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A new molecule for high-resolution cell imaging

SiR-tubulin stained in green©Kai Johnsson/EPFL

26.05.14 - Cells have their own tiny skeletons that are responsible for many important cellular functions. EPFL scientists have developed novel fluorescent probes for imaging these important structures easily and with unprecedented resolution.

Like our own bodies, cells have their own skeletons called ‘cytoskeletons’ and are made of proteins instead of bones. These network-like structures maintain the cell’s shape, provide mechanical support, and are involved in critical processes of the cell’s lifecycle. The cytoskeleton is an object of intense scientific and medical research, which often requires being able to observe it directly in cells. Ideally, this would involve highly-fluorescent molecules that can bind cytoskeletal proteins with high specificity without being toxic to the cell. Publishing in Nature Methods, EPFL scientists have exploited the properties of a new fluorescent molecule, also developed at EPFL, to generate two powerful probes for the imaging of the cytoskeleton with unprecedented resolution. These probes pave the way for the easier and higher quality imaging of cells, offering many scientific and medical advantages.


Current techniques for observing the cytoskeleton can be difficult to get into living cells, can be toxic, and are usually limited in resolution and duration, since the signal wears off over time. A common technique is fluorescence microscopy, where fluorescent molecules (‘probes’) are attached to cell structures and then ‘lit up’ against a dark background.

The team of Kai Johnsson at EPFL has developed novel fluorescent probes that can easily enter live cells, are non-toxic, have long-lasting signals, and most importantly, offer unprecedented image resolution. In 2013, the researchers developed a fluorescent molecule called silicon-rhodamine (SiR), which switches ‘on’ only when it binds to the charged surface of a protein like the ones found on the cytoskeleton. When SiR switches ‘on’, it emits light at far-red wavelengths.



An additional advantage is the practicality of the probes. “You just add them directly into your cell culture, and they are taken up by the cells”, says Kai Johnsson. The probes also do not require any washing or preparation of the cells before administration or any subsequent washing steps, which greatly helps in maintaining the stability of their environment and their natural biological functions.

The scientists believe that they can extend their work into other types of proteins and tissues. “Cytoskeletal structures are imaged by biologists all the time”, says Johnsson. “Up to now, no probes were available that would allow you to get high quality images of microtubules and microfilaments in living cells without some kind of genetic modification. With this work, we provide the biological community with two high-performing, high-contrast fluorogenic probes that emit in the non-phototoxic part of the light spectrum, and can be even used in tissues like whole-blood samples.”
This work represents a collaboration between EPFL’s Institute of Chemical Sciences and Engineering (ISIC), Institute of Bioengineering (IBI), and the Bioimaging and Optics Platform (BIOP), with the National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) in Chemical Biology; the Max-Planck Institutes for Biophysical Chemistry (Göttingen) and of Molecular Physiology (Dortmund); the Friedrich-Schiller-University’s Institute of Organic Chemistry (Jena); and the Institute of Molecular Biotechnology of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (IMBA) (Vienna).


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Olivier Glauser
Master en Informatique et systèmes de communication 1994
1994 - 1996 HP
1996 - 1998 Phillippe Moris
1998 - 2005 MBA Universite de Harvard
2005 - 2009 ROTH Cl Partners
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