Super-resolution fluorescence microscopy has enabled important breakthroughs in biology and materials science. Implementations such as single-molecule localization microscopy (SMLM) and minimal emission fluxes (MINFLUX) microscopy in the localization mode exploit fluorophores that blink, i.e., switch on and off, stochastically. Here, we introduce nanographenes, namely large polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons that can also be regarded as atomically precise graphene quantum dots, as a new class of fluorophores for super-resolution fluorescence microscopy. Nanographenes exhibit outstanding photophysical properties: intrinsic blinking even in air, excellent fluorescence recovery, and stability over several months. As a proof of concept for super-resolution applications, we use nanographenes in SMLM to generate 3D super-resolution images of silica nanocracks. Our findings open the door for the widespread application of nanographenes in super-resolution fluorescence microscopy.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/anie.201909220 | DOI Listing |
ACS Nano
January 2025
Institute of Physics, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland.
Controlling the light emitted by individual molecules is instrumental to a number of advanced nanotechnologies ranging from super-resolution bioimaging and molecular sensing to quantum nanophotonics. Molecular emission can be tailored by modifying the local photonic environment, for example, by precisely placing a single molecule inside a plasmonic nanocavity with the help of DNA origami. Here, using this scalable approach, we show that commercial fluorophores may experience giant Purcell factors and Lamb shifts, reaching values on par with those recently reported in scanning tip experiments.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCurr Biol
January 2025
Department of Developmental Biology and Cancer Research, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem Faculty of Medicine, Ein-Kerem Campus, Jerusalem 9112102, Israel; Institute for Medical Research, Israel-Canada (IMRIC), Ein-Kerem Campus, Jerusalem 9112102, Israel. Electronic address:
Vertebrate oocyte polarity has been observed for two centuries and is essential for embryonic axis formation and germline specification, yet its underlying mechanisms remain unknown. In oocyte polarization, critical RNA-protein (RNP) granules delivered to the oocyte's vegetal pole are stored by the Balbiani body (Bb), a membraneless organelle conserved across species from insects to humans. However, the mechanisms of Bb formation are still unclear.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBioconjug Chem
January 2025
Department of Chemistry, Organic Chemistry Section, Jadavpur University, Kolkata 700032, India.
Herein, a water-soluble, ultrabright, near-infrared (NIR) fluorescent, mechanically interlocked molecules (MIMs)-peptide bioconjugate is designed with dual targeting capabilities. Cancer cell surface overexpressed αβ integrin targeting two RGDS tetrapeptide residues is tethered at the macrocycle of MIMs-peptide bioconjugate via Cu(I)-catalyzed click chemistry on the Wang resin, and mitochondria targeting lipophilic cationic TPP functionality is conjugated at the axle dye. Living carcinoma cell selective active targeting, subsequently cell penetration, mitochondrial imaging, including the ultrastructure of cristae, and real-time tracking of malignant mitochondria by MIMs-peptide bioconjugate (RGDS)-Mito-MIMs-TPP are established by stimulated emission depletion (STED) super-resolved fluorescence microscopy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDiabetes
January 2025
Institute of Biotechnology, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan.
Pancreatic cystic changes in adults are increasingly identified through advanced cross-sectional imaging. However, the impact of initial/intra-lobular epithelial remodeling on the local β-cell population remains unclear. In this study, we examined 10 human cadaveric donor pancreases (tail and body regions) via integration of stereomicroscopy, clinical H&E histology, and 3D immunohistochemistry, identifying 36 microcysts (size: 1.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFElife
January 2025
Eikon Therapeutics Inc, Hayward, United States.
The regulation of cell physiology depends largely upon interactions of functionally distinct proteins and cellular components. These interactions may be transient or long-lived, but often affect protein motion. Measurement of protein dynamics within a cellular environment, particularly while perturbing protein function with small molecules, may enable dissection of key interactions and facilitate drug discovery; however, current approaches are limited by throughput with respect to data acquisition and analysis.
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