Related Experiment Video
Updated: Nov 7, 2025
Single-molecule Super-resolution Imaging of Phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate in the Plasma Membrane with Novel Fluorescent Probes
Published on: October 15, 2016
Photostable AIE probes for wash-free, ultrafast, and high-quality plasma membrane staining
Sayed Mir Sayed1, Hao-Ran Jia1, Yao-Wen Jiang1
1State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Southeast University, 2 Sipailou Road, Nanjing 210096, P. R. China. lxl@seu.edu.cn.
Abstract:
Plasma membrane (PM), a fundamental building component of a cell, is responsible for a variety of cell functions and biological processes. However, it is still challenging to acquire its morphology and morphological variation information via an effective approach. Herein, we report a PM imaging study regarding an aggregation-induced emission luminogen (AIEgen) called tetraphenylethylene-naphthalimide+ (TPE-NIM+), which is derived from our previously reported tetraphenylethylene-naphthalimide (TPE-NIM). The designed AIEgen (TPE-NIM+) shows significant characteristics of ultrafast staining, high photostability, wash-free property, and long retention time at the PM, which can structurally be correlated with its positively charged quaternary amine and hydrophobic moiety. TPE-NIM+ is further applied for staining of different cell lines, proving its universal PM imaging capability. Most importantly, we demonstrate that TPE-NIM+ can clearly delineate the contours of densely packed living cells with high cytocompatibility. Therefore, TPE-NIM+ as a PM imaging reagent superior to currently available commercial PM dyes shall find a number of applications in the biological/biomedical fields and even beyond.
Insights
Researchers developed a novel imaging agent, tetraphenylethylene-naphthalimide+ (TPE-NIM+), for superior plasma membrane visualization. This aggregation-induced emission luminogen offers ultrafast, wash-free staining for biological and biomedical imaging applications.
Area of Science:
- Cell Biology
- Biomedical Imaging
- Materials Science
Background:
- Plasma membrane (PM) imaging is crucial for understanding cellular functions.
- Current methods for PM morphology analysis are often limited.
- Developing effective and robust PM imaging agents remains a challenge.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a novel aggregation-induced emission luminogen (AIEgen) for plasma membrane imaging.
- To evaluate the performance of the new AIEgen, TPE-NIM+, for its potential as a superior PM imaging reagent.
Main Methods:
- Synthesis of tetraphenylethylene-naphthalimide+ (TPE-NIM+), a novel AIEgen.
- Characterization of TPE-NIM+ for staining properties including speed, photostability, wash-free application, and retention time.
- Application of TPE-NIM+ for plasma membrane imaging in various cell lines.
- Assessment of cytocompatibility and delineation of cell contours in densely packed living cells.
Main Results:
- TPE-NIM+ exhibits ultrafast staining, high photostability, wash-free properties, and long retention time at the plasma membrane.
- The AIEgen demonstrates universal PM imaging capability across different cell lines.
- TPE-NIM+ effectively delineates the contours of densely packed living cells with high cytocompatibility.
- Structural features, including a positively charged quaternary amine and hydrophobic moiety, correlate with its performance.
Conclusions:
- TPE-NIM+ is a highly effective AIEgen for plasma membrane imaging.
- Its superior properties make it a promising alternative to current commercial PM dyes.
- TPE-NIM+ has significant potential for applications in biological and biomedical research.
