments can fluoresce to some degree when irradiated with the proper wavelength. In plants this can serve to make photosynthesis more efficient by capturing a broader spectrum of light.

I am not familiar with this specific species, but protozoa in general can photosynthesize as well as feed - perhaps some of the pigments are still expressed to some degree even in species that rely on feeding as their primary energy source. This would also explain why they are somewhat coloured under normal lighting.
 
Arayan

Arayan

0
Joined
Oct 26, 2009
Messages
1,746
Points
48
I am not familiar with this specific species, but protozoa in general can photosynthesize as well as feed
Click to expand...
Only some protozoa are able to photosynthesize such as some flagellates or other " unicellular algae", but ciliates are heterotrophic organisms like animals and lacks chloroplast and other organelles for photosynthesis. This pigment was used by this kind of ciliate to avoid sunlight and to ward off potential predator (the pigment is toxic and could be discharged). Perhaps the induced bioluminescence could be used, by this ciliates, for other purpose, such as the cell-cell communications... some deep analisys could be performed in order to obtain an explanation...
 
Benm

Benm

0
Joined
Aug 16, 2007
Messages
7,896
Points
113
Ah right, so its actually a compound that serves multiple purposes in the organism?

I suppose it would be odd to have a protective pigment that acts like a 'sun tan' of sorts, but is also toxic to the organism itself... but then again, microbes sometimes do the crazyest things :)

I doubt there would be any function in communication - i suppose these organsims all live in watery environment, and chemical signalling would be the method of choice.

How hard are these things to grow? Would be cool to have a tube or flask full of them that fluoresce when you shine a bluray at it.
 
Arayan

Arayan

0
Joined
Oct 26, 2009
Messages
1,746
Points
48
Benm said:
I suppose it would be odd to have a protective pigment that acts like a 'sun tan' of sorts, but is also toxic to the organism itself... but then again, microbes sometimes do the crazyest things
Click to expand...
Yes this is one of the functions of the red pigment, for this reason we are studying the possibility to use a lead compound obtained from these cells for protective sun block.

Benm said:
I doubt there would be any function in communication - i suppose these organsims all live in watery environment, and chemical signalling would be the method of choice.
Click to expand...
You're right but maybe it can be an interspecific communication, perhaps another mechanism for defense against other unicellular or multicellular predators. There are organisms that do it but I recognize that it is a remote possibility!

Benm said:
How hard are these things to grow? Would be cool to have a tube or flask full of them that fluoresce when you shine a bluray at it.
Click to expand...
It is not very difficult to cultivate these ciliates, I feed them with bacteria or other small protists. I must to try what you say, it is a nice idea... if it works I will post a picture :D
 
You must log in or register to reply here.




Top