rRNAs are prevalent in living organisms. They are produced in nucleolus and mitochondria and play essential cellular functions. In addition to the primary biofunction in protein synthesis, rRNAs have been recognized as the emerging signaling molecule and drug target for studies on nucleolus morphology, mitochondrial autophagy, and tumor cell malignancy. Currently, only a few rRNA-selective probes have been developed, and most of them encounter the drawbacks of low water solubility, poor nuclear membrane permeability, short emission wavelength, low stability against photobleaching, and high cytotoxicity. These unfavorable properties of rRNA probes limit their potential applications. In the present study, we reported a new rRNA-selective and near-infrared fluorescent turn-on probe, 4MPS-TO, capable of tracking rRNA in live human cancer cells. The real-time monitoring performance in nucleolus morphology and mitochondrial autophagy is demonstrated in HeLa cells. The probe shows great application potential for being used as a rRNA-selective, sensitive, and photostable imaging tool in chemical biology study and drug screening.

中文翻译：

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使用红色荧光和光稳定 rRNA 特异性探针对人类癌细胞中的核仁形态和线粒体自噬进行活细胞成像和实时监测

rRNA 在生物体中普遍存在。它们在核仁和线粒体中产生，发挥重要的细胞功能。除了蛋白质合成的主要生物功能外，rRNA 还被认为是核仁形态、线粒体自噬和肿瘤细胞恶性肿瘤研究的新兴信号分子和药物靶点。目前，已开发出的rRNA选择性探针较少，大多存在水溶性低、核膜通透性差、发射波长短、光漂白稳定性差、细胞毒性高等缺点。 rRNA 探针的这些不利特性限制了它们的潜在应用。在本研究中，我们报道了一种新的 rRNA 选择性近红外荧光开启探针4MPS-TO，能够追踪活人类癌细胞中的 rRNA。 HeLa 细胞中展示了核仁形态和线粒体自噬的实时监测性能。该探针在化学生物学研究和药物筛选中作为 rRNA 选择性、敏感和耐光成像工具显示出巨大的应用潜力。