Ultrahigh-throughput single-molecule spectroscopy and spectrally resolved super-resolution microscopy

By developing a wide-field scheme for spectral measurement and implementing photoswitching, we synchronously obtained the fluorescence spectra and positions of ∼10(6) single molecules in labeled cells in minutes, which consequently enabled spectrally resolved, 'true-color' super-resolution microscopy. The method, called spectrally resolved stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy (SR-STORM), achieved cross-talk-free three-dimensional (3D) imaging for four dyes 10 nm apart in emission spectrum. Excellent resolution was obtained for every channel, and 3D localizations of all molecules were automatically aligned within one imaging path.