Left-handed DNA for efficient highly multiplexed imaging at single-protein resolution

E Eduard M. Unterauer E Eva-Maria Schentarra I Isabelle Pachmayr T Taisha Tashrin J Jisoo Kwon S Sebastian Strauß K Kristina Jevdokimenko R Rafal Kowalewski F Felipe Opazo E Eugenio F. Fornasiero L Luciano A. Masullo R Ralf Jungmann (Research Group Molecular Imaging and Bionanotechnology, Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry)

Abstract

Abstract Multiplexed super-resolution microscopy enables spatial proteomics at single-protein resolution, but current methods often depend on secondary labels, complicating implementation and limiting throughput. We introduce a streamlined approach that combines speed-optimized DNA-PAINT sequences with their mirror-image analogs (left-handed DNA), enabling rapid and efficient 12-plex imaging. Validated on synthetic and cellular benchmarks, our method maps dense neuronal interactomes in 3D with 15 nm spatial resolution across a 200 × 200 µm2 field of view.

Article Details

Volume / Issue Vol. 16, Issue 1
Published October 02, 2025
ISSN 2041-1723
Publisher Nature Portfolio

Journal Info

Nature Communications

Nature Portfolio

ISSN: 2041-1723 Open Access Life Sciences

Authors (12)

E

Eduard M. Unterauer

E

Eva-Maria Schentarra

I

Isabelle Pachmayr

T

Taisha Tashrin

J

Jisoo Kwon

S

Sebastian Strauß

K

Kristina Jevdokimenko

R

Rafal Kowalewski

F

Felipe Opazo

E

Eugenio F. Fornasiero

L

Luciano A. Masullo

R

Ralf Jungmann

Research Group Molecular Imaging and Bionanotechnology, Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry