title: Breaking the diffraction barrier: super-resolution imaging of cells.
abstract: Anyone who has used a light microscope has wished that its resolution could be a little better. Now, after centuries of gradual improvements, fluorescence microscopy has made a quantum leap in its resolving power due, in large part, to advancements over the past several years in a new area of research called super-resolution fluorescence microscopy. In this Primer, we explain the principles of various super-resolution approaches, such as STED, (S)SIM, and STORM/(F)PALM. Then, we describe recent applications of super-resolution microscopy in cells, which demonstrate how these approaches are beginning to provide new insights into cell biology, microbiology, and neurobiology.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA.
authors.forename: Bo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Hazen
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Babcock
authors.forename: Xiaowei
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhuang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003584:Cytological Techniques / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*