Functional imaging has become one of the main ways to study the functions of different neurons, from subcellular studies of dendritic spines dynamics to whole-cell circuit-level imaging, to mesoscale, and chronic whole-brain imaging in small animals. Therefore, multiple tools are needed to study different aspects of neuronal signaling and function. Fluorescent molecular probe is a kind of non-genetically coded biosensor for directly labeling neurotransmitters developed in recent years. In the research of neurodegenerative diseases, fluorescent probe-mediated biomarker visualization technology has attracted more and more attention in the early diagnosis of neurodegenerative diseases.
Fluorescent Protein (FP) Sensor
Fluorescent protein (FP)-based sensors include cyclic permutation FP (cpFPs) scaffolds and fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET)-based reporters. These small molecules have reactive functional groups, such as aldehydes or hydroxides, that react with the target analyte or the environment to trigger the fluorescence of the biosensor. Traditionally, fluorescent molecules or proteins have been used as tags for target cells. However, in neuroscience research, fluorescence imaging is also being developed to track dynamic processes such as action potentials, calcium changes, or neurotransmitter release in vivo and in vitro.
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