Giepmans Ben N G
Section of Molecular Imaging and Electron Microscopy, Department of Cell Biology, University Medical Center Groningen, A. Deusinglaan 1, 9713 AV, Groningen, The Netherlands.
Histochem Cell Biol. 2008 Aug;130(2):211-7. doi: 10.1007/s00418-008-0460-5. Epub 2008 Jun 25.
Development of new fluorescent probes and fluorescence microscopes has led to new ways to study cell biology. With the emergence of specialized microscopy units at most universities and research centers, the use of these techniques is well within reach for a broad research community. A major breakthrough in fluorescence microscopy in biology is the ability to follow specific targets on or in living cells, revealing dynamic localization and/or function of target molecules. One of the inherent limitations of fluorescence microscopy is the resolution. Several efforts are undertaken to overcome this limit. The traditional and most well-known way to achieve higher resolution imaging is by electron microscopy. Moreover, electron microscopy reveals organelles, membranes, macromolecules, and thus aids in the understanding of cellular complexity and localization of molecules of interest in relation to other structures. With the new probe development, a solid bridge between fluorescence microscopy and electron microscopy is being built, even leading to correlative imaging. This connection provides several benefits, both scientifically as well as practically. Here, I summarize recent developments in bridging microscopy.
新型荧光探针和荧光显微镜的发展为细胞生物学研究带来了新方法。随着大多数大学和研究中心专门显微镜设备的出现，广大研究群体都能够使用这些技术。生物学荧光显微镜的一项重大突破是能够追踪活细胞上或细胞内的特定靶点，揭示靶分子的动态定位和/或功能。荧光显微镜的一个固有局限是分辨率。人们正在进行多项努力来克服这一局限。实现更高分辨率成像的传统且最为人熟知的方法是电子显微镜。此外，电子显微镜能够揭示细胞器、膜、大分子，从而有助于理解细胞的复杂性以及感兴趣分子相对于其他结构的定位。随着新型探针的研发，荧光显微镜和电子显微镜之间正在搭建起坚实的桥梁，甚至催生了相关成像技术。这种联系在科学和实际应用方面都带来了诸多益处。在此，我总结一下显微镜联用技术的最新进展。
