Hybrid probes consisting of synthetic molecules and proteins are powerful tools for detecting biological molecules and signals in living cells. To date, most targets of the hybrid probes have been limited to pH and small analytes. Although biomacromolecules are essential to the physiological function of cells, the hybrid-probe-based approach has been scarcely employed for live-cell detection of biomacromolecules
由合成分子和蛋白质组成的杂交探针是检测活细胞中生物分子和信号的有力工具。迄今为止,混合探针的大多数目标仅限于 pH 值和小分析物。尽管生物大分子对细胞的生理功能至关重要,但基于杂交探针的方法很少用于生物大分子的活细胞检测。在这里,我们开发了一种带有化学开关的混合探针,用于甲基化 DNA 的活细胞成像,甲基化 DNA 是抑制基因表达的重要大分子。使用蛋白质标记技术,我们创建了一个包含 DNA 结合荧光和甲基化 DNA 结合域的混合探针。杂交探针在与甲基化 DNA 结合后增强了荧光强度,并在有丝分裂过程中成功监测了甲基化 DNA。