Optical imaging of dynamic interactions between molecules in cells
Super-resolution microscopy allows fluorescence images of cells, organelles and molecular complexes to be obtained with unprecedented spatial resolution. However, this resolution is not sufficient to resolve proteins as small as a few nanometers and their interactions with other molecules or the architecture of protein complexes. This prevents, for example, the study of the molecular interactions of neurons in learning and memory processes. Overcome dynamic resolution limit Developed by the research groups of Prof Markus Sauer (Rudolf Virchow Center and Biocenter) and Dr Gerti Beliu (Rudolf Virchow Center) at the University of Würzburg, the new photoswitching fingerprint analysis enables optical imaging of dynamic interactions with other molecules in cells. “To date, no method has reliably enabled structural optical resolution in cells in the sub-10 nm range. By elucidating the underlying cause of this barrier, we have succeeded for the first time, in combination with a new direct l