A FLIM Microscopy Based on Acceptor-Detected Förster Resonance Energy Transfer

Efficient detection of L-aspartic acid and L-glutamic acid by self-assembled fluorescent microparticles with AIE and FRET activities

Amino acids play an important role in the formation of proteins, enzymes, hormones and peptides in animals. Moreover, aspartic acid and glutamic acid have a critical impact on the central nervous system as excitatory neurotransmitters. Here, we report the highly selective detection of L-glutamic acid (L-Glu) and L-aspartic acid (L-Asp) using fluorescent microparticles constructed by the combination of aggregation-induced emission and self-assembly-induced Förster resonance energy transfer.

Off-On Squalene Epoxidase-Specific Fluorescent Probe for Fast Imaging in Living Cells

SQLE (squalene epoxidase) is a cell membrane-bound enzyme. It is a target of fungicides and may become a new target for cancer therapy. Therefore, monitoring the content and distribution of the key enzyme in living cells is very challenging. To achieve this goal, tetraphenyl ethylene-Ter (TPE-Ter) was first designed as a new fluorescent probe to SQLE based on its active cavity. Spectral experiments discovered that SQLE/TPE-Ter shows stronger emission with fast response time and low interference from other analytes. Molecular dynamics simulation clearly confirmed the complex structure of SQLE/TPE-Ter, and the key residues contribute to restriction of TPE-Ter single-molecular motion in the cavity. TPE-Ter-specific response to SQLE is successfully demonstrated in living cells such as LO2, HepG2, and fungi. Imaging of TPE-Ter-treated fungi indicates that it can be used to rapidly assess antifungal drug susceptibility (30 min at least). The present work provides a powerful tool to detect content and distribution of SQLE in living cells.