Development of biocompatible fluorescent silicon nanocrystals for fluorescence cell imaging

2013 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 23657101
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Biophysics
• Research Institution: Kyoto University
• Principal Investigator: KUSUMI Akihiro 京都大学, 物質-細胞統合システム拠点, 教授 (50169992)
• Project Period (FY): 2011 – 2012
• Keywords: 応用光学・量子光工学 / 複合材料・物性 / マイクロ・ナノデバイス / 量子ドット / シグナル伝達

Research Abstract

Fluorescence microscopy is used extensively in biomedical research, but it is often plagued by three major problems with the presently available fluorescent probes: photobleaching, blinking, and large size. We have developed biocompatible, fluorescent silicon nanocrystals (SiNCs), with special attention to single-molecule imaging. Methods for producing SiNCs by simple chemical etching, for hydrophilically coating them, and for conjugating precisely 1 SiNC to 1 protein molecule were developed. Single SiNCs neither blinked nor photobleached during a 300-min overall period observed at video rate. Single receptor molecules in the plasma membrane of living cells were imaged for ≥10 times longer than with other probes, making it possible for the first time to observe the internalization process of receptor molecules at the single-molecule level. Micron-scale spatial variations of molecular diffusivity, i.e., a higher level of domain mosaicism in the plasma membrane, were revealed.

Research Products

• [Journal Article] Biexciton state causes photoluminescence fluctuations in CdSe/ZnS core/shell quantum dots at high photoexcitation densities (2013)
  • Author(s): N. Yoshikawa, H. Hirori, H. Watanabe, T. Aoki, T. Ihara, R. Kusuda, C. Wolpert, T. K. Fujiwara, A. Kusumi, Y. Kanemitsu, and K. Tanaka
  • Journal Title: Physical Review B Volume: Vol.88 Pages: 155440, 1-5
  • DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.88.155440
  • Peer Reviewed
• [Journal Article] Biocompatible fluorescent silicon nanocrystals for single-molecule tracking and fluorescence imaging (2013)
  • Author(s): H. Nishimura, K. Ritchie, R. S. Kasai, M. Goto, N. Morone, H. Sugimura, K. Tanaka, I. Sase, A. Yoshimura, Y. Nakano, T. K. Fujiwara, and A. Kusumi
  • Journal Title: Journal of Cell Biology Volume: Vol.202 Pages: 967-983
  • DOI: 10.1083/jcb.201301053
  • Peer Reviewed
• [Journal Article] Dynamic organizing principles of the plasma membrane for signal transduction : Commemorating the fortieth anniversary of Singer and Nicolson's fluid-mosaic Model (2012)
  • Author(s): A. Kusumi, T. K. Fujiwara, R. Chadda, M. Xie, T. A. Tsunoyama, Z. Kalay, R. S. Kasai, and K. G. N. Suzuki
  • Journal Title: Annual Review of Cell and Developmental Biology Volume: Vol.28 Pages: 215-250
  • DOI: 10.1146/annurev-cellbio-100809-151736
  • Peer Reviewed
• [Journal Article] Membrane mechanisms for signal transduction : The coupling of the meso-scale raft domains to membrane-skeleton-induced compartments and dynamic protein complexes (2012)
  • Author(s): A. Kusumi, T. K. Fujiwara, N. Morone, K. J. Yoshida, R. Chadda, M. Xie, R. S. Kasai, and K. G. N. Suzuki
  • Journal Title: Seminars in Cell and Developmental Biology Volume: Vol.23(2) Pages: 126-144
  • DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2012.01.018
  • Peer Reviewed
• [Journal Article] Hierarchical meso-scale domain organization of the plasma membrane (2011)
  • Author(s): A. Kusumi, K. G. N. Suzuki, R. S. Kasai, K. Ritchie, and T. K. Fujiwara
  • Journal Title: Trends in Biochemical Sciences Volume: Vol.36 Pages: 604-615
  • DOI: 10.1016/j.tibs.2011.08.001
  • Peer Reviewed
• [Journal Article] Cytoskeleton-induced meso-scale domains (2011)
  • Author(s): Z. Kalay, T. K. Fujiwara, and A. Kusumi
  • Journal Title: Cellular Domains Volume: 1 Pages: 3-22
  • DOI: 10.1002/9781118015759.ch1
  • Peer Reviewed
• [Presentation] Dynamic organizing principles of the plasma membrane that regulate signal transduction : single-molecule tracking studies (2012)
  • Author(s): 楠見明弘
  • Organizer: Departmental Seminar
  • Place of Presentation: Dept. of Physiology, University of Otago, University of Otago(ニュージーランド)
  • Year and Date: 2012-11-26
• [Presentation] Organizing principles of the plasma membrane : Three-tiered hierarchical meso-scale domain architecture revealed by single-molecule tracking (2012)
  • Author(s): 楠見明弘
  • Organizer: Joint Summer Research School in Nanomedicine
  • Place of Presentation: 慶應義塾大学(東京)
  • Year and Date: 2012-08-02
• [Presentation] Signal transduction of GPI-anchored receptors based on dimerization and raft-lipid interaction (2012)
  • Author(s): 楠見明弘
  • Organizer: The 105th International Titisee Conferences
  • Place of Presentation: Treschers Schwarzwaldhotel am See(ドイツ)
  • Year and Date: 2012-03-29
• [Presentation] Lipid-Stabilized Dynamic Homo-Dimers of GPI-Anchored Receptors Convert into Oligomeric Signaling Clusters (2011)
  • Author(s): 楠見明弘
  • Organizer: The 51st Annual Meeting of the American Society for Cell Biology
  • Place of Presentation: Colorado Convention Center(アメリカ)
  • Year and Date: 2011-12-03
• [Presentation] Organizing principle of the plasma membrane : three-tiered meso-scale domain architecture revealed by single-molecule tracking (2011)
  • Author(s): 楠見明弘
  • Organizer: The 8th European Biophysics Congress
  • Place of Presentation: Eotvos Lorand University(ハンガリー)
  • Year and Date: 2011-08-27
• [Presentation] Raft-facilitated protein interactions for signal transduction as revealed by single-molecule imaging (2011)
  • Author(s): 楠見明弘
  • Organizer: The 30th Naito Conference "Membrane Dynamics and Lipid Biology [II] : Domains, Droplets and Diseases"
  • Place of Presentation: シャトレーゼガトーキングダムサッポロ(北海道)
  • Year and Date: 2011-06-29
• [Remarks]
  • URL: http://www.nanobio.frontier.kyoto-u.ac.jp/