Mapping molecular complexes with super-resolution microscopy and single-particle analysis

• Published in: Open biology Vol. 12; no. 7; p. 220079
• Main Authors: Mendes, Afonso, Heil, Hannah S, Coelho, Simao, Leterrier, Christophe, Henriques, Ricardo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Royal Society 01-07-2022; The Royal Society
• Subjects: Life Sciences; Microscopy, Fluorescence - methods; Neurobiology; Neurons and Cognition; Review; single-particle analysis; structural biology; super-resolution microscopy; structural biology; super-resolution microscopy; single-particle analysis; biophysics/biotechnology/cellular biology/ structural biology structural biology
• ISSN: 2046-2441; 2046-2441
• DOI: 10.1098/rsob.220079

Understanding the structure of supramolecular complexes provides insight into their functional capabilities and how they can be modulated in the context of disease. Super-resolution microscopy (SRM) excels in performing this task by resolving ultrastructural details at the nanoscale with molecular specificity. However, technical limitations, such as underlabelling, preclude its ability to provide complete structures. Single-particle analysis (SPA) overcomes this limitation by combining information from multiple images of identical structures and producing an averaged model, effectively enhancing the resolution and coverage of image reconstructions. This review highlights important studies using SRM-SPA, demonstrating how it broadens our knowledge by elucidating features of key biological structures with unprecedented detail.