Fluorescent Nanocable as a Biomedical Tool: Intracellular Self-Assembly Formed by a Natural Product Interconnects and Synchronizes Mitochondria.
Xueqian ZhaoFei WangChuen KamMing-Yu WuJian-Yu ZhangChanghuo XuKai BaoQiyuan HeRuquan YeBen-Zhong TangSijie ChenPublished in: ACS nano (2024)
Self-assembly processes commonly occur in various biological contexts to form functional biological structures. However, the self-assembly of nanofibers within cells by heterologous molecules showing a biological function is rare. In this work, we reported the intracellular formation of fluorescent nanofibers by a natural small molecule, lycobetaine (LBT), which facilitated the direct physical connection between mitochondria and synchronized their membrane potential oscillations. The luminescent properties of LBT enabled the real-time observation of nanofiber formation, while the semiconductive nature of the LBT nanofiber facilitated electrical signal transduction among the connected mitochondria. This study introduces an approach to modulate mitochondrial connectivity within cells using "nano-cables" which facilitate studies on synchronized mitochondrial operations and the underlying mechanisms of drug action.
Keyphrases
- induced apoptosis
- reactive oxygen species
- small molecule
- cell cycle arrest
- cell death
- quantum dots
- oxidative stress
- endoplasmic reticulum
- living cells
- endoplasmic reticulum stress
- emergency department
- mental health
- signaling pathway
- working memory
- multiple sclerosis
- high resolution
- white matter
- sensitive detection
- mass spectrometry
- label free
- cell proliferation
- pi k akt
- protein protein
- drug induced
- electronic health record
- resting state
- metal organic framework