Objective

Interrogating the cellular localisation and behaviour of organelles, antibodies, proteins and small molecules is essential to understanding the underlying biological and biochemical activities of these species. One of the most powerful means of undertaking these studies is the use of fluorescence microscopy in conjunction with a fluorophore that labels the molecule of interest. However, many commonly used fluorophores exhibit large molecular weight structures, which potentially perturb the inherent behaviour of the molecule of interest. Furthermore, the majority report only one-dimensional fluorescence data, i.e. localisation, and neglect to relay valuable information on the local environment. Finally, most come equipped with reactive but inherently unstable linkage groups, resulting in short shelf lives, incomplete labelling and inconsistent experiments. To address these issues, LightOx has developed a series of low molecular weight fluorescent probes that exhibit bright, solvatochromatic fluorescence emission, enabling fluorescence experiments that report on both localisation and local polarity with minimal perturbation of the underlying biology. Moreover, by embracing cutting edge advances in linker technologies and conjugation chemistry, LightOx probes are available with a wide variety of stable, highly reactive functional groups for consistent, reliable linking to any molecule. The unique properties of the LightOx probes can now be used to shed new light on the complex world of cell biology.