Fluorescence ratiometric detection of ligand-induced receptor internalization using extracellular coiled-coil tag-probe labeling

We report a new method for the detection of ligand-induced receptor internalization by fluorescence ratiometric imaging of pH in endosomes in combination with a recently developed posttranslational labeling system based on the formation of a heterodimeric coiled-coil structure. The N-terminus of the β2-adrenergic receptor expressed on the cell surface was doubly labeled with pH-sensitive fluorescein and pH-insensitive tetramethylrhodamine. A significant increase in the tetramethylrhodamine-to-fluorescein fluorescence intensity ratio was observed after incubation with agonists in a concentration-dependent manner. This simple and accurate method of detecting the agonistic activity of receptors will be useful for high-throughput screening of drug candidates.     

Near-infrared pH-activatable fluorescent probes for imaging primary and metastatic breast tumors

Highly tumor selective near-infrared (NIR) pH-activatable probe was developed by conjugating pH-sensitive cyanine dye to a cyclic arginine-glycine-aspartic acid (cRGD) peptide targeting α(v)β(3) integrin (ABIR), a protein that is highly overexpressed in endothelial cells during tumor angiogenesis. The NIR pH-sensitive dye used to construct the probe exhibits high spectral sensitivity with pH changes. It has negligible fluorescence above pH 6 but becomes highly fluorescent below pH 5, with a pK(a) of 4.7. This probe is ideal for imaging acidic cell organelles such as tumor lysosomes or late endosomes. Cell microscopy data demonstrate that binding of the cRGD probe to ABIR facilitated the endocytosis-mediated lysosomal accumulation and subsequent fluorescence enhancement of the NIR pH-activatable dye in tumor cells (MDA-MB-435 and 4T1/luc). A similar fluorescence enhancement mechanism was observed in vivo, where the tumors were evident within 4 h post injection. Moreover, lung metastases were also visualized in an orthotopic tumor mouse model using this probe, which was further confirmed by histologic analysis. These results demonstrate the potential of using the new integrin-targeted pH-sensitive probe for the detection of primary and metastatic cancer.     

Quantitative analysis of autophagic flux by confocal pH-imaging of autophagic intermediates

Although numerous techniques have been developed to monitor autophagy and to probe its cellular functions, these methods cannot evaluate in sufficient detail the autophagy process, and suffer limitations from complex experimental setups and/or systematic errors. Here we developed a method to image, contextually, the number and pH of autophagic intermediates by using the probe mRFP-GFP-LC3B as a ratiometric pH sensor. This information is expressed functionally by AIPD, the pH distribution of the number of autophagic intermediates per cell. AIPD analysis reveals how intermediates are characterized by a continuous pH distribution, in the range 4.5–6.5, and therefore can be described by a more complex set of states rather than the usual biphasic one (autophagosomes and autolysosomes). AIPD shape and amplitude are sensitive to alterations in the autophagy pathway induced by drugs or environmental states, and allow a quantitative estimation of autophagic flux by retrieving the concentrations of autophagic intermediates.     

In vivo near-infrared fluorescence imaging

Photon penetration into living tissue is highly dependent on the absorption and scattering properties of tissue components. The near-infrared region of the spectrum offers certain advantages for photon penetration, and both organic and inorganic fluorescence contrast agents are now available for chemical conjugation to targeting molecules. This review focuses on those parameters that affect image signal and background during in vivo imaging with near-infrared light and exogenous contrast agents. Recent examples of in vivo near-infrared fluorescence imaging of animals and humans are presented, including imaging of normal and diseased vasculature, tissue perfusion, protease activity, hydroxyapatite and cancer.     

Noninvasive optical imaging of staphylococcus aureus bacterial infection in living mice using a Bis-dipicolylamine-Zinc(II) affinity group conjugated to a near-infrared fluorophore

Optical imaging of bacterial infection in living animals is usually conducted with genetic reporters such as light-emitting enzymes or fluorescent proteins. However, there are many circumstances where genetic reporters are not applicable, and there is a need for exogenous synthetic probes that can selectively target bacteria. The focus of this study is a fluorescent imaging probe that is composed of a bacterial affinity group conjugated to a near-infrared dye. The affinity group is a synthetic zinc (II) coordination complex that targets the anionic surfaces of bacterial cells. The probe allows detection of Staphylococcus aureus infection (5 x 10 (7) cells) in a mouse leg infection model using whole animal near-infrared fluorescence imaging. Region of interest analysis showed that the signal ratio for infected leg to uninfected leg reaches 3.9 +/- 0.5 at 21 h postinjection of the probe. Ex vivo imaging of the organs produced a signal ratio of 8 for infected to uninfected leg. Immunohistochemical analysis confirmed that the probe targeted the bacterial cells in the infected tissue. Optimization of the imaging filter set lowered the background signal due to autofluorescence and substantially improved imaging contrast. The study shows that near-infrared molecular probes are amenable to noninvasive optical imaging of localized S. aureus infection.     

Measurement of phagosomal pH of normal and CGD-like human neutrophils by dual fluorescence flow cytometry

BACKGROUND: Phagosomal pH is thought to play an important role in the antimicrobial activity of polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs). In this study, we set up a method for a rapid and accurate measurement of phagosomal pH in PMNs with the use of Candida albicans doubly labeled with a pH-insensitive and a pH-sensitive probe and flow cytometry. METHODS: Heat-killed, serum-opsonized C. albicans were doubly labeled with fluorescein, a pH-sensitive probe, and rhodamine, a pH-insensitive probe, and incubated with human PMNs. Flow cytometric readings of PMN-associated Candida were then taken, and the intraphagosomal pH was calculated on the basis of the ratio of fluorescein:rhodamine fluorescence by using a calibration curve obtained after equilibration of phagosomal pH with different external pH values after addition of digitonin. RESULTS: A rapid rise in phagosomal pH, which reached pH 7.8, was observed 2 min after initiation of phagocytosis and progressively declined to pH 6.9 after 15 min. Such a rise was not observed in PMNs with defective microbicidal activity (deficient in nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase), where phagosomal pH dropped to pH 6.6, 2 min after phagocytosis. The abnormal initial acidification in PMNs deficient in nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase was prevented by using lysosomotropic weak bases or the vacuolar-type H(+) pump inhibitor concanamycin A. CONCLUSIONS: Phagosomal pH of PMNs can be easily and accurately measured by dual fluorescence flow cytometry. The method can be applied to assess phagosomal pH in PMNs with defective microbicidal activity and to monitor the outcome of pharmacologic interventions aimed at correcting its abnormalities.     

Simultaneous pH Measurement in Endocytic and Cytosolic Compartments in Living Cells using Confocal Microscopy

Intracellular pH is tightly regulated and differences in pH between the cytoplasm and organelles have been reported¹. Regulation of cellular pH is crucial for homeostatic control of physiological processes that include: protein, DNA and RNA synthesis, vesicular trafficking, cell growth and cell division. Alterations in cellular pH homeostasis can lead to detrimental functional changes and promote progression of various diseases². Various methods are available for measuring intracellular pH but very few of these allow simultaneous measurement of pH in the cytoplasm and in organelles. Here, we describe in detail a rapid and accurate method for the simultaneous measurement of cytoplasmic and organellar pH by using confocal microscopy on living cells³. This goal is achieved with the use of two pH-sensing ratiometric dyes that possess selective cellular compartment partitioning. For instance, SNARF-1 is compartmentalized inside the cytoplasm whereas HPTS is compartmentalized inside endosomal/lysosomal organelles. Although HPTS is commonly used as a cytoplasmic pH indicator, this dye can specifically label vesicles along the endosomal-lysosomal pathway after being taken up by pinocytosis^3,4. Using these pH-sensing probes, it is possible to simultaneously measure pH within the endocytic and cytoplasmic compartments. The optimal excitation wavelength of HPTS varies depending on the pH while for SNARF-1, it is the optimal emission wavelength that varies. Following loading with SNARF-1 and HPTS, cells are cultured in different pH-calibrated solutions to construct a pH standard curve for each probe. Cell imaging by confocal microscopy allows elimination of artifacts and background noise. Because of the spectral properties of HPTS, this probe is better suited for measurement of the mildly acidic endosomal compartment or to demonstrate alkalinization of the endosomal/lysosomal organelles. This method simplifies data analysis, improves accuracy of pH measurements and can be used to address fundamental questions related to pH modulation during cell responses to external challenges.     

Fluorescence imaging with multifunctional polyglycerol sulfates: novel polymeric near-IR probes targeting inflammation

We present a highly selective approach for the targeting of inflammation with a multivalent polymeric probe. Dendritic polyglycerol was employed to synthesize a polyanionic macromolecular conjugate with a near-infrared fluorescent dye related to Indocyanine Green (ICG). On the basis of the dense assembly of sulfate groups which were generated from the polyol core, the resulting polyglycerol sulfate (molecular weight 12 kD with ~70 sulfate groups) targets factors of inflammation (IC(50) of 3-6 nM for inhibition of L-selectin binding) and is specifically transported into inflammatory cells. The in vivo accumulation studied by near-IR fluorescence imaging in an animal model of rheumatoid arthritis demonstrated fast and selective uptake which enabled the differentiation of diseased joints (score 1-3) with a 3.5-fold higher fluorescence level and a signal maximum at 60 min post injection. Localization in tissues using fluorescence histology showed that the conjugates are deposited in the inflammatory infiltrate in the synovial membrane, whereas nonsulfated control was not detected in association with disease. Hence, this type of polymeric imaging probe is an alternative to current bioconjugates and provides future options for targeted imaging and drug delivery.     

Fluorescence lifetime characterization of novel low-pH probes.

The structures and functions of the cellular acidic compartments are strongly dependent on the pH gradients across vesicular membranes. Measurement and imaging of the vesicular pH require fluorophores with appropriate pK(a) values. In this report, we characterized the pH-dependent lifetime responses of a family of acidotropic probes, LysoSensors, to evaluate their usefulness to low-pH lifetime imaging. LysoSensors are cell-permeable weak bases that selectively accumulate in acidic vesicles after being protonated. They have higher quantum yields at lower pH ranges to allow visualization of the lysosomes. For LysoSensors DND-167, DND-189, and DND-153, raising the buffer pH increased the quenching effects of their basic side chains and substantially reduced their steady-state fluorescence and lifetimes. The apparent pK(a) values determined from their lifetime responses were shifted to near neutral values because of the dominant intensity contribution from their protonated species. One unique property of LysoSensor DND-189 is its nonmonotonic lifetime responses of the maxima occurring between pH 4 and 5. LysoSensor DND-192 did not show significant lifetime changes over a wide pH range. LysoSensor DND-160, which was the only excitation and emission ratiometric probe, showed significant pH-dependent lifetime changes as well as its spectral shifts. Its apparent pK(a) values determined from the lifetime responses were comparable to the lysosomal pH because of its bright basic form. Because of the pH-dependent absorption spectra, the apparent pK(a) values could be manipulated between 3 and 5 by changing the excitation and/or emission wavelengths. These results indicate that LysoSensor DND-160 is a promising probe for lifetime imaging to determine lysosomal pH.     

Recent advances in engineering of microbial cell factories for intelligent pH regulation and tolerance

pH regulation is a serious concern in the industrial fermentation process as pH adjustment heavily utilizes acid/base and pollutes the environment. Under pH-stress conditions, microbial growth and production of valuable target products may be severely affected. Furthermore, some strains generating acidic or alkaline products require self pH regulation and increased tolerance against pH-stress. For pH control, synthetic biology has provided advanced engineering approaches to construct robust and more intelligent microbial strains, exhibiting tolerance to pH-stress to cope with limitations of pH regulation. This study reviewed the current progress of advanced strain evolution strategies to engineer pH-stress tolerant strains via synthetic biology. In addition, a large number of pH-responsive elements, including promoters, riboswitches, and some proteins have been investigated and applied for construction of pH-responsive genetic circuits and intelligent pH-responsive microbial strains.     

A targeted low molecular weight near-infrared fluorescent probe for prostate cancer

Prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) remains an active target for imaging and therapeutic applications for prostate cancer. Although radionuclide-based imaging is generally more sensitive and also has been deeply explored, near-infrared fluorescence imaging agents are simple to prepare and compatible with long-term storage conditions. In the present study, a near-infrared fluorescent imaging probe (Cy5.5-CTT-54.2) has been developed by chemical conjugation of Cy5.5N-hydroxysuccinimide ester (Cy5.5-NHS) with a potent PSMA inhibitor CTT-54.2 (IC(50)=144 nM). The probe displays a highly potency (IC(50)=0.55 nM) against PSMA and has demonstrated successful application for specifically labeling PSMA-positive prostate cancer cells in both two and three-dimensional cell culture conditions. These results suggest that the potent, near-infrared Cy5.5-PSMA inhibitor conjugate may be useful for the detection of prostate tumor cells by optical in vivo imaging.     

Luciferase from Fulgeochlizus bruchi (Coleoptera:Elateridae), a Brazilian click-beetle with a single abdominal lantern: molecular evolution, biological function and comparison with other click-beetle luciferases

Bioluminescent click-beetles emit a wide range of bioluminescence colors (λ(Max) = 534-594 nm) from thoracic and abdominal lanterns, which are used for courtship. Only the luciferases from Pyrophorus and Pyrearinus species were cloned and sequenced. The Brazilian Fulgeochlizus bruchi click-beetle, which inhabits the Central-west Cerrado (Savannas), is noteworthy because, differently from other click-beetles, the adult stage displays only a functional abdominal lantern, which produces a bright green bioluminescence for sexual attraction purposes, and lacks functional thoracic lanterns. We cloned the cDNA for the abdominal lantern luciferase of this species. Notably, the primary sequence of this luciferase showed slightly higher identity with the green emitting dorsal lantern luciferases of the Pyrophorus genus instead of the abdominal lanterns luciferases. This luciferase displays a blue-shifted spectrum (λ(Max) = 540 nm), which is pH-insensitive from pH 7.5 to 9.5 and undergoes a slight red shift and broadening above this pH; the lowest K(M) for luciferin among studied click-beetle luciferases, and the highest optimum pH (9.0) ever reported for a beetle luciferase. At pH 9.0, the K(M) for luciferin increases, showing a decrease of affinity for this substrate, despite the higher activity. The slow luminescence decay rate of F. bruchi luciferase in vitro reaction could be an adaptation of this luciferase for the long and sustained in vivo luminescence display of the click-beetle during the courtship, and could be useful for in vivo intracellular imaging.     

Folate receptor-targeted aggregation-enhanced near-IR emitting silica nanoprobe for one-photon in vivo and two-photon ex vivo fluorescence bioimaging

A two-photon absorbing (2PA) and aggregation-enhanced near-infrared (NIR) emitting pyran derivative, encapsulated in and stabilized by silica nanoparticles (SiNPs), is reported as a nanoprobe for two-photon fluorescence microscopy (2PFM) bioimaging that overcomes the fluorescence quenching associated with high chromophore loading. The new SiNP probe exhibited aggregate-enhanced emission producing nearly twice as strong a signal as the unaggregated dye, a 3-fold increase in two-photon absorption relative to the DFP in solution, and approximately 4-fold increase in photostability. The surface of the nanoparticles was functionalized with a folic acid (FA) derivative for folate-mediated delivery of the nanoprobe for 2PFM bioimaging. Surface modification of SiNPs with the FA derivative was supported by zeta potential variation and (1)H NMR spectral characterization of the SiNPs as a function of surface modification. In vitro studies using HeLa cells expressing a folate receptor (FR) indicated specific cellular uptake of the functionalized nanoparticles. The nanoprobe was demonstrated for FR-targeted one-photon in vivo imaging of HeLa tumor xenograft in mice upon intravenous injection of the probe. The FR-targeting nanoprobe not only exhibited highly selective tumor targeting but also readily extravasated from tumor vessels, penetrated into the tumor parenchyma, and was internalized by the tumor cells. Two-photon fluorescence microscopy bioimaging provided three-dimensional (3D) cellular-level resolution imaging up to 350 μm deep in the HeLa tumor.     

Time-resolved fluorescence microscopy.

In fluorescence microscopy, the fluorescence emission can be characterised not only by intensity and position, but also by lifetime, polarization and wavelength. Fluorescence lifetime imaging (FLIM) can report on photophysical events that are difficult or impossible to observe by fluorescence intensity imaging, and time-resolved fluorescence anisotropy imaging (TR-FAIM) can measure the rotational mobility of a fluorophore in its environment. We compare different FLIM methods: a chief advantage of wide-field time-gating and phase modulation methods is the speed of acquisition whereas for time-correlated single photon counting (TCSPC) based confocal scanning it is accuracy in the fluorescence decay. FLIM has been used to image interactions between proteins such as receptor oligomerisation and to reveal protein phosphorylation by detecting fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET). In addition, FLIM can also probe the local environment of fluorophores, reporting, for example, on the local pH, refractive index, ion or oxygen concentration without the need for ratiometric measurements.     

Ratiometric fluorimetric and colorimetric probe for sensing and imaging pH changes in living cells

Cell, enzyme, and tissue activity in living organisms are closely related to intracellular pH. Detecting the changes of intracellular pH is important to understanding the physiological and pathological changes in the process of crucial cell metabolism. A pH probe (HTBI) based on hemicyanine was synthesized. The probe solution displayed a marked colour change from yellow to amaranth with the pH increase from neutral to basic; simultaneously, the emission spectra showed a significant red shift. The probe exhibited a ratiometric fluorescence emission (F_586nm/F_542nm) characteristic of pK_a 8.82. As expected, HTBI exhibited high sensitivity and selectivity for pH, fine photostability, reversibility, and low cytotoxicity. Therefore, it would be a very useful tool for measuring the intracellular pH changes.     

Fluorescence lifetime-based pH mapping of tumors in vivo using genetically encoded sensor SypHerRed

Changes in intracellular pH (pHi) reflect metabolic states of cancer cells during tumor growth and dissemination. Therefore, monitoring of pHi is essential for understanding the metabolic mechanisms that support cancer progression. Genetically encoded fluorescent pH sensors have become irreplaceable tools for real-time tracking pH in particular subcellular compartments of living cells. However, ratiometric readout of most of the pH probes is poorly suitable to measure pH in thick samples ex vivo or tissues in vivo including solid tumors. Fluorescence lifetime imaging (FLIM) is a promising alternative to the conventional fluorescent microscopy. Here, we present a quantitative approach to map pHi in cancer cells and tumors in vivo, relying on fluorescence lifetime of a genetically encoded pH sensor SypHerRed. We demonstrate the utility of SypHerRed in visualizing pHi in cancer cell culture and in mouse tumor xenografts using fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy and macroscopy. For the first time to our knowledge, the absolute pHi value is obtained for tumors in vivo by an optical technique. In addition, we demonstrate the possibility of simultaneous detection of pHi and endogenous fluorescence of metabolic cofactor NADH, which provides a complementary insight into metabolic aspects of cancer. Fluorescence lifetime-based readout and red-shifted spectra make pH sensor SypHerRed a promising instrument for multiparameter in vivo imaging applications.     

OPA1 promotes pH flashes that spread between contiguous mitochondria without matrix protein exchange

The chemical nature and functional significance of mitochondrial flashes associated with fluctuations in mitochondrial membrane potential is unclear. Using a ratiometric pH probe insensitive to superoxide, we show that flashes reflect matrix alkalinization transients of ～0.4 pH units that persist in cells permeabilized in ion‐free solutions and can be evoked by imposed mitochondrial depolarization. Ablation of the pro‐fusion protein Optic atrophy 1 specifically abrogated pH flashes and reduced the propagation of matrix photoactivated GFP (paGFP). Ablation or invalidation of the pro‐fission Dynamin‐related protein 1 greatly enhanced flash propagation between contiguous mitochondria but marginally increased paGFP matrix diffusion, indicating that flashes propagate without matrix content exchange. The pH flashes were associated with synchronous depolarization and hyperpolarization events that promoted the membrane potential equilibration of juxtaposed mitochondria. We propose that flashes are energy conservation events triggered by the opening of a fusion pore between two contiguous mitochondria of different membrane potentials, propagating without matrix fusion to equilibrate the energetic state of connected mitochondria.     

Noninvasive measurement of bacterial intracellular pH on a single-cell level with green fluorescent protein and fluorescence ratio imaging microscopy

We show that a pH-sensitive derivative of the green fluorescent protein, designated ratiometric GFP, can be used to measure intracellular pH (pHi) in both gram-positive and gram-negative bacterial cells. In cells expressing ratiometric GFP, the excitation ratio (fluorescence intensity at 410 and 430 nm) is correlated to the pHi, allowing fast and noninvasive determination of pHi that is ideally suited for direct analysis of individual bacterial cells present in complex environments.     

Monomolecular multimodal fluorescence-radioisotope imaging agents

Diagnosis of diseases by different imaging methods can provide complementary information about the functional status of diseased tissues or organs. To overcome the current difficulties in coregistering images from different imaging modalities with a high degree of accuracy, we prepared near-infrared (NIR) monomolecular multimodal imaging agents (MOMIAs) consisting of a heptamethine carbocyanine and 111In-DOTA chelate that served as antennae for optical and scintigraphic imaging, respectively. Their spectral properties clearly show that coordination of indium to MOMIA increased the fluorescence intensity of the compounds. The MOMIAs are exceptionally stable in biological media and serum up to 24 h at 37 degrees C. Biodistribution of the compounds in mice obtained by fluorescence photon and gamma-counts demonstrated a similar distribution trend of the molecular probe in different tissues, suggesting that the detected fluorescence and gamma-emissions emanated from the same source (MOMIA). At 24 h postinjection, the MOMIAs were excreted by the renal and hepatobiliary systems and the blood level of a representative MOMIA was very low, thereby reducing background noise caused by circulating molecular probes. These findings demonstrate the feasibility of preparing single molecules with the capacity to emit discernible and diagnostic fluorescent and gamma-radiations for optical and nuclear imaging of living organisms.