Low-Power Two-Color Stimulated Emission Depletion Microscopy for Live Cell Imaging
Jia Zhang,
Xinwei Gao,
Luwei Wang,
Yong Guo,
Yinru Zhu,
Zhigang Yang,
Wei Yan,
Junle Qu
Affiliations
Jia Zhang
Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Devices and System of Ministry of Education and Guangdong Province, College of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
Xinwei Gao
Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Devices and System of Ministry of Education and Guangdong Province, College of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
Luwei Wang
Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Devices and System of Ministry of Education and Guangdong Province, College of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
Yong Guo
Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Devices and System of Ministry of Education and Guangdong Province, College of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
Yinru Zhu
Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Devices and System of Ministry of Education and Guangdong Province, College of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
Zhigang Yang
Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Devices and System of Ministry of Education and Guangdong Province, College of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
Wei Yan
Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Devices and System of Ministry of Education and Guangdong Province, College of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
Junle Qu
Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Devices and System of Ministry of Education and Guangdong Province, College of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
Stimulated emission depletion (STED) microscopy is a typical laser-scanning super-resolution imaging technology, the emergence of which has opened a new research window for studying the dynamic processes of live biological samples on a nanometer scale. According to the characteristics of STED, a high depletion power is required to obtain a high resolution. However, a high laser power can induce severe phototoxicity and photobleaching, which limits the applications for live cell imaging, especially in two-color STED super-resolution imaging. Therefore, we developed a low-power two-color STED super-resolution microscope with a single supercontinuum white-light laser. Using this system, we achieved low-power two-color super-resolution imaging based on digital enhancement technology. Lateral resolutions of 109 and 78 nm were obtained for mitochondria and microtubules in live cells, respectively, with 0.8 mW depletion power. These results highlight the great potential of the novel digitally enhanced two-color STED microscopy for long-term dynamic imaging of live cells.
