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Updated: Apr 21, 2026

Direct Stochastic Optical Reconstruction Microscopy of Extracellular Vesicles in Three Dimensions

Direct Stochastic Optical Reconstruction Microscopy of Extracellular Vesicles in Three Dimensions

Published on: August 26, 2021

Direct stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy (dSTORM).

Ulrike Endesfelder¹, Mike Heilemann

¹Institute of Physical & Theoretical Chemistry, Goethe University Frankfurt am Main, Max-von-Laue-Street 7, Frankfurt, 60438, Germany.

Methods in Molecular Biology (Clifton, N.J.)

|November 14, 2014

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Direct stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy (dSTORM) uses standard organic fluorophores as photoswitches. This technique achieves super-resolution microscopy with optical resolution of approximately 20 nm.

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Area of Science:

Biophysics
Optical Microscopy
Nanotechnology

Background:

Super-resolution microscopy enables imaging beyond the diffraction limit.
Conventional organic fluorophores are essential tools in biological imaging.

Purpose of the Study:

To review the principles and applications of direct stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy (dSTORM).
To highlight the use of conventional fluorophores in achieving nanoscale resolution.

Main Methods:

Review of direct stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy (dSTORM) principles.
Illustration of experimental schemes for dSTORM.
Discussion of data analysis approaches for dSTORM.

Main Results:

dSTORM provides an optical resolution of approximately 20 nm.
Conventional fluorophores can be effectively utilized as photoswitches in dSTORM.
The technique is compatible with regular, bright, and photostable organic fluorophores.

Conclusions:

Direct stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy (dSTORM) is a powerful super-resolution technique.
dSTORM offers a viable method for high-resolution imaging using readily available fluorophores.
Further development in data analysis can enhance dSTORM capabilities.