Superresolution dark-field microscopy for observing endosomal tug-of-war in live cells

Intracellular cargos are transported in the form of endosomes by motor proteins along a microtubule network. The mechanical competition between different motors, i.e. kinesin and dynein, called an endosomal “tug-of-war'', regulates not only metabolite movements but also direction of transport associated with in signaling transduction pathways, which is also spatially and temporally regulated. However, how their dynamic movements, i.e. pause, run, and turn, and their kinetic parameters, is unclear due to technical challenge for observation.