Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 5, 2026

Fluorescent Labeling of COS-7 Expressing SNAP-tag Fusion Proteins for Live Cell Imaging
Published on: May 17, 2010
Live-cell PAINT microscopy of protein targets via fluorogenic exchangeable HaloTag ligands
Abstract:
We report a generalizable method for single-molecule localization super-resolution microscopy in living cells. Live-cell PAINT (points accumulation for imaging in nanoscale topography) and single-molecule diffusivity mapping (SM d M) of intracellular protein targets are achieved by pairing exceptionally fluorogenic bis-trifluoromethyl rhodamine (BF) dyes with reversible HaloTag ligands and widely available HaloTag fusion proteins. This far-red small-molecule update to protein-based PAINT is readily incorporated into existing super-resolution microscopy workflows: wash-free staining and imaging are achieved for cell lines and primary neuron cultures for diverse protein targets. Pairing with photoconvertible fluorescent proteins further enables simultaneous two-color live-cell super-resolution microscopy and SM d M.
Related Concept Videos
Labeling DNA Probes
Radioisotopes, fluorophores, or small molecule binding partners like biotin or digoxigenin, are the most widely used reporter tags for labeling DNA probes. These labels can be attached to the probe DNA molecule via...
Protein Dynamics in Living Cells
Fluorescent recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) is a fluorescent-protein-based detection technique used to quantify protein movement rates within the cell. This method exposes a small portion of the cell to an intense laser beam. The laser beam causes permanent photobleaching of the fluorophore-tagged proteins in the exposed region. As the bleached...
Tagging and Fusion Proteins

