Metallic nanoparticles, especially gold nanoparticles (AuNPs), have been widely used as bright optical probes for the observation and analysis of biomolecules. By continuously acquiring optical images of AuNPs bound to target molecules and analyzing their central coordinates, the behavior of a single biological molecule can be captured with high localization precision and high temporal resolution. This technique has been applied to a variety of biological studies, such as elucidating the operation mechanism of motor proteins that move forward at intervals as small as several nm, and the dynamics of lipid molecules that diffuse rapidly across biological membranes. In this review, I will focus on multicolor, high-speed, and high-precision optical imaging methods using metallic nanoparticles. These developments pave the way for a detailed understanding of the mechanisms of operation of tiny and complex biomolecules.

金属纳米粒子，尤其是金纳米粒子 (AuNPs)，已被广泛用作明亮的光学探针，用于观察和分析生物分子。通过连续获取与目标分子结合的金纳米粒子的光学图像并分析其中心坐标，可以以高定位精度和高时间分辨率捕获单个生物分子的行为。该技术已应用于各种生物学研究，例如阐明以小至几纳米的间隔向前移动的运动蛋白的运行机制，以及在生物膜上快速扩散的脂质分子的动力学。在这篇评论中，我将重点关注使用金属纳米粒子的多色、高速和高精度光学成像方法。