Lighting up membrane organization with SRS

Membranes are essential components of living cells. Chemical composition and biophysical organization of membrane profoundly impact many cellular processes. Characterizing membrane property in a cellular context is thus critical to our understanding of lipid biology. The dynamic and heterogeneous nature of cellular membranes presents a challenge for studying their biophysical properties and organization in vivo. Stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) microscopy offers a powerful solution. In this presentation, I will highlight how Raman imaging provides unique insights into membrane phase behavior and organization. In particular, SRS imaging reveals aberrant solid phase in intracellular membrane, shedding light on the biology of lipotoxicity.