Nikon MicroscopyU | Microscopy Literature

Microscopy Literature Sources

The Nikon MicroscopyU Reference Library contains links to selected reports that should be useful to investigators seeking introductory material on a variety of techniques, probes, light sources, and live-cell imaging applications.

Basic Techniques and Concepts

Specimen Contrast in Microscopy
Examine the origins of contrast in a wide spectrum of specimens.
Phase Contrast Microscopy
Using refractive index variations to produce optical contrast in transparent specimens.
Fluorescence Microscopy
Examining specimens labeled with molecules that absorb light and emit fluorescence.
Autofluorescence
Natural fluorescence in plants and animals that can also be introduced by fixatives.
Polarized Light Microscopy
Observing birefringent specimens using cross-polarized illumination.

Microscope Optical Systems
Information on the basic properties of microscope and camera optics.
Differential Interference Contrast (DIC)
Contrast enhancement using interference of polarized light wavefronts.
Confocal Microscopy
Imaging with laser excitation and pinhole detection of fluorescence.
Spinning Disk Microscopy
Excellent technique for high-speed imaging of living cells in real time with a CCD camera.
Stereomicroscopy
Long working distance, low magnification microscopes for stereoscopic observation.

Advanced Techniques and Concepts

Multiphoton Microscopy
Unique excitation scheme that reduces photobleaching and phototoxicity.
Deconvolution Microscopy
A powerful tool for three-dimensional analysis of complex biological specimens.
Spectral Imaging and Linear Unmixing
A powerful technique for co-localization, FRET, and removing autofluorescence.
Resonant Scanning Confocal Microscopy
Resonant scanning confocals can gather images at 30 frames per second or higher.
Fluorophore Co-Localization
Detecting the presence of two or more molecules at the same physical location.
Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging Microscopy
Imaging to resolve fluorescence lifetimes with high spatial resolution.

Total Internal Reflection Microscopy
TIRFM is useful for probing cellular processes that occur near the membrane.
Single Molecule Fluorescence Microscopy
This technique is emerging as a powerful tool for superresolution imaging.
Fluorescent Speckle Microscopy
Stochastic but sparse labeling of macromolecules to track protein dynamics.
Superresolution Microscopy Techniques
Breaking the diffraction barrier to image molecules with nanometer precision.
Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer
Probing molecular interactions in living cells using fluorescent proteins and fluorophores.

Live-Cell Imaging Techniques

Live-Cell Imaging Techniques
Basic concepts in maintaining and imaging living cells on the microscope stage.
Focus Drift in Optical Microscopy
Focus drift describes the inability to maintain focus over an extended period of time.
Fluorescence Recovery after Photobleaching
FRAP is used to determine the mobility of fluorescently tagged proteins in live cells.
Cellular Phototoxicity
Phototoxicity often occurs upon exposure of fluorescently labeled cells to illumination.

Live-Cell Imaging Chambers
Chambers specially designed to keep cells alive and healthy on the microscope stage.
FRET Microscopy with Spectral Imaging
Excellent for ratiometric analysis of photobleaching and spectral imaging FRET.
Electron-Multiplying CCD Cameras
EMCCDs are the detector system of choice for live-cell imaging in real-time applications.

Fluorescent Probes for Optical Microscopy

Quantum Dots
Nanocrystals with excellent spectral properties and extreme photostability.
Optical Highlighter Fluorescent Proteins
Genetically-encoded probes capable of activation, switching, and photoconversion.
Synthetic Fluorophores and Hybrid Tags
A number of fluorophores have been developed for imaging living and fixed cells.
Fluorophore Photobleaching
Understanding the mechanisms and kinetics of fluorescence decay in fluorescent probes.

Fluorescent Proteins
Fluorescent proteins are currently the probes of choice for live-cell imaging.
Fluorescent Protein Biosensors
Genetically-encoded FRET biosensors are useful in detecting a many biological events.
Bimolecular Fluorescence Complementation
Detecting molecular interactions in live cells with split fluorescent proteins.
Chromophore-Assisted Light Inactivation
CALI is a useful technique for selectively deactivating target molecules.

Superresolution Microscopy

Superresolution Review Articles
Overviews of the literature written by experts in optical design and superresolution imaging.
3D Superresolution Techniques
Probing both the lateral and axial dimensions at resolutions beneath the diffraction limit.
dSTORM Microscopy
A single-molecule superresolution technique that utilizes conventional fluorophores.
STORM Microscopy
Single-molecule superresolution using photoswitchable carbocyanine dyes.
Stimulated Emission Depletion (STED)
A point-spread function engineering technique that relies on high-power lasers.
Superresolution Structured Illumination
Applying structured excitation illumination to resolve high spatial frequencies.
Interference Superresolution Microscopy
Interference techniques that rely on standing wave interference for superresolution.
Saturated Structured Illumination
Structured illumination excitation with theoretically infinite resolution.
Superresolution Practical Aspects
Points to consider when conducting single-molecule superresolution investigations.
PALMIRA Superresolution Imaging
An advanced single-molecule technique that avoids several potential artifacts.
Structured Illumination Microscopy
Patterned excitation for optical sectioning forms the basis for superresolution.
Selective Plane Illumination
An emerging technique with great potential for superresolution imaging.

The RESOLFT Concept
Describing superresolution with reversible saturable or switchable optical transitions.
4Pi Superresolution Microscopy
Using opposed objectives to narrow the axial point spread function to near 100 nanometers.
Ground State Depletion (GSD) Microscopy
GSD relies on driving excited state molecules into a dark metastable long-lived triplet state.
PALM Microscopy
Single-molecule superresolution using optical highlighter fluorescent proteins.
Standing Wave Microscopy
Axial resolution enhancement using interference between two standing waves.
Single-Molecule Localization
Fundamental principles underpinning the techniques of PALM, STORM, and GSDIM.
Live-Cell Superresolution
Investigations are beginning to address dynamics using superresolution microscopy.
Superresolution Microscopy Probes
Fluorescent proteins, synthetics, quantum dots, and hybrid systems for superresolution.
Superresolution Localization Accuracy
Critical aspects of stage drift, molecular density, background signal and other artifacts.
Blinking Superresolution Microscopy
Single-molecule imaging tuned to the fluctuating emission of fluorophores.
Specialized Superresolution Methods
Emerging methodology is now being examined for potential applications.
Near-Field Scanning (NSOM)
Probing specimens with an evanescent wavefield for superresolution.

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