Microscopy articles from across Nature Portfolio

We have engineered symmetric RNA scaffolds that allow structure solution of small RNAs via single-particle cryogenic-sample electron microscopy (cryoEM). This method enabled small-molecule ligand placement in experimental maps and revealed the molecular basis for specificity of natural and synthetic RNA aptamers, thus suggesting routes for structure-guided RNA engineering.

Conserved 50-200 nm chromatin domains add a new layer to genome organization beyond loops. This Review integrates imaging and biophysics to show how epigenetic activity and transcription shape these domains to regulate cell identity.

Researchers show that a disease-causing Tau mutation disrupts the autophagy-lysosome pathway in human neurons, leading to Tau accumulation, and that enhancing autophagy can partially restore protein clearance.

Robin and colleagues describe a population of blood vessel-resident macrophages that function within the vasculature to maintain vascular and blood homeostasis in zebrafish and identify a conserved population of these cells in mice.

Single-molecule 4Pi microscopy is simplified and made accessible by using a single objective.

Cells use fluid flow to deliver proteins to their leading edge. An actin barrier creates a compartment where contraction drives flow, steering proteins toward growing regions. This mechanism coordinates protein distribution with cell shape changes.

This comment delves into the need for statistically rigorous population estimation in cryo-electron microscopy. Examples are given illustrating the failure of particle counting and the robustness of principled techniques.

Ahead of his 60th birthday, Paul A. Midgley, Professor of Materials Science at the University of Cambridge, discussed his life in science.

We have engineered symmetric RNA scaffolds that allow structure solution of small RNAs via single-particle cryogenic-sample electron microscopy (cryoEM). This method enabled small-molecule ligand placement in experimental maps and revealed the molecular basis for specificity of natural and synthetic RNA aptamers, thus suggesting routes for structure-guided RNA engineering.

We developed SmartEM, a method that integrates machine learning directly into the image acquisition process of an electron microscope. By allocating imaging time in a specific manner — scanning quickly at first, then rescanning only critical areas more slowly — we are able to accelerate the mapping of neural circuits up to sevenfold without sacrificing accuracy.

Vitrification of polymer solutions yields ultrasmall fluorescent polymer dots that combine dye-like size with nanoparticle brightness, enabling nanometre-precision live-cell tracking on standard microscopes.