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Updated: Dec 24, 2025

Utilizing pHluorin-tagged Receptors to Monitor Subcellular Localization and Trafficking
Published on: March 16, 2017
Dynamic intracellular tracking nanoparticles via pH-evoked "off-on" fluorescence
1National Engineering Research Center for Biomaterials, Sichuan University, 29# Wangjiang Road, Chengdu 610064, China. caojun@scu.edu.cn bhe@scu.edu.cn.
Abstract:
Dynamic tracking of nanoparticles in cells faces a big challenge due to fluorescence quenching. Here, the pH-switchable probe spiropyran (SP) was introduced into poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) via atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) to construct expected "off-on" fluorescent nanoparticles. Strong red fluorescence was emitted to efficiently track nanoparticles in cells due to the isomerization of spiropyran to merocyanine in the endosome or lysosome.

