Table 3.
Example affinity stain probes used in SMLM.
| Target | Basis of Affinity | Recognition Mechanism | Examples used in SMLM |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mitochondria | Positive charge of dye and/or ligand | Mitochondria negative potential in live cells attracts cationic, membrane permeable dyes | MitoTracker Orange,216 MitoTracker Red,216,338 MitoTracker Deep Red,216 Rhodamine 123,338 TMRE338, RhoB-HMSiR339 |
| Plasma Membrane | Appended hydrophobic group (e.g., octadecane) | Hydrophobic group partitions dye to plasma membrane; uptake may follow | DiI/DiD/DiR216, DiI-C6-HMSiR339 |
| Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER) | Lipophilic framework or glibenclamide (containing sulfonylurea group) | Lipophilic affinity or binding between sulfonylurea and its potassium channel receptor enriched on ER | ER-Tracker Red,216 Nile Red338,340, Cer-HMSiR339 |
| Golgi | Appended ceramide or sphingomyelin group | Interaction with endogenous lipids and cholesterol | Cer-HMSiR339 |
| Lysosomes | Appended weakly basic amine linker | Protonation-induced accumulation in acidic environment of lysosomes | LysoTracker Red,216 LysoTracker Green338 |
| DNA | Polycyclic, aromatic, and planar | Intercalation, π- π stacking | Picogreen,120,341 YOYO-1120,342 |
| Filamentous actin | Appended phalloidin group | Phalloidin binds interface of polymerized actin subunits | Phalloidin-Alexa Fluor 647343 |