Intrinsic-contrast super-resolution imaging of DNA at 2-nm resolution

项目总结 最近的重大科学突破之一是出现了超分辨率光学纳米显微镜。 纳米级光学成像目前在生物医学科学中发挥着至关重要的作用，并提供了无价的 关于大分子尺度上的细胞结构和功能的信息。然而，这一潜力 技术可以得到极大的提升。在这个项目中，一种新的光学技术--光谱本征对比度 将开发光子定位光学纳米技术(SICLON)，使其能够实现无标记纳米级成像 细胞的三维结构和分子组成，空间分辨率接近2 nm。 SICLON是基于一种新发现的物理效应：大多数生物聚合物，如DNA，直到最近还 在可见光范围内被认为是“暗”的，在低亮度照射下表现出随机的荧光开关。 可见光强度。这项技术可能会对广泛的生物学研究产生深远影响，因为它 将有可能在不使用标记的情况下进行分子分辨率、全细胞、光学成像。

PROJECT SUMMARY One of the major recent scientific breakthroughs was the emergence of super-resolution optical nanoscopy. Nanoscale optical imaging currently plays a crucial role in biomedical sciences and has provided invaluable information about cellular structure and function at the macromolecular scale. However, the potential of this technology can be immensely enhanced. In this project a new optical technology, spectroscopic intrinsic-contrast photon-localization optical nanoscopy (SICLON), will be developed that will enable label-free nanoscale imaging of three-dimensional structure and molecular composition of cells with spatial resolution approaching 2 nm. SICLON is based on a newly discovered physical effect: most biopolymers, such as DNA, that until recently had been considered “dark” in the visible regime exhibit stochastic fluorescence switching when illuminated by low- intensity visible light. The technology could have a profound impact on a wide range of biological research as it will become possible to do molecular-resolution, whole-cell, optical imaging without the use of labels.