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EXPANSION MICROSCOPY ENABLES FIRST OPTICAL VISUALIZATION OF PROTEIN WITHIN INDIVIDUAL PHOTORECEPTOR DISCS
Simone Mortal
ICFO - The Institute of Photonic Sciences
FENS Forum 2026 (2026)
Barcelona, Spain
Board PS02-07PM-638
Presentation
Date TBA
Board: PS02-07PM-638
Event Information
Poster Board
PS02-07PM-638
Poster
View posterAbstract
Photoreceptor discs are densely stacked membranes housing visual pigments, yet their molecular organization has remained inaccessible to optical imaging. Until now, only electron microscopy could resolve the 30–35 nm inter-disc spacing, but this approach visualizes ultrastructure without identifying proteins; conversely, fluorescence microscopy identifies proteins but lacks sufficient resolution. Here, we employ iterative ultrastructure expansion microscopy (iU-ExM) to achieve the first optical visualization of proteins within individual photoreceptor discs, attaining 12 nm effective resolution through 20-fold physical expansion. We demonstrate that rhodopsin occupies 92% of disc membrane area in situ, substantially exceeding prior estimates from isolated membrane preparations, and provide the first optical detection of peripherin-2 within disc incisures. Beyond disc architecture, we resolve the connecting cilium 9+0 axoneme and its morphological expansion at the outer segment boundary. Application to the RCS rat model of retinitis pigmentosa reveals compartmentalized pathology: outer segment disc spacing increased 29% while centriolar architecture remained preserved. By combining nanometer-scale resolution with molecular specificity, this approach establishes expansion microscopy as a platform for exploring protein organization within individual membrane compartments across diverse ciliated cells and membrane systems.
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