What we talk about when we talk about nanoclusters

Towards a unifying model for B-cell receptor triggering

Antibodies are exceptionally versatile molecules with remarkable flexibility in their binding properties. Their natural targets range from small-molecule toxins, across viruses of different sizes, to bacteria and large multicellular parasites. The molecular determinants bound by antibodies include proteins, peptides, carbohydrates, nucleic acids, lipids and even synthetic molecules that have never existed in nature. Membrane-anchored antibodies also serve as receptors on the surface of the B cells that produce them. Despite recent structural insights, there is still no unifying molecular mechanism to explain how antibody targets (antigens) trigger the activation of these B-cell receptors (BCRs). After cognate antigen encounter, somatic hypermutation and class-switch recombination allow BCR affinity maturation and immunoglobulin class-specific responses, respectively. This raises the fundamental question of how one receptor activation mechanism can accommodate a plethora of variant receptors and ligands, and how it can ensure that individual B cells remain responsive to antigen after somatic hypermutation and class switching. There is still no definite answer. Here we give a brief historical account of the different models proposed to explain BCR triggering and discuss their merit in the context of the current knowledge of the structure of BCRs, their dynamic membrane distribution, and recent biochemical and cell biological insights.

Imagining the future of optical microscopy: everything, everywhere, all at once

The optical microscope has revolutionized biology since at least the 17th Century. Since then, it has progressed from a largely observational tool to a powerful bioanalytical platform. However, realizing its full potential to study live specimens is hindered by a daunting array of technical challenges. Here, we delve into the current state of live imaging to explore the barriers that must be overcome and the possibilities that lie ahead. We venture to envision a future where we can visualize and study everything, everywhere, all at once - from the intricate inner workings of a single cell to the dynamic interplay across entire organisms, and a world where scientists could access the necessary microscopy technologies anywhere.

Antigen footprint governs activation of the B cell receptor

Antigen binding by B cell receptors (BCR) on cognate B cells elicits a response that eventually leads to production of antibodies. However, it is unclear what the distribution of BCRs is on the naïve B cell and how antigen binding triggers the first step in BCR signaling. Using DNA-PAINT super-resolution microscopy, we find that most BCRs are present as monomers, dimers, or loosely associated clusters on resting B cells, with a nearest-neighbor inter-Fab distance of 20-30 nm. We leverage a Holliday junction nanoscaffold to engineer monodisperse model antigens with precision-controlled affinity and valency, and find that the antigen exerts agonistic effects on the BCR as a function of increasing affinity and avidity. Monovalent macromolecular antigens can activate the BCR at high concentrations, whereas micromolecular antigens cannot, demonstrating that antigen binding does not directly drive activation. Based on this, we propose a BCR activation model determined by the antigen footprint.

Understanding immune signaling using advanced imaging techniques

Advanced imaging is key for visualizing the spatiotemporal regulation of immune signaling which is a complex process involving multiple players tightly regulated in space and time. Imaging techniques vary in their spatial resolution, spanning from nanometers to micrometers, and in their temporal resolution, ranging from microseconds to hours. In this review, we summarize state-of-the-art imaging methodologies and provide recent examples on how they helped to unravel the mysteries of immune signaling. Finally, we discuss the limitations of current technologies and share our insights on how to overcome these limitations to visualize immune signaling with unprecedented fidelity.

An Efficient GUI-Based Clustering Software for Simulation and Bayesian Cluster Analysis of Single-Molecule Localization Microscopy Data

Ligand binding of membrane proteins triggers many important cellular signaling events by the lateral aggregation of ligand-bound and other membrane proteins in the plane of the plasma membrane. This local clustering can lead to the co-enrichment of molecules that create an intracellular signal or bring sufficient amounts of activity together to shift an existing equilibrium towards the execution of a signaling event. In this way, clustering can serve as a cellular switch. The underlying uneven distribution and local enrichment of the signaling cluster’s constituting membrane proteins can be used as a functional readout. This information is obtained by combining single-molecule fluorescence microscopy with cluster algorithms that can reliably and reproducibly distinguish clusters from fluctuations in the background noise to generate quantitative data on this complex process. Cluster analysis of single-molecule fluorescence microscopy data has emerged as a proliferative field, and several algorithms and software solutions have been put forward. However, in most cases, such cluster algorithms require multiple analysis parameters to be defined by the user, which may lead to biased results. Furthermore, most cluster algorithms neglect the individual localization precision connected to every localized molecule, leading to imprecise results. Bayesian cluster analysis has been put forward to overcome these problems, but so far, it has entailed high computational cost, increasing runtime drastically. Finally, most software is challenging to use as they require advanced technical knowledge to operate. Here we combined three advanced cluster algorithms with the Bayesian approach and parallelization in a user-friendly GUI and achieved up to an order of magnitude faster processing than for previous approaches. Our work will simplify access to a well-controlled analysis of clustering data generated by SMLM and significantly accelerate data processing. The inclusion of a simulation mode aids in the design of well-controlled experimental assays.

Understanding DNA organization, damage, and repair with super-resolution fluorescence microscopy

Super-resolution microscopy (SRM) comprises a suite of techniques well-suited to probing the nanoscale landscape of genomic function and dysfunction. Offering the specificity and sensitivity that has made conventional fluorescence microscopy a cornerstone technique of biological research, SRM allows for spatial resolutions as good as 10 nanometers. Moreover, single molecule localization microscopies (SMLMs) enable examination of individual molecular targets and nanofoci allowing for the characterization of subpopulations within a single cell. This review describes how key advances in both SRM techniques and sample preparation have enabled unprecedented insights into DNA structure and function, and highlights many of these new discoveries. Ongoing development and application of these novel, highly interdisciplinary SRM assays will continue to expand the toolbox available for research into the nanoscale genomic landscape.

Current and future advances in fluorescence-based visualization of plant cell wall components and cell wall biosynthetic machineries

Plant cell wall-derived biomass serves as a renewable source of energy and materials with increasing importance. The cell walls are biomacromolecular assemblies defined by a fine arrangement of different classes of polysaccharides, proteoglycans, and aromatic polymers and are one of the most complex structures in Nature. One of the most challenging tasks of cell biology and biomass biotechnology research is to image the structure and organization of this complex matrix, as well as to visualize the compartmentalized, multiplayer biosynthetic machineries that build the elaborate cell wall architecture. Better knowledge of the plant cells, cell walls, and whole tissue is essential for bioengineering efforts and for designing efficient strategies of industrial deconstruction of the cell wall-derived biomass and its saccharification. Cell wall-directed molecular probes and analysis by light microscopy, which is capable of imaging with a high level of specificity, little sample processing, and often in real time, are important tools to understand cell wall assemblies. This review provides a comprehensive overview about the possibilities for fluorescence label-based imaging techniques and a variety of probing methods, discussing both well-established and emerging tools. Examples of applications of these tools are provided. We also list and discuss the advantages and limitations of the methods. Specifically, we elaborate on what are the most important considerations when applying a particular technique for plants, the potential for future development, and how the plant cell wall field might be inspired by advances in the biomedical and general cell biology fields.

Natural Killer Cell Integrins and Their Functions in Tissue Residency

Integrins are transmembrane receptors associated with adhesion and migration and are often highly differentially expressed receptors amongst natural killer cell subsets in microenvironments. Tissue resident natural killer cells are frequently defined by their differential integrin expression compared to other NK cell subsets, and integrins can further localize tissue resident NK cells to tissue microenvironments. As such, integrins play important roles in both the phenotypic and functional identity of NK cell subsets. Here we review the expression of integrin subtypes on NK cells and NK cell subsets with the goal of better understanding how integrin selection can dictate tissue residency and mediate function from the nanoscale to the tissue environment.

A workflow for sizing oligomeric biomolecules based on cryo single molecule localization microscopy

Single molecule localization microscopy (SMLM) has enormous potential for resolving subcellular structures below the diffraction limit of light microscopy: Localization precision in the low digit nanometer regime has been shown to be achievable. In order to record localization microscopy data, however, sample fixation is inevitable to prevent molecular motion during the rather long recording times of minutes up to hours. Eventually, it turns out that preservation of the sample's ultrastructure during fixation becomes the limiting factor. We propose here a workflow for data analysis, which is based on SMLM performed at cryogenic temperatures. Since molecular dipoles of the fluorophores are fixed at low temperatures, such an approach offers the possibility to use the orientation of the dipole as an additional information for image analysis. In particular, assignment of localizations to individual dye molecules becomes possible with high reliability. We quantitatively characterized the new approach based on the analysis of simulated oligomeric structures. Side lengths can be determined with a relative error of less than 1% for tetramers with a nominal side length of 5 nm, even if the assumed localization precision for single molecules is more than 2 nm.

Unscrambling fluorophore blinking for comprehensive cluster detection via photoactivated localization microscopy

Determining nanoscale protein distribution via Photoactivated Localization Microscopy (PALM) mandates precise knowledge of the applied fluorophore's blinking properties to counteract overcounting artifacts that distort the resulting biomolecular distributions. Here, we present a readily applicable methodology to determine, optimize and quantitatively account for the blinking behavior of any PALM-compatible fluorophore. Using a custom-designed platform, we reveal complex blinking of two photoswitchable fluorescence proteins (PS-CFP2 and mEOS3.2) and two photoactivatable organic fluorophores (PA Janelia Fluor 549 and Abberior CAGE 635) with blinking cycles on time scales of several seconds. Incorporating such detailed information in our simulation-based analysis package allows for robust evaluation of molecular clustering based on individually recorded single molecule localization maps.

Light Microscopy of Mitochondria at the Nanoscale

Mitochondria are essential for eukaryotic life. These double-membrane organelles often form highly dynamic tubular networks interacting with many cellular structures. Their highly convoluted contiguous inner membrane compartmentalizes the organelle, which is crucial for mitochondrial function. Since the diameter of the mitochondrial tubules is generally close to the diffraction limit of light microscopy, it is often challenging, if not impossible, to visualize submitochondrial structures or protein distributions using conventional light microscopy. This renders super-resolution microscopy particularly valuable, and attractive, for studying mitochondria. Super-resolution microscopy encompasses a diverse set of approaches that extend resolution, as well as nanoscopy techniques that can even overcome the diffraction limit. In this review, we provide an overview of recent studies using super-resolution microscopy to investigate mitochondria, discuss the strengths and opportunities of the various methods in addressing specific questions in mitochondrial biology, and highlight potential future developments.

Verifying molecular clusters by 2-color localization microscopy and significance testing

While single-molecule localization microscopy (SMLM) offers the invaluable prospect to visualize cellular structures below the diffraction limit of light microscopy, its potential has not yet been fully capitalized due to its inherent susceptibility to blinking artifacts. Particularly, overcounting of single molecule localizations has impeded a reliable and sensitive detection of biomolecular nanoclusters. Here we introduce a 2-Color Localization microscopy And Significance Testing Approach (2-CLASTA), providing a parameter-free statistical framework for the qualitative analysis of two-dimensional SMLM data via significance testing methods. 2-CLASTA yields p-values for the null hypothesis of random biomolecular distributions, independent of the blinking behavior of the chosen fluorescent labels. The method is parameter-free and does not require any additional measurements nor grouping of localizations. We validated the method both by computer simulations as well as experimentally, using protein concatemers as a mimicry of biomolecular clustering. As the new approach is not affected by overcounting artifacts, it is able to detect biomolecular clustering of various shapes at high sensitivity down to a level of dimers.