Correlative nanoscopy: A multimodal approach to molecular resolution.

Atomic force microscopy (AFM) is a nano-mechanical tool uniquely suited for biological studies at the molecular scale. AFM operation is based on mechanical interaction between the tip and the sample, a mechanism of contrast capable of measuring different information, including surface topography, mechanical, and electrical properties. However, the lack of specificity highlights the need to integrate AFM data with other techniques providing compositional hints. In particular, optical microscopes based on fluorescence as a mechanism of contrast can access the local distribution of specific molecular species. The coupling between AFM and super-resolved fluorescence microscopy solves the resolution mismatch between AFM and conventional fluorescence optical microscopy. Recent advances showed that also the inherently label-free imaging capabilities of the AFM are fundamental to complement the fluorescence images. In this review, we have presented a brief historical view on correlative microscopy, and, finally, we have summarized the progress of correlative AFM-super-resolution microscopy in biological research.

Combining wide-field super-resolution microscopy and electron tomography: rendering nanoscopic correlative arrays on subcellular architecture.

In this chapter, the authors outline in full detail, an uncomplicated approach that enables the combination of wide-field fluorescence super-resolution microscopy with electron tomography, thereby providing an approach that affords the best possible confidence in the structures investigated. The methodical steps to obtain these high-throughput correlative nanoscopic arrays will be visually explored and outlined in detail. The authors will demonstrate the feasibility of the method on cultured Caco-2 colorectal cancer cells that are labeled for filamentous actin. The presented images, morphometric data, and generated models illustrate the strengths of our correlative approach for future advanced structural-biology-oriented questions. Correlative nanoscopy applications can be readily found in which there is a need to reveal biomolecular information at unprecedented resolution on subcellular behavior in various biological and pathobiological processes.