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Fluorescent Dyes Aid in Illuminating Microscopic Organisms

A researcher at North Carolina State University employs luminous dyes to visualize intricate biological activities at a microscopic level.

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A researcher from North Carolina State University is employing fluorescent dyes to visualize...
A researcher from North Carolina State University is employing fluorescent dyes to visualize intricate biological activities at a microscopic level.

Fluorescent Dyes Aid in Illuminating Microscopic Organisms

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Hopping on the concept behind light-sensative shades, a North Carolina State University crew, led by Professor Yang Zhang, concocted a gaggle of glow-in-the-dark dyes to highlight microscopic biological processes, similar in scale to a human hair.

Zhang, an assistant professor of textile engineering, chemistry, and science, and his team detailed the workings of these dyes in a publication in ACS Applied Optical Materials.

The Abstract delved into the nitty-gritty with Zhang about the dyes' functions.

The Abstract: Explain how these dyes work?

Yang Zhang: We engineered a family of dyes known as "photoactivatable fluorophores." These fluorescent dye molecules alter color when doused in blue light irradiation. The reaction happens when part of the dye structure is photosensitive, and light irradiation transforms their molecular structure. Initially, the dye conformations emit light on a greener spectrum, and later, after irradiation, they emit red light.

TA: How do the dyes glow?

Zhang: Imagine people chowing down on grub, absorbing the energy to function, and then unwinding at night to relax. After the molecule engorges energy, it yearns to return to its resting state, releasing the photons in the process. The microscopic biological world is in pitch darkness, and these dyes help to illuminate the biological proceedings with a microscope.

TA: How might you employ them to highlight microscopic happenings?

Zhang: We invented these dyes for microscopy in fundamental biomedical research, although they haven't been utilized on humans yet. We employed these dyes to spotlight diminutive transport molecules, or nano-carriers, permeating within developing nematodes, or in developing flies. These are usually hard to image using any other methods.

As of now, we're investigating our dyes for single-molecule imaging, building upon research that earned three scientists the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2014. This technique allows biomedical researchers to scrutinize intricate life processes down to the nanoscale - or, in layman's terms, at the molecular level.

TA: Are there other dyes like this, and if so, how is your team's work different?

Zhang: Our dyes are brighter and potentially safer. That's because they emit light in the near-infrared region. You'd want to circumvent radiation being ingested by tissue or cells. Moreover, we excite the cells by striking them with longer wavelength light, so at a lower energy level. This avoids heating up the cells and causing damage. Our impending plans consist of studying the phototoxicity levels to discern how these dyes can be utilized more broadly for single-molecule imaging.

The scientific paper, "Photoactivatable Fluorophores for Bioimaging Applications," was published online February 27, 2023, in ACS Applied Optical Materials. Co-authors included Yeting Zheng, Andrea Tomassini, Ambarish Kumar Singh, and Francisco M. Raymo. The project received funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIGMS-R01GM143397 and R21GM141675) and National Science Foundation (CHE-1954430).

This piece was originally published in NC State News.

According to the search results, the publication did not provide detailed information on how the team's photoactivatable fluorophores differ from existing dyes in terms of brightness, safety, and potential applications. However, based on general knowledge about advances in photoactivatable fluorophores, these new dyes generally aim to outshine traditional dyes by increasing fluorescence quantum yield, offering lower phototoxicity levels with longer activation wavelengths, and enhancing stability and controllability for various microscopy applications.

  1. The team led by Professor Yang Zhang at North Carolina State University developed a group of glow-in-the-dark dyes, an application inspired by light-sensitive shades, for highlighting microscopic biological processes.
  2. In a publication in ACS Applied Optical Materials, Professor Zhang and his team described the functioning of these dyes, which they call "photoactivatable fluorophores."
  3. These fluorescent dye molecules emit different colors based on exposure to blue light irradiation, transitions taking place when the dye structure responds to light.
  4. These dyes have potential applications in health-and-wellness fields such as microscopy for fundamental biomedical research, specifically in the imaging of tiny transport molecules or nano-carriers in developing organisms like nematodes and flies.
  5. Understanding technology and materials through chemistry, research, and engineering, the team aims to improve the dyes by studying their phototoxicity levels and expanding their potential applications for single-molecule imaging, a method that could contribute to the scientific understanding of health-related medical-conditions at the molecular level.

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