Abstract
Optical super-resolution microscopy allows the visualization of cellular structures with a spatial resolution of a few tens of nanometers and has revolutionized our understanding in cell biology. However, the spatial resolution achieved with to-date super-resolution microscopy methods in cells is not sufficient to optically resolve proteins within densely packed protein clusters, which themselves represent relevant functional assemblies in cells. Single-molecule localization microscopy (SMLM) offers an opportunity to retrieve this information by analyzing the kinetics of on-off-switching (“blinking”) observed in the fluorescence emission signatures of single fluorophores. We report the theoretical background of kinetics-based molecular quantification of SMLM data, discuss fluorescent probes and methods for protein labeling, and showcase applications in biology.
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Abbreviations
- DNA-PAINT:
-
DNA-based point accumulation for imaging in nanoscale topography
- dSTORM:
-
Direct stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy
- FCS:
-
Fluorescence correlation spectroscopy
- FPALM :
-
Fluorescence photoactivated localization microscopy
- FRET:
-
Förster resonance energy transfer
- HGF:
-
Hepatocyte growth factor
- InlB:
-
Internalin B
- N&B:
-
Number and brightness analysis
- paFP:
-
Photoactivatable fluorescent protein
- PAINT:
-
Point accumulation for imaging in nanoscale topography
- PALM:
-
Photoactivated localization microscopy
- pcFP:
-
Photoconvertible fluorescent protein
- PC-PALM:
-
Pair-correlation photoactivated localization microscopy
- PLAD :
-
Preligand assembly domain
- PSF:
-
Point spread function
- QAFKA :
-
Quantitative algorithm for fluorescence kinetics analysis
- qPAINT:
-
Quantitative point accumulation for imaging in nanoscale topography
- qPALM:
-
Quantitative photoactivated localization microscopy
- qSMLM:
-
Quantitative single-molecule localization microscopy
- RTK:
-
Receptor tyrosine kinase
- SMLM:
-
Single-molecule localization microscopy
- STORM:
-
Stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy
- TIRF:
-
Total internal reflection fluorescence
- TLR4:
-
Toll-like receptor 4
- TNFR1:
-
Tumor necrosis factor receptor 1
- TNFα:
-
Tumor necrosis factor alpha
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Acknowledgments
The authors gratefully acknowledge funding by the German Science Foundation (grants SFB 902, SFB 1177, HE 6166/17-1, GRK 2566 project number 414985841), LOEWE (Frankfurt Cancer Insititute), and the Volkswagen Foundation (grant 91067-9). We thank all past and present members of the Single-Molecule Biophysics group and our collaborators for their valuable contributions to this research.
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Dietz, M.S., Heilemann, M. (2022). Quantitative Photoactivated Localization Microscopy of Membrane Receptor Oligomers. In: Šachl, R., Amaro, M. (eds) Fluorescence Spectroscopy and Microscopy in Biology. Springer Series on Fluorescence, vol 20. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/4243_2022_37
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/4243_2022_37
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