Abstract

Quantum biological electron transfer (ET) essentially involves in virtually all important biological processes such as photosynthesis, cellular respiration, DNA repair, cellular homeostasis, and cell death. However, there is no real-time imaging method to capture biological electron tunnelling in live cells to date. Here, we report a quantum biological electron tunnelling (QBET) junction and its application in real-time optical detection of QBET and the dynamics of ET in mitochondrial cytochrome c during cell life and death process. QBET junctions permit to see the behaviours of electron tunnelling through barrier molecules with different barrier widths. Using QBET spectroscopy, we optically capture real-time ET in cytochrome c redox dynamics during cellular apoptosis and necrosis in living cells. The non-invasive real-time QBET spectroscopic imaging of ET in live cell open a new era in life sciences and medicine by providing a way to capture spatiotemporal ET dynamics and to reveal the quantum biological mechanisms.

Details

Title
Quantum biological tunnel junction for electron transfer imaging in live cells
Author
Hongbao Xin 1 ; Wen Jing Sim 2 ; Namgung, Bumseok 2   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Choi, Yeonho 3   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Li, Baojun 4   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Lee, Luke P 5   VIAFID ORCID Logo 

 Institute of Nanophotonics, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China; Berkeley Sensor and Actuator Centre, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA; Department of Bioengineering, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA; Biomedical Institute for Global Health Research and Technology, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore 
 Biomedical Institute for Global Health Research and Technology, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore 
 Department of Bio-convergence Engineering, School of Biomedical Engineering, Korea University, Seoul, Republic of Korea 
 Institute of Nanophotonics, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China 
 Berkeley Sensor and Actuator Centre, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA; Department of Bioengineering, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA; Biomedical Institute for Global Health Research and Technology, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore; Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA; Biophysics Graduate Program, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA; Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA 
Pages
1-11
Publication year
2019
Publication date
Jul 2019
Publisher
Nature Publishing Group
e-ISSN
20411723
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
2260416715
Copyright
© 2019. This work is published under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (the “License”). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.