Single-Molecule Displacement Mapping Indicates Unhindered Intracellular Diffusion of Small (≲1 kDa) Solutes.

ABSTRACT: While fundamentally important, the intracellular diffusion of small (≲1 kDa) solutes has been difficult to elucidate due to challenges in both labeling and measurement. Here we quantify and spatially map the translational diffusion patterns of small solutes in mammalian cells by integrating several recent advances. In particular, by executing tandem stroboscopic illumination pulses down to 400 μs separation, we extend single-molecule displacement/diffusivity mapping (SMdM), a super-resolution diffusion quantification tool, to small solutes with high diffusion coefficients D of >300 μm²/s. We thus show that for multiple water-soluble dyes and dye-tagged nucleotides, intracellular diffusion is dominated by vast regions of high diffusivity ∼60-70% of that in vitro, up

SUBMITTER: Choi AA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10558625 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature