Subcellular Metabolic Tracking Using Fluorescent Nanodiamonds Relaxometry

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates a method combining fluorescent nanodiamonds relaxometry with spatial tracking to monitor subcellular metabolic dynamics in living cells, enabling targeted, high-resolution metabolic imaging of organelles.

Contribution

It introduces a novel approach integrating FND relaxometry with spatial tracking for subcellular metabolic monitoring in living cells, with targeted organelle localization.

Findings

Successful functionalization of FNDs for organelle-specific targeting

Simultaneous spatial tracking and relaxometry achieved

Potential to distinguish intra- and extranuclear metabolic environments

Abstract

Fluorescent nanodiamonds (FNDs) relaxometry holds promising future for advancement of high spatiotemporal resolution metabolic imaging technology. In this study, we demonstrate a simultaneous integration of spatial position tracking with FND relaxometry to characterize the temporal dynamics of metabolic processes, thereby enhancing the capability to monitor cellular activities over time. To enable targeted metabolic probing in living cells, FNDs were surface-functionalized to achieve specific localization within key organelles, including the nucleus and mitochondria. This strategy not only facilitates subcellular-level metabolic monitoring but also allows for direct comparison between intra- and extranuclear microenvironments within the same living cell, offering substantial potential for elucidating the spatial and functional heterogeneity of cellular metabolism.