Enhancement of hydrophilicity and functionalization of CdTe QDs (Quantum Dots) via surface modifications have made them suitable to be used as specific probes for cell imaging. Applications for targeting cell surfaces have been widely demonstrated in vitro but their use in animal models is not trivial. Here, we reported the interaction of mercaptosuccinic-coated (MSA) CdTe QDs with the epidermis of living and Carnoy-fixed zebrafish embryos. QDs concentrate along adherent junctions and reveal the characteristic pattern of actin microridges at the apical surface of the enveloping layer. In our study, labeling with anionic QDs is attained within few minutes at submicromolar concentrations in whole mounted Carnoy-fixed zebrafish embryos, providing a faster approach compared with immunodetection or standard Phalloidin staining of actin for visualization by fluorescence microscopy.

中文翻译：

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阴离子量子点揭示了斑马鱼表皮中的肌动蛋白微ridge。

通过表面修饰增强CdTe QD（量子点）的亲水性和功能化使其适合用作细胞成像的特定探针。靶向细胞表面的应用已在体外得到广泛证明，但在动物模型中的应用并非无关紧要。在这里，我们报告了巯基琥珀酸（MSA）的CdTe QD与活的和经Carnoy固定的斑马鱼胚胎表皮的相互作用。QD沿着粘附的连接点集中，并在包封层的顶表面揭示肌动蛋白微脊的特征模式。在我们的研究中，几分钟内亚微摩尔浓度的Carnoy固定斑马鱼胚胎中的亚微摩尔浓度即可完成阴离子QD的标记，