Gene

Cell biology

Biology

Biochemistry

Computer science

Stimulated emission

Organelle

Genetics

Laser

Physics

Optics

Image (mathematics)

Escherichia coli

Mitochondrion

Artificial intelligence

Chemistry

Cell

Superresolution

Biophysics

Nucleoid

STED microscopy

Scientific Reports

Mitochondria are highly dynamic organelles that exhibit a complex inner architecture. They exhibit a smooth outer membrane and a highly convoluted inner membrane that forms invaginations called cristae. Imaging cristae in living cells poses a formidable challenge for super-resolution light microscopy. Relying on a cell line stably expressing the mitochondrial protein COX8A fused to the SNAP-tag and using STED ( st imulated e mission d epletion) nanoscopy, we demonstrate the visualization of cristae dynamics in cultivated human cells. We show that in human HeLa cells lamellar cristae are often arranged in groups separated by voids that are generally occupied by mitochondrial nucleoids.

Live-cell STED nanoscopy of mitochondrial cristae