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Updated: Jul 14, 2026

Mapping Absolute DNA Density in Cell Nuclei using Single-molecule Localization Microscopy
Published on: November 11, 2025
Nucleic acid and protein mass mapping by live-cell deep-ultraviolet microscopy
Benjamin J Zeskind1, Caroline D Jordan, Winston Timp
1WI-MIT BioImaging Center, 500 Technology Square NE47-287, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, USA. bzeskind@alum.mit.edu
Abstract:
We developed a deep-ultraviolet (UV) microscope capable of imaging cell mitosis and motility at 280 nm for 45 min with minimal UV-induced toxicity, and for 6 h before the onset of visible cell death in cultured human and mouse cells. Combined with computational methods that convert the intensity of each pixel into an estimate of mass, deep-UV microscopy images generate maps of nucleic acid mass, protein mass and fluorescence yield in unlabeled cells.

