Recent advances in super-resolution fluorescence microscopy have led to exciting spatial resolutions of ~10 nm. We discuss our recent efforts to advance beyond the structural (shape) information of super-resolution microscopy and reveal multidimensional parameters in live cells at the nanoscale. With spectrally resolved single-molecule localization microscopy, we encode functional parameters into the emission spectra of single probe molecules, and so unveil rich, nanoscale compositional heterogeneities in the membranes of live mammalian cells. With single-molecule displacement/diffusivity mapping (SMdM), we map out intracellular diffusivity with unprecedented spatial resolution and fidelity, and thus discover that diffusion in the mammalian cytoplasm and nucleus are both spatially heterogeneous at the nanoscale, and identify the net charge of the diffuser as a previously overlooked, key determinant of diffusion rate. By adding remarkably rich functional dimensions to the already powerful super-resolution microscopy, we thus open up new ways to reveal fascinating spatiotemporal heterogeneities in the living cell.

Multidimensional single-molecule and super-resolution microscopy of the living cell

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ACS Fall 2022

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.