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DNA origami used as a platform to study the bleaching behavior of four commonly used fluorophores in cw-STED nanoscopy., Superresolution microscopy is currently revolutionizing optical imaging. A key factor for getting images of highest quality is – besides a well-performing imaging system – the labeling of the sample. We compared the fluorescent dyes Abberior Star 488, Alexa 488, Chromeo 488 and Oregon Green 488 for use in continuous wave (cw-)STED microscopy in aqueous buffer and in a durable polymer matrix. To optimize comparability, we designed DNA origami standards labeled with the fluorescent dyes including a bead-like DNA origami with dyes focused on one spot and a DNA origami with two marks at a designed distance of ∼100 nm. Our data show that all dyes are well suited for cw-STED microscopy but that the optimal dye depends on the embedding medium. The precise comparison enabled by DNA origami nanorulers indicates that these structures have matured from the proof-of-concept to easily applicable tools in fluorescence microscopy.

The dynamic development of fluorescence microscopy has created a large number of new techniques, many of which are able to overcome the diffraction limit. This chapter describes the use of DNA origami nanostructures as scaffold for quantifying microscope properties such as sensitivity and resolution. The DNA origami technique enables placing of a defined number of fluorescent dyes in programmed geometries. We present a variety of DNA origami nanorulers that include nanorulers with defined labeling density and defined distances between marks. The chapter summarizes the advantages such as practically free choice of dyes and labeling density and presents examples of nanorulers in use. New triangular DNA origami nanorulers that do not require photoinduced switching by imaging transient binding to DNA nanostructures are also reported. Finally, we simulate fluorescence images of DNA origami nanorulers and reveal that the optimal DNA nanoruler for a specific application has an intermark distance that is roughly 1.3-fold the expected optical resolution.

The dynamic development of fluorescence microscopy has created a large number of new techniques, many of which are able to overcome the diffraction limit. This chapter describes the use of DNA origami nanostructures as scaffold for quantifying microscope properties such as sensitivity and resolution. The DNA origami technique enables placing of a defined number of fluorescent dyes in programmed geometries. We present a variety of DNA origami nanorulers that include nanorulers with defined labeling density and defined distances between marks. The chapter summarizes the advantages such as practically free choice of dyes and labeling density and presents examples of nanorulers in use. New triangular DNA origami nanorulers that do not require photoinduced switching by imaging transient binding to DNA nanostructures are also reported. Finally, we simulate fluorescence images of DNA origami nanorulers and reveal that the optimal DNA nanoruler for a specific application has an intermark distance that is roughly 1.3-fold the expected optical resolution.

The dynamic concentration range is one of the major limitations of single-molecule fluorescence techniques. Here, we show how bottom-up nano-antennas enhance the fluorescence intensity in a reduced hot-spot, ready for biological applications. We use self-assembled DNA origami structures as a breadboard where gold nanoparticle dimers are positioned with nanometer precision. A maximum of almost 100fold intensity enhancement is obtained using 100 nm gold nanoparticles within a gap of 23 nm between the particles. The results obtained are in good agreement with numerical simulations. Due to the intensity enhancement introduced by the nano-antenna, we are able to perform single molecule measurements at concentrations as high as 500 nM which represents an increment of 2 orders of magnitude compared to conventional measurements. The combination of metallic nanoparticles with DNA origami structures with docking points for biological assays paves the way for the development of bottom-up inexpensive enhancement chambers for single molecule measurements at high concentrations where processes like DNA sequencing occur.

Building a Fluorescent Hotspot When two gold nanoparticles come close together, their overlapping plasmonic fields can create a region that acts as a nanoantenna that can enhance the fluorescent emission of a molecule. Acuna et al. (p. 506 ) used a surface-anchored DNA origami structure to assemble one or two gold nanoparticles next to a dye trapped within the structure. A > 100-fold enhancement in fluorescent emission was observed when the dye molecules were located in a 23-nm gap between two 100-nm gold nanoparticles.

Most fluorescence microscopy experiments today require a multicolor-capable setup, e.g. to study the interaction between different proteins. Multicolor capabilities are also well desirable for superresolution images. However, especially for STED (Stimulated Emission Depletion) microscopy, which requires two laser lines for a single color, multicolor imaging is technically challenging. Here we present a straightforward, easy-to-implement method to extend a single-color fluorescence (STED) microscope to a multichannel microscope without the need of modifying the optical setup. Therefore, we use a labeling technique based on complementary DNA sequences: a single-stranded short DNA sequence is attached to each structure to be imaged, different colors for labeling different features are represented by different sequences. Within the imaging process, the corresponding complementary sequence labeled with an organic fluorophore is added and transiently binds to the corresponding structure. After imaging, the labeled sequence is washed away and replaced by a second fluorescently labeled DNA strand complementary to the sequence bound to another feature. This way, multiplexing is achieved using only one arbitrary fluorophore, therefore aberrations are avoided.