title: A dendritic single-molecule fluorescent probe that is monovalent, photostable and minimally blinking.
abstract: Single-molecule fluorescence techniques have emerged as a powerful approach to understanding complex biological systems. However, a challenge researchers still face is the limited photostability of nearly all organic fluorophores, including the cyanine and Alexa dyes. We report a new, monovalent probe that emits in the far-red region of the visible spectrum with properties desirable for single-molecule optical imaging. This probe is based on a ring-fused boron-dipyrromethene (BODIPY) core that is conjugated to a polyglycerol dendrimer (PGD). The dendrimer makes the hydrophobic fluorophore water-soluble. This probe exhibits excellent brightness, with an emission maximum of 705 nm. We have observed strikingly long and stable emission from individual PGD-BODIPY probes, even in the absence of anti-fading agents such as Trolox, a combined oxidizing-reducing agent often used in single-molecule studies for improving the photostability of common imaging probes. These interesting properties greatly simplify use of the fluorophore.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA.
authors.forename: Si Kyung
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Xinghua
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.forename: Seongjin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Taekjip
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ha
authors.forename: Steven C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Zimmerman
mesh_terms: D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D010777:Photochemistry; D019032:Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization
chemical_list: D005456:Fluorescent Dyes