Rapid lightsheet fluorescence imaging of whole Drosophila brains at nanoscale resolution by potassium acrylate-based expansion microscopy.

ABSTRACT: Taking advantage of the good mechanical strength of expanded Drosophila brains and to tackle their relatively large size that can complicate imaging, we apply potassium (poly)acrylate-based hydrogels for expansion microscopy (ExM), resulting in a 40x plus increased resolution of transgenic fluorescent proteins preserved by glutaraldehyde fixation in the nervous system. Large-volume ExM is realized by using an axicon-based Bessel lightsheet microscope, featuring gentle multi-color fluorophore excitation and intrinsic optical sectioning capability, enabling visualization of Tm5a neurites and L3 lamina neurons with photoreceptors in the optic lobe. We also image nanometer-sized dopaminergic neurons across the same intact iteratively expanded Drosophila brain, enabling us to measure the 3D exp

SUBMITTER: Tian X 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11685761 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature