Imaging of membrane proteins using antenna-based optical microscopy

摘要

The localization and identification of individual proteins is of key importance for the understanding of biological processes on the molecular scale. Here, we demonstrate near-field fluorescence imaging of single proteins in their native cell membrane. Incident laser radiation is localized and enhanced with an optical antenna in the form of a spherical gold particle attached to a pointed dielectric tip. Individual proteins can be identified with a diffraction-unlimited spatial resolution of similar to 50 nm. Besides determining the concentration and distribution of specific membrane proteins, this approach makes it possible to study the colocalization of different membrane proteins. Moreover, it enables a simultaneous recording of the membrane topology. Protein distributions can be correlated with the local membrane topology, thereby providing important information on the chemical and structural organization of cellular membranes.