With the advent of super-resolution microscopy, we gained a powerful toolbox to bridge
the gap between the cellular- and molecular-level analysis of living organisms. Although
nanoscopy is broadly applicable, classical model organisms, such as fruit flies, worms
and mice, remained the leading subjects because combining the strength of sophisticated
genetics, biochemistry and electrophysiology with the unparalleled resolution provided
by super-resolution imaging appears as one of the most efficient approaches to understanding
the basic cell biological questions and the molecular complexity of life. Here, we
summarize the major nanoscopic techniques and illustrate how these approaches were
used in Drosophila model systems to revisit a series of well-known cell biological
phenomena. These investigations clearly demonstrate that instead of simply achieving
an improvement in image quality, nanoscopy goes far beyond with its immense potential
to discover novel structural and mechanistic aspects. With the examples of synaptic
active zones, centrosomes and sarcomeres, we will explain the instrumental role of
super-resolution imaging pioneered in Drosophila in understanding fundamental subcellular
constituents.
