Speaker: Ke Xu, Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley

Time: 14:00-15:30 p.m., Jun 14, 2024, GMT+8

Venue: Rm. B117, Research Complex #2, PKU 

Abstract: 

Recent advances in super-resolution fluorescence microscopy have led to exciting spatial resolutions.We discuss our efforts to advance beyond the spatial (structural) information of super-resolution microscopy and map out multidimensional functional parameters at the nanoscale through the mass accumulation of single-molecule spectroscopy. With spectrally resolved single-molecule localization microscopy (SR-SMLM), we encode functional parameters into the emission spectra of single probe molecules. and so unveil nanoscale compositional heterogeneities in cellular membranes. With single-molecule displacement/diffusivity mapping (SMdM), we map out intracellular diffusivity with unprecedented spatial resolution and fidelity, and thus uncover diffusion heterogeneities at the nanoscale in the mammalian cytoplasm, nucleus, and organelles, and identify the net charge of the diffuser as an overlooked key determinant of intracellular diffusion rate. By integrating such multidimensional super-resolution approaches, we further uncover nanoscale heterogeneities in the aging process of FUS condensates, showing that beta-sheet aggregates gradually accumulate on the microdroplet surface to form a hard shel. Together, by adding rich functional dimensions to super-resolution microscopy, we open up new ways to reveal fascinating spatiotemporal heterogeneities in the living cell and beyond.

Source: College of Future Technology, PKU