Imaging the redox states of live cells with the time-resolved fluorescence of genetically encoded biosensors

Lei Li, Changcheng Zhang, Peng Wang, Aoxue Wang, Jiasheng Zhou, Guoqing Chen, Jianhua Xu, Yi Yang, Yuzheng Zhao, Sanjun Zhang, Yang Tian

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

12 Scopus citations

Abstract

Redox environments in cells influence many important physiological and pathological processes. In this study, the time-resolved fluorescence of a recently reported thiol redox-sensitive sensor based on vertebrate fluorescent protein UnaG, roUnaG, was studied, along with the application of the time-resolved fluorescence of roUnaG to image the redox states of the mitochondria, cytoplasm, and nucleus in live cells. Time-resolved fluorescence images of roUnaG clearly demonstrated that potent anticancer compound KP372-1 induced extreme oxidative stress. A more stressful redox state observed in activated macrophages further demonstrated the validity of roUnaG with time-resolved fluorescence. For comparison, time-resolved fluorescence images of four other frequently used redox biosensors (roGFP1, HyPer, HyPerRed, and rxRFP) were also captured. The time-resolved fluorescence allows an intrinsically ratiometric measurement for biosensors with one excitation wavelength and provides new opportunities for bioimaging.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)3869-3876
Number of pages8
JournalAnalytical Chemistry
Volume91
Issue number6
DOIs
StatePublished - 19 Mar 2019

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