Determining the structure and composition of macromolecular assemblies is a major challenge in biology. Here we describe ultrastructure expansion microscopy (U-ExM), an extension of expansion microscopy that allows the visualization of preserved ultrastructures by optical microscopy. This method allows for near-native expansion of diverse structures in vitro and in cells; when combined with super-resolution microscopy, it unveiled details of ultrastructural organization, such as centriolar chirality, that could otherwise be observed only by electron microscopy.

Abberior Instruments GmbH Göttingen Germany

Department of Biotechnology and Biophysics Biocenter University of Würzburg Würzburg Germany

Department of Cell Biology Sciences 3 University of Geneva Geneva Switzerland

Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne Biomedical Imaging Group Lausanne Switzerland

ICube CNRS University of Strasbourg Illkirch France

Laboratory of Adaptative Immunity Institute of Molecular Genetics Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic Prague Czech Republic

Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge MA USA

Signal Processing Core of Center for Biomedical Imaging EPFL Lausanne Switzerland

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