'Cryo Super-Resolution Fluorescence Microscopy for Correlation with Cryo-ET’

Super-resolution methods present a true game changer for the field of correlative light and electron microscopy (CLEM). They allow bridging the big resolution gap between conventional fluorescence microscopy (FM) and electron microscopy (EM). Cryo-immobilisation by fast-freezing techniques has been introduced to allow imaging in vitreous (glass-like) biological samples with superior structural preservation. On the one side, cryo-EM has evolved into a routine method for structural biology. Particularly cryo electron tomography (cryo-ET) offers insights into intact cells at unprecedented resolution. On the other side, super-resolution FM under cryo-conditions is still at a very early and experimental stage. However, the combination of both cryo-microscopy methods has great potential to open up a wide range of new application possibilities in structural and cellular biology. In my talk, I will discuss the challenges, our current solutions and the prospects for super-resolution cryo-CLEM.