di-4-aneppdhq and 1-2-dipalmitoyl-3-phosphatidylethanolamine

The lateral organization of molecules in the cellular plasma membrane plays an important role in cellular signaling. A critical parameter for membrane molecular organization is how the membrane lipids are packed. Polarity-sensitive dyes are powerful tools to characterize such lipid membrane order, employing, for example, confocal and two-photon microscopy. The investigation of potential nanodomains, however, requires the use of superresolution microscopy. Here, we test the performance of the polarity-sensitive membrane dyes Di-4-ANEPPDHQ, Di-4-AN(F)EPPTEA, and NR12S in superresolution stimulated emission depletion microscopy. Measurements on cell-derived membrane vesicles, in the plasma membrane of live cells, and on single virus particles, show the high potential of these dyes for probing nanoscale membrane heterogeneity.

Topics: Animals; Benzoxazines; Cell Membrane; CHO Cells; Cricetulus; Cytoplasmic Vesicles; Fluorescent Dyes; HEK293 Cells; HIV; Humans; Microscopy; Molecular Structure; Phosphatidylethanolamines; Pyridinium Compounds; Quaternary Ammonium Compounds; Spectrum Analysis; Virion; Voltage-Sensitive Dye Imaging