A Review of Super-Resolution Single-Molecule Localization Microscopy Cluster Analysis and Quantification Methods

Ismail M. Khater, Ivan Robert Nabi, Ghassan Hamarneh

Abstract: Cells are the structural and functional units of living organisms. Studying the cell requires an understanding of its different compartments and their relationship to one other inside and outside the cell. With the aid of microscopes, researchers can visualize, identify, and study cell organelles and molecular components, which is critical to understanding cell function in health and malfunction in different diseases. The recent advent of super-resolution microscopy, which provides an order-of-magnitude improvement in resolution compared with light microscopy, allows visualization and quantification of the organization of proteins to form macromolecular complexes in situ in intact cells, facilitating our understanding of molecular interactions in different biological structures that drive cell behavior. This revolutionary discovery advances science to better understand cellular function and the machinery of its subcellular compartments.