title: A photostable AIE luminogen for specific mitochondrial imaging and tracking.
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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Institute for Advanced Study, Division of Biomedical Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Molecular Neuroscience, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China.
authors.forename: Chris Wai Tung
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Leung
authors.forename: Yuning
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hong
authors.forename: Sijie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Engui
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Jacky Wing Yip
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Lam
authors.forename: Ben Zhong
authors.initials: BZ
authors.lastname: Tang
mesh_terms: D005030:Ethylenes / Q000737:chemistry*; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes / Q000737:chemistry*; D006367:HeLa Cells; D006801:Humans; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000737:chemistry*; D015394:Molecular Structure; D009943:Organophosphorus Compounds / Q000737:chemistry*; D055668:Photochemical Processes
chemical_list: D005030:Ethylenes; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D009943:Organophosphorus Compounds