Building a super-resolution fluorescence cryomicroscope

Correlated super-resolution fluorescence microscopy and cryo-electron microscopy enables imaging with both high labeling specificity and high resolution. Naturally, combining two sophisticated imaging techniques within one workflow also introduces new requirements on hardware, such as the need for a super-resolution fluorescence capable microscope that can be used to image cryogenic samples. In this chapter, we describe the design and use of the “cryoscope”; a microscope designed for single-molecule localization microscopy (SMLM) of cryoEM samples that fits right into established cryoEM workflows. We demonstrate the results that can be achieved with our microscope by imaging fluorescently labeled vimentin, an intermediate filament, within U2OS cells grown on EM grids, and we provide detailed 3d models that encompass the entire design of the microscope.