Endocytic pathways: combined scanning ion conductance and surface confocal microscopy study

We introduce a novel high resolution scanning surface confocal microscopy technique that enables imaging of endocytic pits in apical membranes of live cells for the first time. The improved topographical resolution of the microscope together with simultaneous fluorescence confocal detection produces pairs of images of cell surfaces sufficient to identify single endocytic pits. Whilst the precise position and size of the pit is detected by the ion conductance microscope, the molecular nature of the pit, e.g. clathrin coated or caveolae, is determined by the corresponding green fluorescent protein fluorescence. Also, for the first time, we showed that flotillin 1 and 2 can be found co-localising with ~200-nm indentations in the cell membrane that supports involvement of this protein in endocytosis.