DNA-PAINT super-resolution microscopy at speed
(PHYSorg.com Physics)

Recent advances in fluorescence microscopy allow researchers to study biological processes below the classical diffraction limit of light. Ralf Jungmann, Professor for Experimental Physics at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität in Munich and research group leader at the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, and colleagues developed DNA-PAINT, a variant of these so-called super-resolution approaches. `DNA-PAINT yields super-resolved images using comparably simple microscopes`, says Jungmann. The technique uses short, dye-labeled DNA strands that transiently interact with their target-bound complements in order to create the necessary `blinking` for super-resolution reconstruction. This approach enables sub-10-nm spatial resolution and easy multiplexing through the use of orthogonal DNA sequences for different targets.