A two-photon fluorescent probe for lipid raft imaging: C-laurdan.
The lipid-rafts hypothesis proposes that naturally occurring lipid aggregates exist in the plane of membrane that are involved in signal transduction, protein sorting, and membrane transport. To understand their roles in cell biology, a direct visualization of such domains in living cells is essential. For this purpose, 6-dodecanoyl-2-(dimethylamino)naphthalene (laurdan), a membrane probe that is sensitive to the polarity of the membrane, has often been used. We have synthesized and characterized 6-dodecanoyl-2-[N-methyl-N-(carboxymethyl)amino]naphthalene (C-laurdan), which has the advantages of greater sensitivity to the membrane polarity, a brighter two-photon fluorescence image, and reflecting the cell environment more accurately than laurdan. Lipid rafts can be visualized by two-photon microscopy by using C-laurdan as a probe. Our results show that the lipid rafts cover 38 % of the cell surface.
Kim
Hwan Myung
HM
Department of Chemistry and Center for Electro- and Photo-Responsive Molecules, Korea University, 1-Anamdong, Seoul 136-701, Korea.
Choo
Hyo-Jung
HJ
Jung
Soon-Young
SY
Ko
Young-Gyu
YG
Park
Won-Hwa
WH
Jeon
Seung-Joon
SJ
Kim
Chul Hoon
CH
Joo
Taiha
T
Cho
Bong Rae
BR
D015081:2-Naphthylamine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000737:chemistry; D002138:Calibration; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000378:metabolism; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes / Q000494:pharmacology; D006801:Humans; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D007848:Laurates / Q000737:chemistry*; D008055:Lipids / Q000737:chemistry; D021962:Membrane Microdomains / Q000737:chemistry*; D008853:Microscopy; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D008956:Models, Chemical; D017785:Photons; D013053:Spectrophotometry / Q000379:methods; D014867:Water / Q000737:chemistry
D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D007848:Laurates; D008055:Lipids; D014867:Water; D015081:2-Naphthylamine; C065580:laurdan