Red-Shifted Coumarin Luciferins for Improved Bioluminescence Imaging

J Am Chem Soc. 2023 Feb 15;145(6):3335-3345. doi: 10.1021/jacs.2c07220. Epub 2023 Feb 6.

Abstract

Multicomponent bioluminescence imaging in vivo requires an expanded collection of tissue-penetrant probes. Toward this end, we generated a new class of near-infrared (NIR) emitting coumarin luciferin analogues (CouLuc-3s). The scaffolds were easily accessed from commercially available dyes. Complementary mutant luciferases for the CouLuc-3 analogues were also identified. The brightest probes enabled sensitive imaging in vivo. The CouLuc-3 scaffolds are also orthogonal to popular bioluminescent reporters and can be used for multicomponent imaging applications. Collectively, this work showcases a new set of bioluminescent tools that can be readily implemented for multiplexed imaging in a variety of biological settings.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, N.I.H., Intramural
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Coumarins
  • Firefly Luciferin*
  • Luciferases
  • Luciferins*
  • Luminescent Measurements / methods

Substances

  • Luciferins
  • Firefly Luciferin
  • Luciferases
  • Coumarins