Quantitative DNA-paint imaging of AMPA receptors in live neurons

Abstract

DNA-PAINT can image biological specimens with potentially nanometer resolution and obtain absolute stoichiometry. The technique, however, has not been used in living system due to high salt concentration in the buffer required for specific binding of DNA-imager to DNA-docker probes. Here, we used multiple binding motifs from 1-16x, of the docker to accelerate the binding speed of the imager under physiological buffer condition without compromising spatial resolution. We imaged endogenous AMPARs—critical proteins involved in nerve communication in live neurons.