Studying SARS-CoV-2 with Fluorescence Microscopy

The COVID-19 pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus deeply affected the world community. It gave a strong impetus to the development of not only approaches to diagnostics and therapy, but also fundamental research of the molecular biology of this virus. Fluorescence microscopy is a powerful technology enabling detailed investigation of virus-cell interactions in fixed and live samples with high specificity. While spatial resolution of conventional fluorescence microscopy is not sufficient to resolve all virus-related structures, super-resolution fluorescence microscopy can solve this problem. In this paper, we review the use of fluorescence microscopy to study SARS-CoV-2 and related viruses. The prospects for the application of the recently developed advanced methods of fluorescence labeling and microscopy-which in our opinion can provide important information about the molecular biology of SARS-CoV-2-are discussed.

Automated summary

The COVID-19 pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 has significantly impacted the global community, leading to advancements in diagnostics, therapy, and fundamental research of the virus. Fluorescence microscopy, including super-resolution techniques, plays a crucial role in studying virus-cell interactions at a molecular level. The use of advanced fluorescence labeling and microscopy methods shows promise in providing important insights into the molecular biology of SARS-CoV-2 and related viruses.