Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 12, 2026
3D Orbital Tracking in a Modified Two-photon Microscope: An Application to the Tracking of Intracellular Vesicles
Published on: October 1, 2014
Cuproptosis tracker: Visualizing organelle dynamics with a dual-targeted fluorescent probe.
Furao Li1, Chunyan Liang1, Xifeng Mo1
1Guangxi Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Precision Detection and Screening, Key Laboratory of Micro-Nanoscale Bioanalysis and Drug Screening of Guangxi Education Department, Pharmaceutical College, State Key Laboratory of Targeting Oncology, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, 530021, China.
Researchers developed a novel fluorescent reporter to track interactions between mitochondria and lipid droplets during cuproptosis. This tool visualizes sulfur dioxide dynamics, aiding the study of programmed cell death and organelle communication.
Area of Science:
- Biochemistry
- Cell Biology
- Molecular Diagnostics
Background:
- Cuproptosis (copper-induced cell death) is linked to mitochondrial dysfunction and lipid droplet metabolism.
- The dynamic interplay between mitochondria and lipid droplets in cuproptosis lacks effective visualization tools.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a dual-targeted fluorescent reporter (MLR) for real-time tracking of mitochondrial-lipid droplet interactions during cuproptosis.
- To monitor intracellular sulfur dioxide (SO2) dynamics as a marker for cuproptosis progression.
Main Methods:
- One-step synthesis of a coumarin-based, piperazine-linked, benzopyronium-anchored fluorescent probe (MLR).
- Live-cell imaging using MLR to visualize SO2-triggered translocation between mitochondria and lipid droplets.
- Dual fluorescence channel imaging to correlate SO2 fluctuations with organelle dynamics during Cu2+ and elesclomol-induced apoptosis.
Main Results:
- MLR demonstrated high sensitivity (0.34 μM) and rapid response (<10 s) for SO2 detection.
- Live-cell imaging revealed SO2-dependent MLR translocation from mitochondria to lipid droplets, visualizing inter-organelle communication.
- MLR successfully mapped SO2 dynamics and organelle interactions in cuproptosis models.
Conclusions:
- The MLR probe provides a novel method to visualize mitochondrial-lipid droplet interactions and SO2 dynamics in cuproptosis.
- This reporter overcomes limitations of single-target probes, offering a versatile platform for studying organelle crosstalk.
- MLR has potential applications in developing advanced diagnostic tools for diseases involving cuproptosis.
