Lightening Up Membrane Receptors with Fluorescent Molecular Probes and Supramolecular Materials

Membrane receptors, among other membrane proteins that universally exist on the cell surface, are a class of important macromolecules responsible for cell-signaling processes. They are activated or inhibited through selective binding with endogenous ligand molecules. These binding activities are implicated in physiologic as well as pathologic events if errors in signaling interactions occur. The thorough understanding of receptor-ligand recognition is of paramount importance for fundamental biological studies and, in particular, could improve the precision of disease diagnosis and therapy. However, current techniques capable of tracking the dynamic actions of membrane receptors are elusive. This review highlights our recent progress in the development of fluorescent probes and supramolecular materials for receptor-targeting biosensing and bioimaging. Strategies in probe construction and the practical biomedical applications that have been achieved are discussed. Perspectives and challenges with respect to this interdisciplinary field are offered.