Microscopy: Advancing Imaging

RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS

MICROSCOPY fluorescence microscopy” (The Nobel Foundation, 8 Oct 2014). The three laureates overcame the physical limit of the maximum resolution of traditional Advancing imaging optical microscopy: Stefan Hell In vivo imaging enables the study stem cells, microtubule instability (Max Planck Institute for Biophysical of complex, dynamic subcellular during cell division in HeLa cells Chemistry, Germany) developed processes in three dimensions; however, and the spatiotemporal relationship stimulated emission depletion (STED) limitations of existing tools include between the endoplasmic reticulum microscopy, and Eric Betzig (Janelia low resolution, slow imaging speed (ER), mitochondria and chromosomes Research Campus, Howard Hughes and high phototoxicity. Betzig and during mitosis. In addition, they Medical Institute, Virginia, USA) and colleagues addressed these issues were able to visualize cell–cell and William Moerner (Stanford University, by developing the use of multiple cell–matrix interactions, exemplified Stanford, California, USA) laid the non-diffracting Bessel beams to create by immunological synapsis formation foundation for single-molecule ultrathin light sheets. These light sheets and neutrophil migration through microscopy. “The new imaging excite fluorescence in successive the extracellular matrix, respectively. developments suddenly gave us a more planes as they scan through a specimen Finally, the authors used this approach than tenfold increase in resolution”, to generate a three-dimensional to image the localization of a said Stefanie Reichelt, Cancer Research this new (3D) image. This approach decreases chromosomal passenger complex UK Cambridge Research Institute, technique photobleaching and out-of-focus protein, actin distribution and dynamics and “we can begin to understand background, leads to high axial during embryogenesis in Drosophila much more clearly what is happening enables resolution and illuminates the entire melanogaster and Caenorhabditis in important biological processes” dynamic field of view. elegans embryos. In summary, this new (The Guardian, 8 Oct 2014). processes to The authors went on to demonstrate technique enables dynamic processes Andrea Du Toit the performance advantage of this to be visualized at high speed and high be visualized technique by imaging various dynamic spatiotemporal resolution. ORIGINAL RESEARCH PAPER Chen, Bi-C. et al. at high speed biological processes in cells and small This advance was published shortly Lattice light-sheet microscopy: imaging molecules and high embryos in three dimensions. Using following the announcement that to embryos at high spatiotemporal resolution. Science http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/ spatiotemporal lattice light sheet microscopy, they the 2014 Nobel Prize in Chemistry science.1257998 (2014) imaged the single-molecule binding was awarded jointly to Eric Betzig, WEB SITE resolution. kinetics of the SOX2 transcription Stefan W. Hell and William E. Moerner Vimeo album Lattice Light Sheet Microscope: http://vimeo.com/album/3098015 factor in a spheroid of mouse embryonic “for the development of super-resolved Digital Vision/PunchStock

NATURE REVIEWS | MOLECULAR CELL BIOLOGY VOLUME 15 | DECEMBER 2014