Universal Molecular Retention with 11-Fold Expansion Microscopy.

Area of Science:

• Biotechnology
• Microscopy
• Molecular Biology

Background:

• Nanoscale imaging is crucial for understanding disease pathogenesis.
• Expansion microscopy (ExM) offers a low-cost alternative to super-resolution microscopy.
• Existing ExM methods face limitations with specific anchoring agents and clinical sample formats.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce Magnify, a new ExM method for enhanced tissue expansion.
• To enable robust nanoscale imaging across various tissue types.
• To overcome limitations of current ExM techniques for clinical samples.

Main Methods:

• Developed Magnify, an ExM protocol utilizing methacrolein as a chemical anchor.
• Applied Magnify to a wide array of tissue types for expansion.
• Optimized protocols for crack-free tissue expansion and handling of expanded gels.

Main Results:

• Achieved robust tissue expansion up to 11-fold using Magnify.
• Methacrolein anchor effectively retained proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids within the gel.
• Demonstrated broad nanoscale imaging capabilities on conventional optical microscopes.

Conclusions:

• Magnify provides a versatile and effective ExM method for nanoscale tissue imaging.
• The technique overcomes previous limitations, allowing for broader application in biological research.
• Magnify facilitates improved understanding of disease pathogenesis through enhanced imaging.