Intrinsic Burst-Blinking Nanographenes for Super-Resolution Bioimaging

Area of Science:

• Biophysics
• Nanotechnology
• Cell Biology

Background:

• Single-molecule localization microscopy (SMLM) requires specialized fluorophores for super-resolution imaging.
• Intrinsic blinking fluorophores are rare, limiting SMLM's versatility.
• Existing methods often require additives or are unsuitable for live-cell imaging.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize novel nanographene-based intrinsic burst-blinking fluorophores.
• To demonstrate the versatility of these fluorophores in various SMLM applications.
• To overcome limitations of current fluorophores in super-resolution imaging.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of nanographene-based intrinsic burst-blinking fluorophores.
• Application of fluorophores in SMLM for imaging amyloid fibrils under different conditions.
• Live-cell imaging of lysosome dynamics and nascent protein translation in neurons using click chemistry.

Main Results:

• Successful imaging of amyloid fibrils in air and various pH solutions without additives.
• Visualization of lysosome dynamics in live mammalian cells under physiological conditions.
• High-resolution imaging of local protein translation at axonal branching in primary sensory neurons.

Conclusions:

• Nanographene-based fluorophores offer intrinsic burst-blinking properties for SMLM.
• These fluorophores significantly expand the applicability of SMLM in diverse biological systems.
• The developed fluorophores show great potential for advancing super-resolution imaging techniques.