Sensitive detection and labelling of proteins with a molecular rotor-based fluorogenic probe
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Updated: Sep 20, 2025
Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging of Molecular Rotors in Living Cells
Published on: February 9, 2012
Na Chen1, Qingyi Wu1, Xia Yuan1
1State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, Shanghai Key Laboratory of New Drug Design, Frontiers Science Center for Materiobiology and Dynamic Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China. xiehexin@ecust.edu.cn.
Abstract:
Reported herein is a sensitive fluorogenic reagent based on an environment-sensitive molecular rotor for detecting and labelling proteins. The rapid binding of the probe to protein amino residues results in a significant enhancement in fluorescence emission, while its reversible interaction with free amino acids remains non-fluorescent. We demonstrate the utility of this reagent for wash-free and real-time imaging of membrane proteins in living cells and for rapidly determining the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of antibiotics against bacteria.
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