Wash‐Free Multi‐Target Super‐Resolution Microscopy With Photocaged DNA Labels
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Super-resolution microscopy with DNA-fluorophore labels is primed for multi-target imaging of cell biological samples. However, direct interaction with the sample is required to exchange or add DNA-fluorophore labels in each imaging round, which can impair the accuracy of the imaging data at the nanometer scale. To bypass this requirement, we introduce PhotoPAINT, a wash-free method that employs DNA oligonucleotides equipped with photocaging groups. Irradiation with light removes these photo-modulatable groups and changes the hybridization properties of DNA labels, enabling light-modulated targeting. We demonstrate this concept by imaging various cellular targets with confocal microscopy, single-molecule localization microscopy (SMLM), and stimulated emission depletion (STED) microscopy.
Institution: Goethe University Frankfurt
Language: English
Subfield: Biophysics
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $5,510
Funder: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft
OpenAlex ID: W7135183502