A Cyanine Dye to Probe Mitophagy: Simultaneous Detection of Mitochondria and Autolysosomes in Live Cells

Mitophagy is a process in which cells remove dysfunctional mitochondria and recycle their constituents in a lysosome-dependent manner. To probe this process, two different fluorescent dyes specific for mitochondria and lysosomes, respectively, are often used in combination. However, current fluoresc...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of the American Chemical Society 2016-09, Vol.138 (38), p.12368-12374
Main Authors: Liu, Ying, Zhou, Jin, Wang, Linlin, Hu, Xiaoxiao, Liu, Xiangjun, Liu, Meirong, Cao, Zehui, Shangguan, Dihua, Tan, Weihong
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Cell Line
Fluorescent Dyes - chemistry
Fluorescent Dyes - pharmacology
Humans
Mitochondria - physiology
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Summary:Mitophagy is a process in which cells remove dysfunctional mitochondria and recycle their constituents in a lysosome-dependent manner. To probe this process, two different fluorescent dyes specific for mitochondria and lysosomes, respectively, are often used in combination. However, current fluorescent dyes for lysosomes cannot distinguish mitochondria-containing autolysosomes from other lysosomes. Therefore, we herein report a cyanine dye, HQO, which can simultaneously probe mitochondria and autolysosomes in live cells by exhibiting different fluorescence properties. HQO selectively accumulates in mitochondria but then transforms to the protonated HQOH+ form with the decrease of pH when dysfunctional mitochondria evolve into autolysosomes. Since HQO and HQOH+ exhibit different absorption and emission with Ex/Em at 530/650 and 710/750 nm, respectively, in a low polarity environment, such as that found in micelles, they are uniquely suited to monitor mitophagy with the ability to distinguish autolysosomes from other lysosomes.
ISSN:0002-7863
1520-5126
DOI:10.1021/jacs.6b04048