Illumination Versatility | Olympus AX70 instruction

ILLUMINATION

VERSATILITY

Field stop and aperture stop units for easy attachment of laser and other special illuminators.

Removable field stop and aperture stop units facilitate simple attachment and detachment of laser and

additional illuminators. This versatility permits application-specific incident light illumination. In particular, it enables laser illumination for laser manipulation and caged compound release photoactivation.

Twin-lamp housing configuration with a quick, one-touch illumination changeover.

Two lamp housings can be mounted simultaneously onto the AX70 to significantly expand the microscope’s potential. Infrared（IR）excitation and

Photoactivation of caged fluorescein.

Caged fluorescein labeled tubulin had been introduced in the cell; after exposure to UV light through a slit a photoactivated zone was generated.

conventional ultraviolet（UV）excitation are both required when fluorescence microscopy moves toward multi- staining. However, this requires switching the light source from the conventional mercury burner to a halogen source. The twin-lamp housing configuration on the AX70 makes the switchover between the mercury burner and halogen source a simple operation.

Quick excitation light switchover

–a convenient feature for various photometry and measurement applications.

Working in combination with the OSP100-DNA photometry system, the AX70 easily handles different measuring methods using several fluorescent indicators. These range from 1-wavelength excitation/

1-wavelength photometry（1Ex1Em）to

2-wavelength excitation/2-wavelength photometry（2Ex2Em）. Thus, the AX70/OSP100 combination can measure fluorescence intensities at a single wavelength with dual-wavelength excitation using the fura-2 or BCECF indicator. These advantages make it ideal for analyzing intracellular calcium ion concentrations and pH values.

Application example

PAF (Photoactivated Fluorescence)

The PAF technique irradiates caged compound with an ultraviolet ray, instantly transforming them to original active substances. The induced reaction is then measured and examined. PAF also allows control of intracellular reaction time and location.

Applications

•Examining muscle contraction due to increased intracellular Ca2+ concentrations.

•Study of cytoskeleton assemblies.

•Ion channel research.

•Study of receptor-bonding of neural transmitters and their functions.

AX70 – the obvious choice

The AX70 incorporates a vertical illuminator with sideways illumination capability.

The Y-shape also provides an uncluttered work surface for conveniently positioning an injector or other ancillary equipment near the stand. An upright microscope is required to observe internal structures of cells (with samples usually measuring 100 - 200∝ m thick).