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Lutidine derivatives for live-cell imaging of the mitochondria and endoplasmic reticulum.

Deepmala SinghDipeshwari J ShewaleAakash SenguptaVirupakshi SoppinaSriram Kanvah
Published in: Organic & biomolecular chemistry (2022)
The mitochondria and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) are highly dynamic subcellular structures essential for several biological functions. The development of non-toxic, wash-free fluorophores to visualize these structures inside cells aid in understanding their localization and dynamics in diverse cellular processes. In this paper, we report the synthesis and characterization of lutidine-based cationic fluorophores bearing push-pull substituents exhibiting emission in green and red wavelength regions and their subcellular localization in living cells. The confocal imaging of the molecules in a cellular domain reveals the robust localization of three molecules (2, 4 and 5) in the mitochondria and two molecules with polyfluorophenyl substituents (6 and 7) in the ER. At the same time, the other two molecules (1 and 3) showed non-specific imaging. These molecules can also be used to sense the altered viscosity of the stressed ER and investigate its dynamics.
Keyphrases
  • endoplasmic reticulum
  • high resolution
  • living cells
  • fluorescent probe
  • induced apoptosis
  • oxidative stress
  • mass spectrometry
  • optical coherence tomography
  • reactive oxygen species