Single-visible-light performed STORM imaging with activatable photoswitches

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Imaging
• Nanotechnology
• Organic Chemistry

Background:

• Stochastic Optical Reconstruction Microscopy (STORM) achieves nanoscale resolution but requires advanced, UV-light-dependent photoswitches.
• Current photoswitches lack specificity for biomolecules and necessitate complex dual-beam setups.

Purpose of the Study:

• To engineer photoswitches activated by a single visible light source for STORM imaging.
• To create photoswitches that can be activated by intracellular biomolecules for targeted super-resolution imaging.

Main Methods:

• Incorporation of intramolecular proton transfer (IPT) units into photochromic diarylethene to create visible-light-driven photoswitches.
• Functionalization of IPT units with biomolecular recognition motifs for sensing specific intracellular biomolecules (e.g., GSH, β-Gal).

Main Results:

• Developed all-visible-light driven photoswitches with high photoresponsive efficiency, brightness, and fluorescence contrast.
• Demonstrated successful STORM imaging using a single visible light (488 nm) source.
• Created photoswitches capable of sensing intracellular biomolecule expression levels with super-resolution.

Conclusions:

• The novel photoswitches streamline STORM imaging by utilizing a single visible light source.
• Biomolecule-activatable photoswitches expand super-resolution microscopy applications for precise intracellular mapping.
• This advancement offers a simpler, more versatile approach to nanoscale biological imaging.