Embryonic Exposure to Cigarette Smoke Extract Impedes Skeletal Development and Evokes Craniofacial Defects in Zebrafish.

Exposure to cigarette smoke represents the largest source of preventable death and disease in the United States. This may be in part due to the nature of the delayed harmful effects as well as the lack of awareness of the scope of harm presented by these products. The presence of "light" versions further clouds the harmful effects of tobacco products.

Red-shifted luciferase-luciferin pairs for enhanced bioluminescence imaging.

Red-shifted bioluminescence reporters are desirable for biological imaging. We describe the development of red-shifted luciferins based on synthetic coelenterazine analogs and corresponding mutants of NanoLuc that enable bright bioluminescence. One pair in particular showed superior in vitro and in vivo sensitivity over commonly used bioluminescence reporters.

A membrane-activatable near-infrared fluorescent probe with ultra-photostability for mitochondrial membrane potentials.

Mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) is a frequently used indicator for mitochondrial function. Herein, we report a photostable near-infrared (NIR) fluorescent dye for monitoring MMP. This new probe, named NIMAP, is non-fluorescent in aqueous solution and can be activated by cell membranes, providing high fluorescence contrast and low background fluorescence.