1 research outputs found
Mitochondrial Membrane Potential Independent Near-Infrared Mitochondrial Viscosity Probes for Real-Time Tracking Mitophagy
Mitophagy is a vital cellular process
playing vital roles in regulating
cellular metabolism and mitochondrial quality control. Mitochondrial
viscosity is a key microenvironmental index, closely associated with
mitochondrial status. To monitor mitophagy and mitochondrial viscosity,
three molecular rotors (Mito-1, Mito-2,
and Mito-3) were developed. All probes contain a cationic
quinolinium unit and a C12 chain so that they can tightly
bind mitochondria and are not affected by the mitochondrial membrane
potential. Optical studies showed that all probes are sensitive to
viscosity changes with an off–on fluorescence response, and Mito-3 shows the best fluorescence enhancement. Bioimaging
studies showed that all these probes can not only tightly locate and
visualize mitochondria with near-infrared fluorescence but also effectively
monitor the mitochondrial viscosity changes in cells. Moreover, Mito-3 was successfully applied to visualize the mitophagy
process induced by starvation, and mitochondrial viscosity was found
to show an increase during mitophagy. We expect Mito-3 to become a useful imaging tool for studying mitochondrial viscosity
and mitophagy