Abstract
Multi-target single-molecule super-resolution fluorescence microscopy offers a powerful means of understanding the distributions and interplay between multiple subcellular structures at the nanoscale. However, single-molecule super-resolution imaging of whole mammalian cells is often hampered by high fluorescence background and slow acquisition speeds, especially when imaging multiple targets in 3D. In this work, we have mitigated these issues by developing a steerable, dithered, single-objective tilted light sheet for optical sectioning to reduce fluorescence background and a pipeline for 3D nanoprinting microfluidic systems for reflection of the light sheet into the sample. This easily adaptable novel microfluidic fabrication pipeline allows for the incorporation of reflective optics into microfluidic channels without disrupting efficient and automated solution exchange. By combining these innovations with point spread function engineering for nanoscale localization of individual molecules in 3D, deep learning for analysis of overlapping emitters, active 3D stabilization for drift correction and long-term imaging, and Exchange-PAINT for sequential multi-target imaging without chromatic offsets, we demonstrate whole-cell multi-target 3D single-molecule super-resolution imaging with improved precision and imaging speed.
Competing Interest Statement
The authors have declared no competing interest.
Footnotes
↵# Co-first authors
This version of the manuscript has been revised to add new data for statistical backing of our results, more benchmarking, and extended discussions on limitations and comparisons with other techniques. We have updated figures 1 and 4 and added new supplementary figures 3, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 13, 18, 19, and supplementary table 1. We have also updated supplementary figures 11, and 16 and added new text to the manuscript accordingly.