A fluorescent activatable probe for imaging intracellular Mg2+

Inserting "OFF-to-ON" BODIPY Tags into Cytokines: A Fluorogenic Interleukin IL-33 for Real-Time Imaging of Immune Cells

The essential functions that cytokine/immune cell interactions play in tissue homeostasis and during disease have prompted the molecular design of targeted fluorophores to monitor their activity in real time. Whereas activatable probes for imaging immune-related enzymes are common, many immunological functions are mediated by binding events between cytokines and their cognate receptors that are hard to monitor by live-cell imaging. A prime example is interleukin-33 (IL-33), a key cytokine in innate and adaptive immunity, whose interaction with the ST2 cell-surface receptor results in downstream signaling and activation of NF-κB and AP-1 pathways. In the present work, we have designed a chemical platform to site-specifically introduce OFF-to-ON BODIPY fluorophores into full cytokine proteins and generate the first nativelike fluorescent analogues of IL-33. Among different incorporation strategies, chemical aminoacylation followed by bioorthogonal derivatization led to the best labeling results. Importantly, the BODIPY-labeled IL-33 derivatives-unlike IL-33-GFP constructs-exhibited ST2-specific binding and downstream bioactivity profiles comparable to those of the wild-type interleukin. Real-time fluorescence microscopy assays under no wash conditions confirmed the internalization of IL-33 through ST2 receptors and its intracellular trafficking through the endosomal pathway. We envision that the modularity and versatility of our BODIPY labeling platform will facilitate the synthesis of minimally tagged fluorogenic cytokines as the next generation of imaging reagents for real-time visualization of signaling events in live immune cells.

Meso pyridinium BODIPY-based long wavelength infrared mitochondria-targeting fluorescent probe with high photostability

Mito-tracker deep red (MTDR) as a commercially available mitochondria-targeting probe was easily bleached upon imaging. We designed and synthesized a family of meso-pyridinium BODIPY and introduced lipophilic methyl or benzyl as the head moiety to develop a mitochondria-targeting deep red probe. Moreover, we changed the substitution of the 3,5-phenyl moieties with the methoxy or methoxyethoxyethyl group to balance hydrophilicity. The designed BODIPY dyes possessed long absorption and good fluorescence emission. Among them, meso ortho-pyridinium BODIPYs with benzyl head and glycol substitution on phenyl moiety (3h) with favorable Stokes shift were found to have the best mitochondrial targeting performance. 3h was easily uptaken by cells and was less toxic and more photostable than MTDR. An immobilizable probe (3i) was further developed, and nice mitochondria targeting properties under the damaging condition of mitochondria membrane potential were maintained. BODIPY 3h or 3i may become alternative long-wavelength mitochondria targeting probes apart from MTDR and be suitable for long-term mitochondrial tracking studies.

BODIPY derivatives as fluorescent reporters of molecular activities in living cells

Fluorescent compounds have become indispensable tools for imaging molecular activities in the living cell. 4,4-Difluoro-4-bora-3a,4a-diaza-s-indacene (BODIPY) is currently one of the most popular fluorescent reporters due to its unique photophysical properties. This review provides a general survey and presents a summary of recent advances in the development of new BODIPY-based cellular biomarkers and biosensors. The review starts with the consideration of the properties of BODIPY derivatives required for their application as cellular reporters. Then review provides examples of the design of sensors for different biologically important molecules, ions, membrane potential, temperature and viscosity defining the live cell status. Special attention is payed to BODPY-based phototransformable reporters.

The bibliography includes 339 references.

One-Pot Synthesis of 3-Substituted 4H-Quinolizin-4-ones via Alkyne Substrate Control Strategy

Three-substituted 4H-quinolizin-4-ones were obtained via a facile method with good selectivity and high efficiency. On the basis of alkyne substrate control, the mild and cost-efficient reaction has a broad substrate scope (20 examples, up to 93% yield) and is also easy to scale up. Active sites on the products allow for further modifications. The alkyne substrate control strategy could be further extended to achieve more complex three-substituted 4H-quinolizin-4-one skeletons.

Molecular Mechanism of Viscosity Sensitivity in BODIPY Rotors and Application to Motion-Based Fluorescent Sensors

Viscosity in the intracellular microenvironment shows a significant difference in various organelles and is closely related to cellular processes. Such microviscosity in live cells is often mapped and quantified with fluorescent molecular rotors. To enable the rational design of viscosity-sensitive molecular rotors, it is critical to understand their working mechanisms. Herein, we systematically synthesized and investigated two sets of BODIPY-based molecular rotors to study the relationship between intramolecular motions and viscosity sensitivity. Through experimental and computational studies, two conformations (i.e., the planar and butterfly conformations) are found to commonly exist in BODIPY rotors. We demonstrate that the transformation energy barrier from the planar conformation to the butterfly conformation is strongly affected by the molecular structures of BODIPY rotors and plays a critical role in viscosity sensitivity. These findings enable rational structure modifications of BODIPY molecular rotors for highly effective protein detection and recognition.

Fluorescent Canthin-6-one Alkaloids from Simaba bahiensis: Isolation, Identification, and Cell-Labeling Properties

Canthin-6-one alkaloids, which are present in plants of the genus Simaba, are natural compounds that are capable of acting as fluorescent probes. However, the chemical composition and fluorescent properties of most species of this genus have not been analyzed. The objective of this study was to characterize the fluorescent properties of an extract of S. bahiensis and identify the chemical entities responsible for these properties. In addition, the cell-labeling properties of the fluorescent dye from A and of the isolated compounds were characterized by confocal fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry. One quassinoid and three fluorescent alkaloids were isolated from S. bahiensis, all compounds were identified by using NMR spectroscopy and high-resolution mass spectrometry. Staining experiments and HPLC-FL analysis shown that canthin-6-one alkaloids are the main green fluorescent compounds in the analyzed dyes. All compounds evaluated showed a cytoplasmic marker with a residence time of 24 h. The present study is the first to describe the presence of canthin-6-one alkaloids in S. bahiensis, in addition to demonstrating promising cell-labeling properties of fluorescent compounds from S. bahiensis with broad emission wavelengths.

Near-Infrared Fluorescent Probes for Imaging of Intracellular Mg2+ and Application to Multi-Color Imaging of Mg2+, ATP, and Mitochondrial Membrane Potential

The magnesium ion (Mg²⁺) is an essential cation to maintain proper cellular activities. To visualize the dynamics and functions of Mg²⁺, there is a great need for the development of Mg²⁺-selective fluorescent probes. However, conventional Mg²⁺ fluorescent probes are falling behind in low selectivity and poor fluorescence color variation. In this report, to make available a distinct color window for multi-color imaging, we designed and synthesized highly Mg²⁺-selective and near-infrared (NIR) fluorescent probes, the KMG-500 series consisting of a charged β-diketone as a selective binding site for Mg²⁺ and a Si-rhodamine residue as the NIR fluorophore, which showed photoinduced electron transfer (PeT)-type OFF-ON response to the concentration of Mg²⁺. Two types of KMG-500 series probes, tetramethyl substituted Si-rhodamine KMG-501 and tetraethyl substituted Si-rhodamine KMG-502, were synthesized for the evaluation of cell permeability. For intracellular application, the membrane-permeable acetoxymethyl derivative KMG-501 (KMG-501AM) was synthesized and allowed to stably stain cultured rat hippocampal neurons during imaging of intracellular Mg²⁺. On the other hand, KMG-502 was cell membrane permeable without AM modification, preventing the probe from staying inside cells during imaging. KMG-501 distributed mainly in the cytoplasm and partially localized in lysosomes and mitochondria in cultured rat hippocampal neurons. Mg²⁺ increase in response to the FCCP uncoupler inducing depolarization of the mitochondrial inner membrane potential was detected in the KMG-501 stained neurons. For the first time, KMG-501 succeeded in imaging intracellular Mg²⁺ dynamics with NIR fluorescence. Moreover, it allows one to simultaneously visualize changes in Mg²⁺ and ATP concentration and also mitochondrial inner membrane potential and their interactions. This probe is expected to be a strong tool for multi-color imaging of intracellular Mg²⁺.

1,8-Naphthalimide-Based Highly Emissive Luminophors with Various Mechanofluorochromism and Aggregation-Induced Characteristics

Six 1,8-naphthalimide-based tetraphenylethene derivatives were reported. These highly solid-state emissive compounds showed aggregation-induced emission enhancement or aggregate fluorescence change characteristics. Furthermore, these aggregation-induced green light-emitting or aggregation-induced yellow light-emitting luminophors also exhibited various mechanofluorochromism behaviors involving different fluorescent color changes. To determine the mechanochromic mechanism of these six mechanical stimulus-responsive luminogens, the powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray single-crystal measurements were carried out. The powder XRD test results indicated that their interesting mechanofluorochromic behaviors were attributed to the interconversion between crystalline and amorphous states. Meanwhile, the X-ray single-crystal analyses results implied that the twisted molecular conformation and the absence of an intense intermolecular acting force led to a loose packing motif, and the alteration of molecular packing was responsible for the observed mechanofluorochromic effect.

Highly Selective, Red Emitting BODIPY-Based Fluorescent Indicators for Intracellular Mg2+ Imaging

Most fluorescent indicators for Mg2+ suffer from poor selectivity against other divalent cations, especially Ca2+, thus do not provide reliable information on cellular Mg2+ concentrations in processes in which such metals are involved. We report a new set of highly selective fluorescent indicators based on alkoxystyryl-functionalized BODIPY fluorophores decorated with a 4-oxo-4H-quinolizine-3-carboxylic acid metal binding moiety. The new sensors, MagQ1 and MagQ2, display absorption and emission maxima above 600 nm, with a 29-fold fluorescence enhancement and good quantum yields (Φ > 0.3) upon coordination of Mg2+ in aqueous buffer. Fluorescence response to Mg2+ is not affected by the presence of competing divalent cations typically present in the cellular milieu, and displays minimal pH dependence in the physiologically relevant range. The choice of alkoxy groups decorating the styryl BODIPY core does not influence the basic photophysical and metal binding properties of the compounds, but has a marked effect on their intracellular retention and thus in their applicability for detection of cellular Mg2+ by fluorescence imaging. In particular, we demonstrate the utility of a triethyleneglycol (TEG) functionalization tactic that endows MagQ2 with superior cellular retention in live cells by reducing active extrusion through organic anion transporters, which are thought to cause fast leakage of typical anionic dyes. With enhanced retention and excellent photophysical properties, MagQ2 can be applied in the detection of cellular Mg2+ influx without interference of high concentrations of Ca2+ akin to those involved in signaling.