Cell membrane sample preparation method of combined AFM and dSTORM analysis

Area of Science:

• Biophysics
• Cell Biology
• Microscopy

Background:

• Cell membranes are crucial for protein function.
• Understanding membrane protein assembly is key to elucidating cell membrane structure and function.
• Advanced imaging techniques are needed to study cell membranes at high resolution.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a complete workflow for cell membrane sample preparation.
• To demonstrate correlative atomic force microscopy (AFM) and direct stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy (dSTORM) for analyzing cell membrane structure.
• To enable systematic studies of cell membrane organization.

Main Methods:

• Development of a novel angle-controlled sample preparation device for cell membranes.
• Application of correlative AFM for topographical analysis of the cytoplasmic side of cell membranes.
• Utilizing dSTORM imaging to determine the distribution of specific membrane proteins.

Main Results:

• Successfully correlated membrane protein distributions with the topography of the cell membrane's cytoplasmic side.
• Demonstrated the capability to systematically study cell membrane structure using the proposed workflow.
• Validated the applicability of the sample characterization method for biological tissue sections.

Conclusions:

• The presented workflow provides a robust method for high-resolution cell membrane analysis.
• Correlative AFM and dSTORM imaging offer powerful insights into membrane protein organization and cell membrane structure.
• The developed techniques have broader applications in biological tissue analysis and detection.