In situ measurements of intracellular thermal conductivity using heater-thermometer hybrid diamond nanosensors.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 33523906.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1126/sciadv.abd7888 and PMC identifier 7810374.
- Licence recorded as CC BY-NC.
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Abstract
Understanding heat dissipation processes at nanoscale during cellular thermogenesis is essential to clarify the relationships between the heat and biological processes in cells and organisms. A key parameter determining the heat flux inside a cell is the local thermal conductivity, a factor poorly investigated both experimentally and theoretically. Here, using a nanoheater/nanothermometer hybrid made of a polydopamine encapsulating a fluorescent nanodiamond, we measured the intracellular thermal conductivities of HeLa and MCF-7 cells with a spatial resolution of about 200 nm. The mean values determined in these two cell lines are both 0.11 ± 0.04 W m<sup>-1</sup> K<sup>-1</sup>, which is significantly smaller than that of water. Bayesian analysis of the data suggests there is a variation of the thermal conductivity within a cell. These results make the biological impact of transient temperature spikes in a cell much more feasible, and suggest that cells may use heat flux for short-distance thermal signaling.