Angewandte
Chemie
DOI: 10.1002/anie.201408153
Lipid Membranes
Simultaneous In Situ Quantification of Two Cellular Lipid Pools Using
Orthogonal Fluorescent Sensors**
Shu-Lin Liu, Ren Sheng, Matthew J. OꢀConnor, Yang Cui, Youngdae Yoon, Svetlana Kurilova,
Daesung Lee,* and Wonhwa Cho*
Abstract: Lipids regulate a wide range of biological activities.
Since their local concentrations are tightly controlled in
a spatiotemporally specific manner, the simultaneous quantifi-
cation of multiple lipids is essential for elucidation of the
complex mechanisms of biological regulation. Here, we report
a new method for the simultaneous in situ quantification of two
lipid pools in mammalian cells using orthogonal fluorescent
sensors. The sensors were prepared by incorporating two
environmentally sensitive fluorophores with minimal spectral
overlap separately into engineered lipid-binding proteins. Dual
ratiometric analysis of imaging data allowed accurate, spatio-
temporally resolved quantification of two different lipids on
the same leaflet of the plasma membrane or a single lipid on
two opposite leaflets of the plasma membrane of live mamma-
lian cells. This new imaging technology should serve as
a powerful tool for systems-level investigation of lipid-medi-
ated cell signaling and regulation.
Under physiological conditions, multiple regulatory lipids
are metabolically and functionally linked to one another.[3]
Also, a single lipid species can exist disproportionally in
opposite faces of lipid bilayers, performing distinct func-
tions.[4] Most notably, the tightly controlled trans-bilayer
asymmetry of lipids in the plasma membrane (PM) of
mammalian cells is crucial for cell survival, function, and
regulation.[4] Thus, a new technology is needed for the
simultaneous in situ quantification of multiple lipids in the
same membrane leaflet or a lipid species in opposite leaflets
of cell membranes. As a first step toward the simultaneous
quantification of multiple lipids, we developed a new strategy
for dual in situ lipid quantification in live cells.
Simultaneous dual-lipid quantification would require
orthogonal lipid sensors that allow robust dual ratiometric
analysis. Unfortunately, the limited availability of amphiphilic
ESFs greatly hampers the development of orthogonal lipid
sensors. We therefore searched for an ESF that can be used
orthogonally with the most commonly employed thiol-reac-
tive amphiphilic ESF, acrylodan (6-acryloyl-2-dimethylami-
nonaphthalene).[5] When coupled to a cysteine residue of
a protein, the 2-dimethylaminonaphthaloyl (DAN) group
undergoes a green-to-blue spectral shift with a large increase
in fluorescence emission intensity as the protein binds its
cognate lipid in the membrane, allowing robust ratiometric
quantification of cellular lipids through in vitro calibration.[2]
An ideal orthogonal ESF partner for DAN would be an
amphiphilic fluorescence dye that shows a spectral shift from
red to orange fluorescence upon lipid binding. Among
reported red fluorophores, Nile Red possesses such properties
and its maleimide derivatives have been prepared for cysteine
labeling.[6] These Nile Red derivatives are, however, highly
lipophilic and have extremely low water solubility. This not
only lowers the yield of protein-labeling reactions in aqueous
solution but also adversely affects the structure, stability, and
membrane-binding properties of the labeled proteins. To
overcome these major limitations, we designed and synthe-
sized several cysteine-specific acrylate derivatives of Nile Red
with a varying degree of lipophilicity.
M
embrane lipids are among the most important and
ubiquitous regulatory molecules that control the localization,
activity, and mutual interactions of a wide variety of cellular
proteins.[1] Because local lipid concentrations are highly
variable and may serve as activation thresholds for myriad
biological processes mediated by these proteins, spatiotem-
porally resolved lipid quantification is essential for elucidat-
ing the diverse and complex mechanisms of biological
regulation.[2] We recently developed a chemical strategy for
in situ quantification of a single lipid species in live
mammalian cells using a hybrid sensor constructed with an
engineered lipid-binding protein and an environmentally
sensitive (or solvatochromatic) fluorophore (ESF).[2] Quan-
tification of cellular phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate
(PIP2) by ratiometric imaging analysis demonstrated the
spatiotemporal dynamics of this important signaling lipid in
unprecedented detail and provided new insight into how it
regulates such diverse biological processes.[2]
[*] Dr. S.-L. Liu, Dr. R. Sheng, M. J. O’Connor, Y. Cui, Dr. Y. Yoon,[+]
S. Kurilova, Dr. D. Lee, Dr. W. Cho
Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois at Chicago
845 W. Taylor St., Chicago, IL (USA)
E-mail: dsunglee@uic.edu
The 2-hydroxy Nile Red benzophenoxazinone core
2-HONR was synthesized starting from 5-diethylamino-2-
nitrosophenol hydrochloride and 1,6-dihydroxynaphthalene
(Scheme 1).[7] The first-generation fluorophore NR1 was
prepared by treatment of 2-HONR with acryloyl chloride
and triethylamine. Although NR1 displayed favorable spec-
tral properties, its solubility in water was still extremely low
and thus its protein-labeling efficiency was low. We thus
introduced more oxygen atoms and an additional hydroxy
group into the linker to increase the water solubility. NR2
[+] Present address:
Department of Environmental Health Science, Konkuk University
1 Hwayang-dong, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul 143-701 (Korea)
[**] We thank Dr. Mingjie Zhang for a kind gift of myosin X PH domain.
The work was supported by NIH grants, GM68849 and GM110128.
Supporting information for this article is available on the WWW
Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2014, 53, 14387 –14391
ꢀ 2014 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim
14387