Fig. 1

a A schematic illustration (not drawn to scale) of the through-objective TIRFM setup used to image Cy5-labeled enzymes bound to a cellulose fibril under evanescent wave excitation extending ~ 100 nm above the glass/water interface. b Cellulose fibrils with surface-bound Cy5-labeled cellulases were easily identifiable in the Cy5 fluorescence channel (56 × 56 μm² field of view). Spots correspond to individual Cel7A enzymes. A single frame (1 s) of a 2500-frame data set is shown in b