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Updated: May 13, 2026
Construction of Cell-based Neurotransmitter Fluorescent Engineered Reporters (CNiFERs) for Optical Detection of Neurotransmitters In Vivo
Published on: May 12, 2016
Selective catecholamine recognition with NeuroSensor 521: a fluorescent sensor for the visualization of
Kenneth S Hettie1, Xin Liu, Kevin D Gillis
1Department of Chemistry, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri 65211, United States.
Abstract:
A method for the selective labeling and imaging of catecholamines in live and fixed secretory cells is reported. The method integrates a tailored approach using a novel fluorescence-based turn-on molecular sensor (NeuroSensor 521) that can exploit the high concentration of neurotransmitters and acidic environment within secretory vesicles for the selective recognition of norepinephrine and dopamine. The utility of the method was demonstrated by selectively labeling and imaging norepinephrine in secretory vesicles such that discrimination between norepinephrine- and epinephrine-enriched populations of chromaffin cells was observed. This method was validated in fixed cells by co-staining with an anti-PNMT antibody.
