A dual organelle-targeting mechanosensitive probe

Area of Science:

• Cell Biology
• Biophysics
• Materials Science

Background:

• Cells dynamically respond to mechanical cues.
• Simultaneous organelle mechanosensing methods are lacking.
• Understanding organelle mechanobiology is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce a dual organelle-targeting fluorescent probe (ASP-PE) for live-cell mechanical mapping.
• To investigate simultaneous changes in plasma membrane and mitochondrial tension.
• To explore the role of cytoskeletal elements in cellular mechanobiology.

Main Methods:

• Development and application of ASP-PE, an aggregation-induced emission active fluorescent probe.
• Dual targeting of plasma membrane and mitochondria.
• Fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM) for tension visualization.
• Computational simulations for mechanism study.

Main Results:

• ASP-PE successfully visualized mechanical tension changes in plasma membrane and mitochondria.
• Responses to osmotic pressure and substrate stiffness were mapped.
• The probe facilitated investigation into actin and microtubule roles in organelle mechanosensing.

Conclusions:

• ASP-PE is a novel tool for simultaneous mapping of plasma membrane and mitochondrial tension.
• This probe enables new avenues for studying organelle crosstalk in mechanobiology.
• The findings advance the understanding of cellular mechanical responses.