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Updated: Feb 5, 2026

Visualizing the Actin and Microtubule Cytoskeletons at the B-cell Immune Synapse Using Stimulated Emission Depletion STED Microscopy
Published on: April 9, 2018
Quantitative Stimulated Emission Depletion (STED) Microscopy with DNA-Fluorophore Labels
Laurell F Kessler1, Yunqing Li1, Ashwin Balakrishnan1
1Institute of Physical and Theoretical Chemistry, Goethe-University Frankfurt, Max-von-Laue-Strasse 7, Frankfurt 60438, Germany.
Abstract:
Stimulated emission depletion (STED) microscopy enables super-resolution imaging of complex biological samples in 3D, in large volumes, and live. However, molecular quantification with STED has remained underexplored. Here, we present a straightforward approach for quantitative STED that enables molecule counting. For this purpose, we designed DNA-fluorophore labels that enable signal amplification and allow for reliable intensity-based quantitative imaging. We demonstrate accurate molecule counting on DNA origami. Furthermore, we visualized and quantified EGF receptor monomers and dimers in cells. In summary, we introduce a robust, fast, and easy-to-implement tool for quantitative STED microscopy with single-protein resolution.
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