Supramolecular conjugated polymer materials for organelle imaging in living cells

Abstract

A novel supramolecular system based on conjugated polymers was developed to realize specific targeting and imaging of organelles in living cells. The carboxyl group-modified polythiophene derivative (PT) forms a complex with six histidine equipped Tat peptide via Ni²⁺ ion chelation, hydrogen bonds and electrostatic interactions (PT/Ni²⁺/Tat-His₆). The complex can reassemble with RFP-His₁₀ due to the relatively high affinity of Ni²⁺ towards His₁₀-tag compared to His₆-tag. Thus, the PT/Ni²⁺/Tat-His₆ complex could selectively label and image organelles expressing His₁₀-tag in living cells with high stability.