We characterized 18 cell-permeable synthetic probes by fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM) and found eight pairwise combinations suitable for fluorescence lifetime multiplexing. When combining multiple pairs in different spectral channels, we could perform spectrally resolved fluorescence lifetime multiplexing of up to four subcellular targets in a straightforward manner. However, synthetic probes are only available for a handful of targets and sometimes show unsuitable lifetime properties.
We, therefore, complemented the use of synthetic organic probes with a second labelling strategy for synthetic fluorophores, namely, self-labeling protein tags. Genetically encodable, self-labeling protein tags can be fused to a protein of interest and therefore allow labeling of almost any desired subcellular target. We engineered variants of the self-labeling protein tag HaloTag7 (i.e., HaloTag9, HaloTag10, and HaloTag11) such that the bound fluorophore shows distinct fluorescence lifetimes.
Combining self-labeling protein tags and synthetic probes enabled us to image up to eight targets in four spectral channels. We hope that the two approaches will promote the use of fluorescence lifetime multiplexing in living cells.
What to expect in the webinar
Key Learnings
- How to image more subcellular targets by combining spectrally resolved detection and fluorescence lifetime multiplexing.
- Synthetic probe combinations that allow imaging of up to four subcellular targets.
- Self-labeling protein tags and synthetic probe combinations that enable imaging of up to eight targets in four spectral channels.
About the webinar speaker

Michelle Frei, PhD
Michelle Frei pursued her PhD studies in the lab of Professor Kai Johnsson at EPFL in Lausanne and MPI for Medical Research in Heidelberg. Her PhD involved synthesizing and characterizing photoactivatable probes for super-resolution microscopy and engineering the self-labeling protein tag HaloTag7 for fluorescence lifetime multiplexing. She continued her work in fluorescence lifetime multiplexing using synthetic organic probes. Michelle is currently a postdoctoral scholar at the University of California San Diego in the lab of Professor Jin Zhang where she works on fluorescent biosensors for application in super-resolution microscopy.
Related Articles
-
Five-color FLIM-STED with one depletion Laser
Webinar on benefits and limitations of using 5-color FLIM-STED with a single depletion laser.
Dec 14, 2022Read article -
Insights into Vesicle Trafficking
STELLARIS provides integral access to complementary layers of information for dynamic, structural,…
Nov 13, 2022Read article -
Visualizing Protein-Protein Interactions by Non-Fitting and Easy FRET-FLIM Approaches
The Webinar with Dr. Sergi Padilla-Parra is about visualizing protein-protein interaction. He gives…
Nov 13, 2022Read article
Related Pages
-
Confocal Microscopes
Our confocal microscopes for top-class biomedical research provide imaging precision for subcellular…
Visit related page