Super-Resolution Imaging Captures Mitophagy Dynamics: Tricolor Fluorescence Labels Mitochondria, Autophagosomes, and Lysosomes

A novel fluorescent probe enables super-resolution imaging of mitophagy and its associated processes.

• Mitophagy is linked to the selective degradation of damaged mitochondria through a lysosome-dependent mechanism.
• The initiation of mitophagy results in a notable increase in the production of autophagosomes.
• Red-stained mitochondria are engulfed by blue-stained autophagosomes, which then fuse with lysosomes.
• This fusion leads to an increase in reactive oxygen species concentration within lysosomes, activating a green fluorescence signal.
• The probe allows visualization of changes in fluorescence intensity, indicating the dynamics of the mitophagic process.
• Applications include monitoring mitophagy induced by rapamycin and starvation, as well as evaluating the effects of mitophagy inhibition on antitumor activity.

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