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 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.