January 23, 2025
Osaka University
Keio University
[Key Research Findings]
A new method was developed to change the wavelength (color) of bioluminescence, expanding the variation of luminescent colors to a record-high 20.
By installing a color camera on a microscope, the team successfully imaged multiple cells emitting different luminescent colors simultaneously, something that was impossible to detect with conventional monochrome cameras.
This makes it easier to track individual cells within a population and is expected to have applications in various analyses, such as tracking cell fate and identifying cells that show unique responses to drugs.
A research group led by Associate Professor Mitsuru Hattori and Professor Takeharu Nagai of The Institute of Scientific and Industrial Research, Osaka University, together with Associate Professor Yuki Hiruta of Keio University, has established a new method for simultaneously observing multiple cells by freely changing the wavelength (color) of bioluminescence to label individual cells.
Methods for identifying individual cells within a population are becoming increasingly important as attention focuses on differences in cellular individuality, such as in cell fate and drug response. Conventional methods using fluorescent labeling are limited in the number of cells they can distinguish and require more complex observation systems as the number of targets increases. While the use of bioluminescence has the potential to overcome the challenges of fluorescence observation, the variety of emission colors has been insufficient, and there have also been issues with observation methods.
Now, the research group has developed a new method to change bioluminescent colors, creating the "eNLEX" series of bioluminescent proteins with a record 20 colors.
Furthermore, by introducing an imaging method using a color camera, they also succeeded in simultaneously observing multiple living cells emitting different colors.
This research was published online in the journal "Science Advances" from the American Association for the Advancement of Science on Thursday, January 23, 2025, at 4:00 a.m. (JST).
For the full press release, please see below.