Super-resolution 3D microscopy of live whole cells using structured illumination
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Updated: May 28, 2026

Super-resolution Imaging of the Cytokinetic Z Ring in Live Bacteria Using Fast 3D-Structured Illumination Microscopy (f3D-SIM)
Published on: September 29, 2014
Lin Shao1, Peter Kner, E Hesper Rego
1Janelia Farm Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, Virginia, USA. shaol@janelia.hhmi.org
Abstract:
Three-dimensional (3D) structured-illumination microscopy (SIM) can double the lateral and axial resolution of a wide-field fluorescence microscope but has been too slow for live imaging. Here we apply 3D SIM to living samples and record whole cells at up to 5 s per volume for >50 time points with 120-nm lateral and 360-nm axial resolution. We demonstrate the technique by imaging microtubules in S2 cells and mitochondria in HeLa cells.
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