title: A non-toxic fluorogenic dye for mitochondria labeling.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Mitochondria, powerhouses of cells, are responsible for many critical cellular functions, such as cell energy metabolism, reactive oxygen species production, and apoptosis regulation. Monitoring mitochondria morphology in live cells temporally and spatially could help with the understanding of the mechanisms of mitochondrial functional regulation and the pathogenesis of mitochondria-related diseases.
  
  
  METHODS
  A novel non-cytotoxic fluorogenic compound, AcQCy7, was developed as a mitochondria-specific dye.
  
  
  RESULTS
  AcQCy7 emitted no fluorescent signal outside of cells, but it became fluorescent after intracellular hydrolysis of the acetyl group. The hydrolyzed fluorescent product was well retained in mitochondria, enabling long-lasting fluorescence imaging of mitochondria without cell washing. A 2-day culture study using AcQCy7 showed no sign of cytotoxicity, whereas a commonly used mitochondria-staining probe, Mitochondria Tracker Green, caused significant cell death even at a much lower concentration. Apoptosis-causing mitochondria fission was monitored clearly in real time by AcQCy7.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A simple add-and-read mitochondria specific dye AcQCy7 has been validated in various cell models. Bright mitochondria specific fluorescent signal in treated cells lasted several days without noticeable toxicity.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The probe AcQCy7 has been proofed to be a non-toxic agent for long-term mitochondria imaging.
authors.affiliation: Department of Translational Imaging, The Methodist Hospital Research Institute, Weill Cornell Medical College, Houston, TX, USA.
authors.forename: Junyan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Han
authors.forename: Myung Shin
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Han
authors.forename: Ching-Hsuan
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Tung
mesh_terms: D017209:Apoptosis / Q000502:physiology; D016923:Cell Death / Q000502:physiology; D002460:Cell Line; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D006367:HeLa Cells; D006801:Humans; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D061848:Optical Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D013194:Staining and Labeling / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D005456:Fluorescent Dyes
keywords: Apoptosis; Cyanine dye; Cytotoxicity; Fluorogenic dye; Mitochondria