Fluorescent Molecular Rotors
Fluorescent Molecular Rotors - Related Videos
09:45
Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging of Molecular Rotors in Living Cells
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Cited by 17 •
2012
Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging (FLIM) has emerged as a key technique to image the environment and interaction of specific proteins and dyes in living cells. FLIM of fluorescent molecular rotors allows mapping of viscosity in living cells.
09:26
How to Build a Vacuum Spring-transport Package for Spinning Rotor Gauges
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Cited by 1 •
2016
Here we describe how to build a robust spring-transport mechanism for a spinning rotor gauge. This device securely immobilizes the rotor and keeps it under vacuum during transportation. We also describe packaging that minimizes the risk of damage during transport. Tests show our design works for typical shocks during transport.
11:26
Visualizing Single Molecular Complexes In Vivo Using Advanced Fluorescence Microscopy
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Cited by 8 •
2009
Here we demonstrate the protocols for performing single-molecule fluorescence microscopy on living bacterial cells to enable functional molecular complexes to be detected, tracked and quantified.
15:10
From Fast Fluorescence Imaging to Molecular Diffusion Law on Live Cell Membranes in a Commercial Microscope
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Cited by 18 •
2014
Spatial distribution and temporal dynamics of plasma membrane proteins and lipids is a hot topic in biology. Here this issue is addressed by a spatio-temporal image fluctuation analysis that provides conceptually the same physical quantities of single particle tracking, but it uses small molecular labels and standard microscopy setups.
03:09
Fluorescence Molecular Tomography: An Imaging Technique for In Vivo Imaging of Fluorescent Protein-tagged Glioblastoma Xenografts in Mouse Model
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2025
In this video, we describe fluorescence molecular tomography or FMT for in vivo imaging of fluorescent protein-tagged glioblastoma xenografts in mouse models. The technique is useful for elucidating the effects of anti-tumor therapeutics at the molecular level.
FAQs
After excitation, the dye can rotate around a molecular bond. In a low-viscosity environment, this rotation provides a pathway for nonradiative energy loss, so fluorescence remains weak. As surrounding viscosity increases, rotation becomes more restricted, reducing that energy-loss pathway and allowing stronger emission or a longer fluorescence lifetime. The signal therefore reflects how freely the rotor can move.
Both emission intensity and fluorescence lifetime can serve as readouts of restricted molecular motion. Greater local viscosity can increase the amount of emitted light, extend the time the excited state persists, or produce both effects. Measuring either response allows researchers to compare physical environments, while using the signal spatially helps identify variations within cells, tissues, or engineered materials.
The response reflects the environment immediately surrounding the dye rather than a broadly averaged material property. This makes fluorescent molecular rotors useful for examining spatially varied biological materials, where intracellular regions, polymer networks, or engineered microenvironments may differ in how strongly they restrict molecular rotation. Interpreting the signal in that local context connects fluorescence changes with material dynamics.
A study first places the fluorescent probe within the biological material or engineered environment of interest, then excites the dye and records its fluorescence response. Researchers can analyze changes in emission intensity or lifetime and use those measurements to map local viscosity. The resulting optical readout supports comparisons among intracellular regions, biomaterials, polymer networks, or tissue environments.
They are useful when the goal is to examine intracellular viscosity without relying only on bulk measurements. Fluorescence readouts can reveal how local physical conditions vary inside cells and help investigate molecular transport or the engineered microenvironments that influence cell function. Because the measurement is optical and noninvasive, it supports observation of cellular physical properties while limiting disruption to the system.
Embedding or observing the probes within polymer networks and biomaterials allows fluorescence to report how strongly those surroundings restrict molecular rotation. Differences in intensity or lifetime can then indicate variations in local viscosity across the material. This approach helps characterize dynamic material properties and compare engineered structures designed to reproduce or control environments relevant to biological function.
These probes connect optical measurements with the physical conditions that cells experience in engineered microenvironments and tissues. Mapping fluorescence can show how local viscosity changes across such systems, while those measurements provide context for molecular transport and cell behavior. The method therefore helps bioengineers evaluate whether a designed material has the dynamic properties needed to influence cellular function.