Redox biosensors in a context of multiparameter imaging

Abstract

A wide variety of genetically encoded fluorescent biosensors are available to date. Some of them have already contributed significantly to our understanding of biological processes occurring at cellular and organismal levels. Using such an approach, outstanding success has been achieved in the field of redox biology. The probes allowed researchers to observe, for the first time, the dynamics of important redox parameters in vivo during embryogenesis, aging, the inflammatory response, the pathogenesis of various diseases, and many other processes. Given the differences in the readout and spectra of the probes, they can be used in multiparameter imaging in which several processes are monitored simultaneously in the cell. Intracellular processes form an extensive network of interactions. For example, redox changes are often accompanied by changes in many other biochemical reactions related to cellular metabolism and signaling. Therefore, multiparameter imaging can provide important information concerning the temporal and spatial relationship of various signaling and metabolic processes. In this review, we will describe the main types of genetically encoded biosensors, the most frequently used readout, and their use in multiplexed imaging mode.

Keywords: Cellular redox parameters; Genetically encoded fluorescent biosensors; Multiparameter imaging.