Single-Step Expansion SMLM Enables Molecular-Resolution Imaging in Cells and Isolated Proteins

Expansion microscopy (ExM) enables nanoscale fluorescence imaging on standard microscopes, but its combination with single-molecule localization microscopy (SMLM) remains challenging due to the incompatibility of expanded hydrogels with photoswitching buffers. Here, we introduce a single-step expansion microscopy approach that enables SMLM using spontaneously blinking dyes in 6-14× expanded samples, without re-embedding or buffer exchange. Using this approach, we achieve nanometer-scale spatial resolution by resolving the organization of the nuclear pore complex and the molecular structure of recombinant homotrimeric proliferating cell nuclear antigen.