Super-resolution imaging of complex biological systems via chemical expansion microscopy
발표자
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초록
내용
Visualization of the molecular structures inside biological systems is essential to understand the molecular mechanisms of biological phenomena occurring inside these systems. In 2015, a new super-resolution fluorescence imaging technique, called expansion microscopy (ExM), was demonstrated. ExM can achieve sub-60-nm resolution with diffraction-limited microscopy by physically expanding target specimens with a swellable hydrogel. Here, we demonstrate a new ExM technique, which we termed chemical ExM, which can visualize almost all biological structures. In chemical ExM, all biological structures are directly labeled with fluorophores. As the molecular weight of fluorophores is around 1,000 Da, specimens with a thickness of several millimeters can be stained and imaged with a sub-60-nm resolution after expansion. Chemical ExM would be an attractive tool to study various biological systems, as it enables the super-resolution imaging of thick specimens without antibodies.