Rapid 3D-STORM imaging of diverse molecular targets in tissue

Abstract

The precise organization of fine scale molecular architecture is critical for the nervous system and other biological functions and would benefit from nanoscopic imaging methods with improved accessibility, throughput, and native tissue compatibility. Here, we report RAIN-STORM, a rapid and scalable imaging approach that enables three-dimensional nanoscale target visualization for multiple subcellular and intracellular targets within tissue at depth. RAIN-STORM utilizes conventional tissue samples, readily available reagents in optimized formulas, requires no specialized sample handling, and is suitable for commercial instrumentation. To illustrate RAIN-STORMs ability for quantitative high-resolution nanoscopic tissue imaging, we utilized the well-organized but structurally complex retina. We show that RAIN-STORM is rapid and versatile, enabling 3D nanoscopic imaging of over 20 distinct targets to reveal known and novel nanoscale features of synapses, neurons, glia, and vascular. Further, imaging parameters are compatible with a wide range of tissue sources and molecular targets across a spectrum of biological structures. Finally, we show that this method can be applied to clinically derived samples and reveal the nanoscale distribution of molecular targets within human samples. RAIN-STORM thus enables rapid 3D imaging for a range of molecules, paving the way for high throughput studies of nanoscopic molecular features in intact tissue from diverse sources.