Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 5, 2026
Imaging Approaches to Assessments of Toxicological Oxidative Stress Using Genetically-encoded Fluorogenic Sensors
Published on: February 7, 2018
Precisely modulating the chromatin tracker via substituent engineering: reporting pathological oxidative stress
Jinsong Li1, Yingyong Ni1, Junjun Wang1
1School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Institute of Physical Science and Information Technology, Center of Free Electron Laser & High Magnetic Field, Key Laboratory of Structure and Functional Regulation of Hybrid Materials, Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Functional Inorganic Materials Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Chemistry for Inorganic/Organic Hybrid Functionalized Materials, Anhui University Hefei 230601 P. R. China zhpzhp@263.net wangjunjun@ahu.edu.cn.
Researchers developed a fluorescent molecule, CBTZ-yne, to visualize cancer cell mitosis and lipid droplet dynamics. This tool precisely reveals asynchronous cell division, aiding in understanding tumor proliferation in photodynamic therapy.
Area of Science:
- Biochemistry
- Cell Biology
- Molecular Imaging
Background:
- Understanding cancer cell mitosis is crucial for addressing tumor metastasis and proliferation.
- Visualizing dynamic cellular processes requires advanced imaging tools.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a novel fluorescent molecule for visualizing cancer cell mitosis and associated dynamics.
- To investigate the utility of this molecule in understanding asynchronous cell division and its implications in cancer.
Main Methods:
- Substituent engineering of a fluorescent molecule (CBTZ-yne) to achieve specific lipophilicity and electrophilicity.
- Utilizing CBTZ-yne to anchor and visualize lipid droplets and the nucleus during mitosis.
- Analyzing fluorescence and fluorescence-lifetime changes in response to cellular environments and processes.
Main Results:
- CBTZ-yne successfully anchored to lipid droplets and the nucleus, responding to low polarity and nucleic acids with distinct fluorescence changes.
- The molecule visualized key stages of mitosis, including chromatin dynamics and lipid droplet behavior, for the first time.
- Subtle fluorescence-lifetime changes precisely revealed asynchronous mitosis affected by photo-generated reactive oxygen species.
Conclusions:
- CBTZ-yne provides a novel luminescence tool for real-time visualization of cancer cell mitosis.
- This approach offers new insights into asynchronous cell division and its role in malignant tumor proliferation.
- The study suggests a new guideline for tracking tumor proliferation issues in photodynamic therapy.
