Monitoring autophagy in live cells with a fluorescent light-up probe for G-quadruplex structures

Monitoring autophagy can provide valuable insights into understanding human pathological mechanisms, developing novel drugs, and exploring autophagy control approaches. Here, we proposed a new strategy to specifically monitor autophagy by lighting up the G-quadruplex structures entering autolysosomes. Based on this strategy, we designed a small-molecule fluorescent probe for autophagy imaging. This work not only opens up a new way for developing autophagy probes, but also provides an effective tool for autophagy research.