STED super-resolution imaging of mitochondria labeled with TMRM in living cells

Abstract

We applied stimulated emission depletion (STED) imaging with subdiffraction resolution to submitochondrial structures in mitochondria. Their shapes depend on both a cell's type and its physiological state. Staining with a cationic fluorescent dye, tetramethylrhodamine methyl ester (TMRM), unveiled intriguing details of lamellar structure, consisting of rapidly changeable, curtain-like formations. The TMRM-positive structure colocalized with neither proteins in the matrix nor on the outer membrane, but partially localized with the nucleoid. Suppression of a component in the mitochondrial contact site disrupted the lamellar TMRM-positive structure. Uncoupling of the oxidative phosphorylation system released TMRM from the inner membrane without any alteration in the matrix structure. STED images further showed that complexes of the electron transport chain are located on the surface of TMRM-positive structures. The approach presented here provides novel insights into the in vivo nature of submitochondrial structures, and can be used for further functional investigations of these complex structures.

Keywords: Cationic fluorescent dye; Mitochondrial inner membrane; Mitochondrial membrane potential; Oxidative phosphorylation system.