Pablo A Valdes, Chih-Chieh Jay Yu, Jenna Aronson, Debarati Ghosh, Yongxin Zhao, Bobae An, Joshua D Bernstock, Deepak Bhere, Michelle M Felicella, Mariano S Viapiano, Khalid Shah, E Antonio Chiocca, Edward S Boyden
Proteins are densely packed in cells and tissues, where they form complex nanostructures. Expansion microscopy (ExM) variants have been used to separate proteins from each other in preserved biospecimens, improving antibody access to epitopes. Here, we present an ExM variant, decrowding expansion pathology (dExPath), that can expand proteins away from each other in human brain pathology specimens, including formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) clinical specimens. Immunostaining of dExPath-expanded specimens reveals, with nanoscale precision, previously unobserved cellular structures, as well as more continuous patterns of staining...
January 31, 2024: Science Translational Medicine