Diffraction-unlimited fluorescence microscopy of living biological samples using pcSOFI.

Abstract

The complex microscopic nature of many live biological processes is often obscured by the diffraction limit of light, requiring diffraction-unlimited fluorescence microscopy to resolve them. Because of the vast range of different processes that can be studied, sub-diffraction imaging should work efficiently under many different conditions. Photochromic stochastic optical fluctuation imaging (pcSOFI) is a recent addition to the field of diffraction-unlimited fluorescence microscopy. This robust and versatile method employs a statistical analysis of random fluctuations in the emission of single labels, in this case reversibly switchable fluorescent proteins (RSFPs), to retrieve super-resolution information. Added to the resolution enhancement, pcSOFI also offers contrast enhancement and background reduction in a practical and convenient way. Here, we describe the necessary steps to obtain diffraction-unlimited images, including multicolor and three-dimensional imaging, and highlight the advantages of pcSOFI together with the circumstances under which pcSOFI can be favorably applied.