Abstract - Eggeling

Molecular interactions are key in cellular signalling. They are usually ruled by the organization and mobility of the involved molecules. However, the direct and non-invasive observation of the interactions in the living cell membrane is often impeded by principle limitations of conventional far-field optical microscopes, for example with respect to limited spatiotemporal resolution and information content. Here, we present an advanced optical microscopy study involving tools such super-resolution STED microscopy in combination with spectral imaging and fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS) and single-molecule tracking on a MINFLUX and iSCAT (interferometric SCATtering) microscope. We highlight limitations and advantages and present how these approaches can reveal novel aspects of membrane bioactivity such as of the existence and function of potential lipid rafts e.g. during pathogen invasion.

Christian Eggeling, Leibniz Institute of Photonic Technology e.V. Institute of Applied Optics and Biophysics, Friedrich‐Schiller‐University, Jena, Germany