Issue 18, 2019

A H-bond strategy to develop acid-resistant photoswitchable rhodamine spirolactams for super-resolution single-molecule localization microscopy

Abstract

Rhodamine spirolactam based photoswitches have been extensively applied in super-resolution single-molecule localization microscopy (SMLM). However, the ring-opening reactions of spirolactams are cross-sensitive to acid, limiting their photoswitch use to neutral pH conditions. In addition, the ring-closing reactions of spirolactams are environment-sensitive and slow (up to hours), virtually making rhodamine spirolactams caged fluorescent dyes instead of reversible photoswitches in SMLM. Herein, by introducing hydrogen bonds to stabilize spirolactams, we report a series of acid-resistant rhodamine spirolactams with accelerated ring-closing reactions from fluorescent xanthyliums to non-fluorescent spirolactams, endowing them with good photoswitchable properties even in acidic environments. By further substitution of 6-phenylethynyl naphthalimide on the spirolactam, we shifted the photoactivation wavelength into the visible region (>400 nm). Subsequently, we have successfully applied these dyes in labeling and imaging the cell surface of Bacillus subtilis at pH 4.5 using SMLM.

Graphical abstract: A H-bond strategy to develop acid-resistant photoswitchable rhodamine spirolactams for super-resolution single-molecule localization microscopy

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Edge Article
Submitted
15 3 2019
Accepted
04 4 2019
First published
04 4 2019
This article is Open Access

All publication charges for this article have been paid for by the Royal Society of Chemistry
Creative Commons BY-NC license

Chem. Sci., 2019,10, 4914-4922

A H-bond strategy to develop acid-resistant photoswitchable rhodamine spirolactams for super-resolution single-molecule localization microscopy

Q. Qi, W. Chi, Y. Li, Q. Qiao, J. Chen, L. Miao, Y. Zhang, J. Li, W. Ji, T. Xu, X. Liu, J. Yoon and Z. Xu, Chem. Sci., 2019, 10, 4914 DOI: 10.1039/C9SC01284B

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