Featured
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Article
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Differential sensing with arrays of de novo designed peptide assemblies
Differential sensing aims to mimic senses such as taste and smell through the use of synthetic receptors. Here, the authors show that arrays of de novo designed peptide assemblies can be used as sensor components to distinguish various analytes and complex mixtures.
- William M. Dawson
- , Kathryn L. Shelley
- & Derek N. Woolfson
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Article
| Open Access
Reaction-based fluorogenic probes for detecting protein cysteine oxidation in living cells
Fluorogenic detection of H2O2 in cells is established, but equivalent tools to monitor its cellular targets remain in their infancy. Here authors develop fluorogenic probes for detecting cysteine sulfenic acid, a redox modification inextricably linked to H2O2 signalling and oxidative stress.
- Renan B. Ferreira
- , Ling Fu
- & Kate S. Carroll
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Article
| Open Access
Acceptor engineering for NIR-II dyes with high photochemical and biomedical performance
Small molecule NIR-II fluorophores are of interest for a range of applications but can suffer from chemical and photostability issues. Here, the authors report on the development of an acceptor molecule with improved stability in alkaline conditions expanding the range of possible applications.
- Aiyan Ji
- , Hongyue Lou
- & Zhen Cheng
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Article
| Open Access
Ratiometric afterglow luminescent nanoplatform enables reliable quantification and molecular imaging
Afterglow luminescence is promising for non-background molecular imaging in vivo. Here the authors report a ratiometric afterglow luminescent nanoplatform to generate activatable afterglow probes for quantification of specific analytes including NO.
- Yongchao Liu
- , Lili Teng
- & Weihong Tan
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Article
| Open Access
A hydrogen sulphide-responsive and depleting nanoplatform for cancer photodynamic therapy
Abnormal levels of intracellular hydrogen sulphide (H2S) have been associated with different pathological conditions, including cancer. Here the authors report the design of a H2S-responsive and -depleting nanoplatform that, combined with NIR-II photodynamic properties, can be used for H2S imaging and cancer therapy.
- Yuqi Zhang
- , Jing Fang
- & Haibin Shi
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Article
| Open Access
Minimal genetically encoded tags for fluorescent protein labeling in living neurons
Site-specific labelling of proteins can be performed with unnatural amino acids combined with bioorthogonal click chemistry. Here the authors establish this in living neurons, using neurofilament light chain; they show combination with CRISPR/Cas9 engineering to tag the endogenous protein.
- Aleksandra Arsić
- , Cathleen Hagemann
- & Ivana Nikić-Spiegel
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Article
| Open Access
Fluorescence umpolung enables light-up sensing of N-acetyltransferases and nerve agents
The electron-withdrawing target (EWT)-induced fluorescence quenching is an unsolved issue in intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) fluorophores that limits their applicability. Here, the authors report a simple and generalizable strategy to reverse the EWT-induced quenching mode into light-up mode, by introducing an indazole building block between the π-bridge and the donor in the ICT scaffold.
- Chenxu Yan
- , Zhiqian Guo
- & Wei-Hong Zhu
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Article
| Open Access
Two-color nanoscopy of organelles for extended times with HIDE probes
High density environmentally sensitive (HIDE) probes allow for long time-lapse super-resolution imaging of live cells. Here the authors develop a second HIDE probe with a bio-orthogonal labelling strategy to enable two-color nanoscopy of two organelles over extended periods.
- Ling Chu
- , Jonathan Tyson
- & Derek K. Toomre
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Article
| Open Access
Simultaneous measurement of excitation-contraction coupling parameters identifies mechanisms underlying contractile responses of hiPSC-derived cardiomyocytes
Cardiomyocytes obtained from human induced pluripotent stem cells are increasingly used for drug testing, but they are not always predictive of the heart contractile responses. Here the authors develop a method to measure cytosolic calcium, action potentials and contraction simultaneously, to achieve higher sensitivity for drug screenings.
- Berend J. van Meer
- , Ana Krotenberg
- & Christine L. Mummery
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Article
| Open Access
A fast and specific fluorescent probe for thioredoxin reductase that works via disulphide bond cleavage
Thioredoxin reductase (TrxR) plays a crucial part in regulating cellular redox homeostasis. Here, the authors developed a fluorescent probe composed of a five-membered disulphide, a coumarin fluorophore and a urea linker that detects TrxR activity with fast response and high selectivity.
- Xinming Li
- , Baoxin Zhang
- & Jianguo Fang
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Correspondence
| Open Access
Reply to ‘Pitfalls in the quantitative imaging of glutathione in living cells’
- Xiqian Jiang
- , Jianwei Chen
- & Jin Wang
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Correspondence
| Open Access
Pitfalls in the quantitative imaging of glutathione in living cells
- Cristina Cossetti
- , Gianna Di Giovamberardino
- & Anna Pastore
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Article
| Open Access
Cell-permeable organic fluorescent probes for live-cell long-term super-resolution imaging reveal lysosome-mitochondrion interactions
Studying interactions between lysosomes and mitochondria in living cells is difficult due to the limitations of existing probes. Here, the authors develop new cell-permeable fluorescent probes to image the dynamics of lysosomes and their physical interactions with mitochondria using super-resolution microscopy.
- Yubing Han
- , Meihua Li
- & Yu-Hui Zhang
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Article
| Open Access
Quantitative real-time imaging of glutathione
Fluorescent sensors for small biomolecules are needed to shed insight into real-time cellular processes. Here the authors develop RealThiol, a sensor that can quantitatively monitor glutathione dynamics in living cells, and measure increased antioxidant capability of activated neurons and glutathione changes during ferroptosis.
- Xiqian Jiang
- , Jianwei Chen
- & Jin Wang
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Article
| Open Access
Multimodal two-photon imaging using a second harmonic generation-specific dye
Current dyes for second harmonic generation (SHG) imaging strongly fluoresce, limiting their application. Here the authors develop a SHG-specific dye, Ap3, that partitions into cell membranes, displays sensitivity to membrane potential and has virtually no fluorescence emission at SHG imaging wavelengths.
- Mutsuo Nuriya
- , Shun Fukushima
- & Tatsuo Arai
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Article
| Open Access
SiR–Hoechst is a far-red DNA stain for live-cell nanoscopy
Existing DNA stains for live cell microscopy are either toxic, require illumination with blue light, or are not compatible with super-resolution microscopy. Here the authors develop SiRHoechst, a non-toxic far-red DNA stain that is compatible with super-resolution microscopy.
- Gražvydas Lukinavičius
- , Claudia Blaukopf
- & Kai Johnsson
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Article
| Open Access
Green fluorescent protein nanopolygons as monodisperse supramolecular assemblies of functional proteins with defined valency
Supramolecular protein assemblies can provide novel nano-architectures with diverse structures and functions. Here, the authors report a fabrication strategy for a series of monodisperse protein oligomers, which allows valency-controlled display of various functional proteins.
- Young Eun Kim
- , Yu-na Kim
- & Yongwon Jung
Engineered NIR-II fluorophores with ultralong-distance molecular packing for high-contrast deep lesion identification