Spontaneously Blinking Fluorescent Protein for Simple Single Laser Super-Resolution Live Cell Imaging

ACS Chem Biol. 2018 Aug 17;13(8):1938-1943. doi: 10.1021/acschembio.8b00200. Epub 2018 Jul 10.

Abstract

Super-resolution imaging techniques based on single molecule localization microscopy (SMLM) broke the diffraction limit of optical microscopy in living samples with the aid of photoswitchable fluorescent probes and intricate microscopy systems. Here, we developed a fluorescent protein, SPOON, which can be switched off by excitation light illumination and switched on by thermally induced dehydration, resulting in an apparent spontaneous blinking behavior. This unique property of SPOON provides a simple SMLM-based super-resolution imaging platform which requires only a single 488 nm laser.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Escherichia coli
  • Fluorescence
  • Fluorescent Dyes / chemistry*
  • Fluorescent Dyes / radiation effects
  • HeLa Cells
  • Heating
  • Humans
  • Lasers
  • Light
  • Luminescent Proteins / chemistry*
  • Luminescent Proteins / genetics
  • Luminescent Proteins / radiation effects
  • Microscopy, Fluorescence / instrumentation
  • Microscopy, Fluorescence / methods
  • Mutagenesis

Substances

  • Fluorescent Dyes
  • Luminescent Proteins