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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Feb 2, 2026

Single-molecule Super-resolution Imaging of Phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate in the Plasma Membrane with Novel Fluorescent Probes

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Published on: October 15, 2016

High-Resolution Plasma Membrane-Selective Imaging by Second Harmonic Generation.

Takaha Mizuguchi¹, Masato Yasui¹, Mutsuo Nuriya²

¹Department of Pharmacology School of Medicine, Keio University, 35 Shinanomachi, Shinjuku, Tokyo 160-8582, Japan.

|November 23, 2018

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Second harmonic generation (SHG) imaging offers high-resolution visualization of the plasma membrane in living cells. This technique overcomes limitations of fluorescence imaging, enabling precise studies of cellular structures and functions.

Keywords:

Biological Sciences Biophysics Membrane Architecture

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Published on: March 30, 2015

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Last Updated: Feb 2, 2026

Single-molecule Super-resolution Imaging of Phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate in the Plasma Membrane with Novel Fluorescent Probes

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Published on: October 15, 2016

Imaging Plasma Membrane Deformations With pTIRFM

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Published on: April 2, 2014

Functional Characterization of Na+/H+ Exchangers of Intracellular Compartments Using Proton-killing Selection to Express Them at the Plasma Membrane

Functional Characterization of Na+/H+ Exchangers of Intracellular Compartments Using Proton-killing Selection to Express Them at the Plasma Membrane

Published on: March 30, 2015

Area of Science:

Cell Biology
Biophysics
Microscopy

Background:

The plasma membrane is crucial for intercellular communication and signal transduction.
Visualizing the plasma membrane in living cells is challenging due to high background signals from intracellular components using traditional fluorescence microscopy.
Existing techniques struggle with specificity and resolution for plasma membrane studies.

Purpose of the Study:

To demonstrate that second harmonic generation (SHG) is a high-resolution, plasma membrane-selective imaging technique.
To showcase SHG's capability for multifaceted investigations of the plasma membrane.
To overcome the limitations of fluorescence imaging for plasma membrane visualization.

Main Methods:

Utilized second harmonic generation (SHG) microscopy for live-cell imaging.
Applied SHG to visualize the plasma membrane independently of substrate attachment.
Leveraged SHG's subresolution imaging capability for enhanced resolution.

Main Results:

SHG specifically visualizes the plasma membrane, even in areas not attached to substrates.
Achieved high-resolution imaging of the plasma membrane due to SHG's subresolution nature.
Measured distances between the plasma membrane and subcortical actin/tubulin fibers, revealing cytoskeletal organization.

Conclusions:

SHG imaging provides unprecedented precision and versatility for visualizing plasma membrane phenomena.
SHG microscopy facilitates detailed investigations of cytoskeletal organization beneath the plasma membrane.
SHG is a powerful tool to advance cell biology research focused on the plasma membrane.