High Spatiotemporal Resolution Structured Illumination Microscopy: Principle, Instrumentation, and Applications

TL;DR

This paper reviews structured illumination microscopy (SIM), emphasizing its principles, instrumentation, and applications in achieving high spatiotemporal resolution for live cell imaging and biological research.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of SIM's mechanisms, technological evolution, and diverse applications, highlighting recent advancements and future prospects.

Findings

SIM offers high-resolution, low phototoxicity imaging suitable for live cells.

Technological innovations have significantly improved SIM's speed and resolution.

SIM is increasingly vital for studying cellular dynamics and disease mechanisms.

Abstract

Among super-resolution microscopy techniques, structured illumination microscopy (SIM) shows great advances of low phototoxicity, high speed, and excellent performance in long-term dynamic observation, making it especially suitable for live cell imaging. This review delves into the principles, instrumentation, and applications of SIM, highlighting its capabilities in achieving high spatiotemporal resolution. Two types of structured illumination mechanics are employed: (1) stripe-based SIM, where the illumination stripes are formed through interference or projection, with extended resolution achieved through Fourier-domain extension; (2) point-scanning based SIM, where illumination pattern are generated through projection of the focal point or focal array, with extended resolution achieved through photon reassignment. We discuss the evolution of SIM from mechanical to high-speed photoelectric devices, such as spatial light modulators, digital micromirror devices, galvanometers, etc., which significantly enhance imaging speed, resolution, and modulation flexibility. The review also explores SIM's applications in biological research, particularly in live-cell imaging and cellular interaction studies, providing insights into disease mechanisms and cellular functions. We conclude by outlining the future directions of SIM in life sciences. With the advancement of imaging techniques and reconstruction algorithms, SIM is poised to bring revolutionary impacts to frontier research fields, offering new avenues for exploring the intricacies of cellular biology.