Selective staining of neutrophils in leukocytes

White blood cells are the first line of defense of the immune system and are often referred to as the army that protects our body
.

Neutrophils account for the largest proportion of human white blood cells (55-70%).
They can fight bacteria or fungi-the lack of neutrophils can cause abnormalities in the immune system

Professor Young-Tae Chang (Deputy Director of the Center for Self-Assembly and Complexity of the Institute of Basic Science) of Pohang University of Technology and others reported the first fluorescent probe NeutropG for the specific differentiation and imaging of active neutrophils
.

The research results will be published in the international edition of the world-renowned chemistry journal "Angewandte Chemie" on August 19, 2021

Fluorescent probe is a kind of reporter, which sends out a light signal to indicate whether a specific ion or substance is recognized
.

Recognizing the living neutrophils in the human body is not only important for clinical diagnosis, but also for finding treatments for infection or inflammation

Antibodies can be used to detect specific cells, but antibodies with low cell permeability have limitations in recognizing intracellular biomarkers
.

The process of cell fixation and permeation requires identification of biomarkers, but when they undergo a pretreatment process, their state will change from the living state

To this end, the research team tried to use low-molecular-weight fluorescent compounds with relatively high cell permeability to overcome the shortcomings of antibodies
.

The NeutropG developed in this research is selectively labeled on neutrophils through lipid droplet biosynthesis, and is produced by the different expression rates of long-chain acyl-CoA synthase (ACSL) and diglyceride acyltransferase (DGAT) enzyme genes

It has been confirmed that neutrophils are transformed into triacylglycerol (TAG), a component of lipid droplets, through a unique metabolically directed live cell differentiation (MOLD) mechanism under the action of these enzymes, which is different from the traditional Holding Oriented live Cell Distinction (HOLD) or Gating Oriented live cell Distinction (GOLD) are completely different
.

The use of NeutropG to observe the phagocytosis of neutrophils proves that the staining can remain stable for a long time without significantly affecting the natural functions of neutrophils
.

This study confirmed that NeutropG selectively stains healthy neutrophils.
Through its application, researchers can accurately quantify the level of neutrophils in fresh blood samples
.

The high selectivity of neutrophils proves its potential in clinical diagnosis

Professor Zhang, who led the research, explained: "Neutrophils are the first case of specific differentiation and imaging of active neutrophils in blood samples
.

" Ability to selectively identify healthy neutrophils

This research was carried out with the support of the Institute of Basic Science

DOI

10.

Article title

Neutrophil Selective Fluorescent Probe Development through Metabolism-Oriented Live-cell Distinction