Near-Infrared Perylenecarboximide Fluorophores for Live-Cell Super-Resolution Imaging
Zehua Wu, Xingfu Zhu, Qiqi Yang, Yulian Zagranyarski, Krishna Mishra, Hilmar Strickfaden, Ronald P.C. Wong, Thomas Basché, Kaloian Koynov, Mischa Bonn, Chen Li, Xiaomin Liu, Kläus Müllen
Abstract
High Resolution Image Download MS PowerPoint Slide Organic near-infrared (NIR) photoblinking fluorophores are highly desirable for live-cell super-resolution imaging based on single-molecule localization microscopy (SMLM). Herein we introduce a novel small chromophore, PMIP, through the fusion of perylenecarboximide with 2,2-dimetheylpyrimidine. PMIP exhibits an emission maximum at 732 nm with a high fluorescence quantum yield of 60% in the wavelength range of 700–1000 nm and excellent photoblinking without any additives. With resorcinol-functionalized PMIP ( PMIP-OH ), NIR SMLM imaging of lysosomes is demonstrated for the first time in living mammalian cells under physiological conditions. Moreover, metabolically labeled nascent DNA is site-specifically detected using azido-functionalized PMIP ( PMIP-N 3 ) via click chemistry, thereby enabling the super-resolution imaging of nascent DNA in phosphate-buffered saline with a 9-fold improvement in spatial resolution. These results indicate the potential of PMIP -based NIR blinking fluorophores for biological applications of SMLM.