Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 8, 2026

4D Imaging of Protein Aggregation in Live Cells
Published on: April 5, 2013
Nanoquencher-Based Selective Imaging of Protein Glutathionylation in Live Mammalian Cells
Xin Mao1, Peiyan Yuan1, Changmin Yu2
1Department of Chemistry, National University of Singapore, 3 Science Drive, Singapore, 117543, Singapore.
Abstract:
Changes in the cellular levels of glutathione (GSH) and protein S-glutathionylation (PSSG) are closely associated with a number of human diseases. Despite recent advances, few thiol-reactive, small-molecule GSH sensors could selectively detect GSH over other endogenous thiols, and none was capable of detecting PSSG in live mammalian cells. By using a dye-loaded mesoporous silica nanoquencher (qMSN) capped with anti-GSH antibody capable of highly selective binding toward GSH and glutathionylated proteins over other molecules, we have successfully developed a fluorescence GSH/PSSG nanosensor, which showed unprecedented selectivity toward PSSG even in the presence of GSH, had amplifiable and programmable fluorescence Turn-ON properties, and could be used to image endogenous PSSG in live mammalian cells under stimulated conditions for the first time.
Related Concept Videos
Protein Dynamics in Living Cells
Fluorescent recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) is a fluorescent-protein-based detection technique used to quantify protein movement rates within the cell. This method exposes a small portion of the cell to an intense laser beam. The laser beam causes permanent photobleaching of the fluorophore-tagged proteins in the exposed region. As the bleached...
What is Natural Selection?
T Cell Activation and Clonal Selection
Naive T cells that have not yet encountered an antigen express two primary CD...
Antibiotic Selection
Types of Selection
Frequency-dependent Selection

