In situ quantitative imaging of cellular lipids using molecular sensors.

ABSTRACT: Membrane lipids are dynamic molecules that play important roles in cell signalling and regulation, but an in situ imaging method for quantitatively tracking lipids in living cells is lacking at present. Here, we report a new chemical method of quantitative lipid imaging using sensors engineered by labelling proteins with an environmentally sensitive fluorophore. A prototype sensor for phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate (PtdIns(4,5)P(2))--a key signalling lipid in diverse cellular processes--was generated by covalently attaching a single 2-dimethylamino-6-acyl-naphthalene group to the N-terminal α-helix of the engineered epsin1 ENTH domain, a protein that selectively binds PtdIns(4,5)P(2). The sensor allows robust and sensitive in situ quantitative imaging in mammalian cells, providing n

SUBMITTER: Yoon Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3205457 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature