Abstract
Tracking the dynamics of mitochondrial morphology has attracted much research interest because of its involvement in early stage apoptosis and degenerative conditions. To follow this process, highly specific and photostable fluorescent probes are in demand. Commercially available mitochondria trackers, however, suffer from poor photostability. To overcome this limitation, we have designed and synthesized a fluorescent agent, tetraphenylethene-triphenylphosphonium (TPE-TPP), for mitochondrial imaging. Inherent from the mitochondrial-targeting ability of TPP groups and the aggregation-induced emission (AIE) characteristics of the TPE core, TPE-TPP possesses high specificity to mitochondria, superior photostability, and appreciable tolerance to environmental change, allowing imaging and tracking of the mitochondrial morphological changes in a long period of time.
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Acknowledgments
This work was partially supported by the Research Grants Council of Hong Kong (604711, 602212, HKUST2/CRF/10, and N_HKUST620/11), the University Grants Committee of Hong Kong (AoE/P-03/08), HKUST (RPC10SC13, RPC11SC09, and SRFI11SC03PG), the Innovation and Technology Commission (ITCPD/17-9), and the National Science Foundation of China (20974028). B.Z.T. thanks the support from Guangdong Innovative Research Team Program of China (201101C0105067115).
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Leung, C.W.T., Hong, Y., Tang, B.Z. (2015). Specific Imaging and Tracking of Mitochondria in Live Cells by a Photostable AIE Luminogen. In: Armstrong, D. (eds) Advanced Protocols in Oxidative Stress III. Methods in Molecular Biology, vol 1208. Humana Press, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-1441-8_2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-1441-8_2
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