An aggregation-induced emission platform for efficient Golgi apparatus and endoplasmic reticulum specific imaging

Peihong Xiao; Ke Ma; Miaomiao Kang; Luyi Huang; Qian Wu; Nan Song; Jinyin Ge; Dan Li; Jianxia Dong; Lei Wang; Dong Wang; Ben Zhong Tang

doi:10.1039/d1sc03932f

An aggregation-induced emission platform for efficient Golgi apparatus and endoplasmic reticulum specific imaging

Chem Sci. 2021 Oct 5;12(41):13949-13957. doi: 10.1039/d1sc03932f. eCollection 2021 Oct 27.

Authors

Peihong Xiao^{1

2}, Ke Ma^{1

2}, Miaomiao Kang^{1

2}, Luyi Huang³, Qian Wu⁴, Nan Song^{1

2}, Jinyin Ge^{1

2}, Dan Li^{1

2}, Jianxia Dong⁵, Lei Wang¹, Dong Wang¹, Ben Zhong Tang^{4

6}

Affiliations

¹ Center for AIE Research, Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Polymer Science and Technology, Guangdong Research Center for Interfacial Engineering of Functional Materials, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Shenzhen University Shenzhen 518060 China wangd@szu.edu.cn.
² Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Devices and Systems of Ministry of Education and Guangdong Province, College of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering, Shenzhen University Shenzhen 518060 China.
³ Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology for Infectious Diseases (Ministry of Education), Institute for Viral Hepatitis, Department of Infectious Diseases, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Chongqing Medical University Chongqing 400010 China.
⁴ Department of Chemistry, Hong Kong Branch of Chinese National Engineering Research, Center for Tissue Restoration and Reconstruction, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Clear Water Bay Kowloon Hong Kong 999077 China tangbenz@ust.hk.
⁵ Department of Clinical Pharmacy, West China Hospital of Sichuan University Chengdu 610041 Sichuan Province China.
⁶ Shenzhen Institute of Molecular Aggregate Science and Engineering, School of Science and Engineering, The Chinese University of Hong Kong Shenzhen, 2001 Longxiang Boulevard, Longgang District Shenzhen City Guangdong 518172 China tangbenz@cuhk.edu.cn.

Abstract

As two important subcellular organelles in eukaryotic cells, the Golgi apparatus (GA) and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) have recently captivated much interest due to their considerable importance in many biofunctions and role as critical biomarkers for various diseases. The development of efficient GA- and ER-specific probes is of great significance, but remains an appealing yet significantly challenging task. Herein, we reported for the first time the construction of an aggregation-induced emission (AIE) platform for GA and ER fluorescent probes, termed as AIE-GA and AIE-ER, by facile synthesis and simple functionalization. Their excellent targeting specificity to GA or ER, remarkable photostability, high brightness, and low working concentration make AIE-GA and AIE-ER significantly impressive and superior to commercially available probes. Moreover, molecular docking calculations are performed to validate the targeting mechanism of the two AIE probes.