RNAi screening for fat regulatory genes with SRS microscopy

Stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) microscopy is a quantitative, label-free imaging method to map fat distribution and accumulation with high spatial resolution and sensitivity at both cellular and organism levels. Identification of genes regulating fat accumulation is important for basic and medical research; genetic screening for those genes in Caenorhabditis elegans, a widely used model organism, requires in vivo quantification of lipids. We demonstrated RNA interference screening based on quantitative imaging of lipids with label-free stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) microscopy, which overcomes major limitations of coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering microscopy. Our screening yielded eight new genetic regulators of fat storage.