Fluorous Soluble Cyanine Dyes for Visualizing Perfluorocarbons in Living Systems

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

  • Irene Lim - , University of California at Los Angeles (Author)
  • Antoine Vian - , University of California at Santa Barbara (Author)
  • Heidi L. Van De Wouw - , University of California at Los Angeles (Author)
  • Rachael A. Day - , University of California at Los Angeles (Author)
  • Carlos Gomez - , University of California at Santa Barbara (Author)
  • Yucen Liu - , University of California at Santa Barbara (Author)
  • Arnold L. Rheingold - , University of California at San Diego (Author)
  • Otger Campàs - , University of California at Santa Barbara (Author)
  • Ellen M. Sletten - , University of California at Los Angeles (Author)

Abstract

The bioorthogonal nature of perfluorocarbons provides a unique platform for introducing dynamic nano- A nd microdroplets into cells and organisms. To monitor the localization and deformation of the droplets, fluorous soluble fluorophores that are compatible with standard fluorescent protein markers and applicable to cells, tissues, and small organisms are necessary. Here, we introduce fluorous cyanine dyes that represent the most red-shifted fluorous soluble fluorophores to date. We study the effect of covalently appended fluorous tags on the cyanine scaffold and evaluate the changes in photophysical properties imparted by the fluorous phase. Ultimately, we showcase the utility of the fluorous soluble pentamethine cyanine dye for tracking the localization of perfluorocarbon nanoemulsions in macrophage cells and for measurements of mechanical forces in multicellular spheroids and zebrafish embryonic tissues. These studies demonstrate that the red-shifted cyanine dyes offer spectral flexibility in multiplexed imaging experiments and enhanced precision in force measurements.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)16072-16081
Number of pages10
JournalJournal of the American Chemical Society
Volume142
Issue number37
Publication statusPublished - 16 Sept 2020
Peer-reviewedYes
Externally publishedYes

External IDs

PubMed 32808518