Mechanisms of cell-cell adhesion identified by immunofluorescent labelling with quantum dots: A scanning near-field optical microscopy approach

► Successful development of protocols for the quantum dot tagging of cell membrane proteins. ► Successful implementation of scanning near-field optical microscopy to image cell membranes and accurately define the location of the tagged E-cadherin protein. ► Compare and contrast data with that in the literature regarding the role of proteins in cell adhesion mechanisms. ► Analysis of the data and our experimental experiences have demonstrated the practical benefits of quantum dots over Alexa 488, a conventional fluorophore. ► Data highlights the various stages of cell confluency to illustrate the variation in E-cadherin location in cells involved in cell-to-cell adhesion.