Investigation of Caenorhabditis elegans using Soft X-ray Contact Microscopy

 

Tara Desai,1 Dimitri Batani,1 Andrea Bernardiello,1 Giulio Poletti,2 Francesco Orsini,2 Jiri Ullschmied,3 Jiri Skala,3 Bozena Kralikova,3 Eduard Krousky,3 Miroslav Pfeifer,3 Christelle Kadlec,3 Thomas Mocek,3 Ansgar Präg,3 Oldrich Renner,3 Libor Juha,3 Franco Cotelli,4 Carla Lora Lamia Donin,4 Aldo Zullini5

 

  1. Dipartimento di Fisica «G. Occhialini», Università di Milano Bicocca, Piazza della Scienza 3, I 20126 Milano (Italy)
  2. INFM, CIMAINA and Istituto di Fisiologia Generale e Chimica Biologica, Università di Milano, Via Trentacoste 2, I 20134 Milano (Italy)
  3. PALS Research Centre, Za Slovankou 3, 18221 Prague 8 (Czech Republic)
  4. Dipartimento di Biologia, Università di Milano, Via Celoria 26, I 20133 Milano (Italy)
  5. Dipartimento di Biotecnologie e Bioscienze, Università di Milano Bicocca, Piazza della Scienza 2, I 20126 Milano (Italy)

 

Manuscript received: February 12, 2004; revised: June 28, 2004 Accepted for publication: July 2, 2004

 

Abstract

 

Soft X-ray Contact Microscopy (sxcm) experiments have been performed on the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans using the Prague Asterix Iodine Laser System (pals). Pulsed X-rays were generated using gold and molybdenum targets with laser intensities I ≥ 1014 W/cm2 to record the contact images of C. elegans on pmma photoresists. Results were analyzed using an atomic force microscope operating in constant force mode. Our results show some characteristic features of the C. elegans and the suitability of the sxcm technique for the study of multi-cellular specimens.

 

keywords : C. elegans, Soft X-ray contact microscopy, Intense laser plasma, Gold target.

 

previous