Indole-Bipyridyl Fluorophores as Dual-Functional Probes for Endoplasmic Reticulum Imaging and Zn²⁺ Sensing in Live Cells

Key Points

• This research aims to develop and evaluate indole-bipyridyl fluorophores for imaging the endoplasmic reticulum and sensing zinc ions in live cells.
• Synthesis of indole-bipyridyl fluorophores
• Live cell imaging techniques
• Zinc ion detection assays
• Functional assays for protein folding and cellular stress
• The fluorophores successfully imaged the endoplasmic reticulum in live cells.
• Effective sensing of zinc ions was demonstrated.
• Observation of cellular stress responses linked to ER dysfunction.