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Near-Infrared Blinking Carbon Dots Designed for Quantitative Nanoscopy
Jian Mao1, Minmin Xue1, Xin Guan1
1State Key Laboratory of Heavy Oil Processing and College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, China University of Petroleum (East China), Qingdao 266580, China.
Nano Letters
|December 29, 2022
Summary
Researchers developed near-infrared (NIR) blinking carbon dots (CDs) for enhanced single molecule localization microscopy (SMLM). These NIR-CDs improve signal-to-noise ratio and localization precision, enabling accurate cellular receptor counting.
Area of Science:
- Biochemistry
- Nanotechnology
- Microscopy
Background:
- Blinking carbon dots (CDs) are promising probes for single molecule localization microscopy (SMLM).
- Quantitative analysis using CDs is hindered by poor blinking and low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR).
Purpose of the Study:
- To design and synthesize near-infrared (NIR) blinking CDs for improved SMLM.
- To enhance SNR and localization precision for quantitative cellular imaging.
Main Methods:
- Synthesis of nitrogen-doped, carboxyl-rich NIR carbon dots with emission around 750 nm.
- Conjugation of NIR-CDs to monovalent antibody fragments for cellular receptor labeling.
- Application of NIR-CDs in SMLM for nanoscale analysis of receptor dynamics.
Main Results:
- NIR-CDs achieved a 52% increase in SNR and 33% improvement in localization precision compared to visible CDs.
- Accurate counting of cellular receptors was achieved through fluorescent burst analysis.
- Oligomerization and internalization of programmed cell death-ligand 1 were visualized using NIR-CDs-based SMLM.
Conclusions:
- NIR blinking CDs offer a superior alternative to visible CDs for quantitative nanoscopy.
- The developed NIR-CDs are broadly applicable as probes in chemistry and biology for high-resolution imaging.
