One Stone, Three Birds: A Smart Single Fluorescent Probe for Simultaneous and Discriminative Imaging of Lysosomes, Lipid Droplets, and Mitochondria

Complex intracellular life processes are usually completed through the cooperation of multiple organelles. Realtime tracking of the interplays between multiple organelles with a single fluorescent probe (SFP) is very helpful to deepen our understanding of complex biological processes. So far, SFP for simultaneously differentiating and visualizing of more than two different organelles has not been reported. Herein, we report an SFP (named ICM) that can be used for simultaneously differentiating and visualizing three important organelles: mitochondria, lysosomes, and lipid droplets (LDs). The probe can simultaneously light up mitochondria/lysosomes (similar to 700 nm) and LDs (similar to 480 nm) at significantly different emission wavelengths with high fidelity, and mitochondria and lysosomes can be effectively distinguished by their different shapes and fluorescence intensities. With this smart probe, real-time and simultaneous tracking of the interplays of these three organelles was successfully achieved for the first time.

Automated summary

Complex intracellular processes require the cooperation of multiple organelles. Realtime tracking of their interplays is important for understanding biological processes. We report a single fluorescent probe (SFP) that can simultaneously differentiate and visualize three important organelles: mitochondria, lysosomes, and lipid droplets. This smart probe allows for the real-time and simultaneous tracking of the interplays of these organelles for the first time.