# Real-Time Monitoring of Adenosine Triphosphate Fluctuation in Lysosome during Autophagy/Mitophagy

## TL;DR

This paper introduces a new tool to monitor ATP levels in lysosomes during autophagy, helping understand how cells manage energy during this process.

## Contribution

The development of HR-MP, a ratiometric fluorogenic nanoprobe for real-time ATP monitoring in acidic lysosomes during autophagy.

## Key findings

- HR-MP enables selective, rapid, and quantitative ATP detection in vitro and in complex biological environments.
- The nanoprobe allows real-time tracking of ATP fluctuations during starvation- or drug-induced autophagy in living cells.
- HR-MP demonstrates excellent biocompatibility, membrane permeability, and lysosome-targeting ability.

## Abstract

Autophagy, a lysosomal degradation pathway critical for
cell survival,
differentiation, development, and maintaining homeostasis, plays a
crucial role in cellular health. Maintaining an adequate level of
adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the central molecule in energy metabolism,
is equally essential for these processes. However, the interplay between
autophagy and energy metabolism remains incompletely understood due
to technical challenges, including the need for high-precision, dynamic
detection within organelles, and sensitivity to the acidic lysosomal
environment. To address these limitations, we developed HR-MP, a ratiometric
fluorogenic nanoprobe specifically designed for visualizing ATP levels
in acidic lysosomes during autophagy. HR-MP exhibits selective, rapid,
and quantitative ATP detection in vitro, allowing
it to quantitatively monitor lysosomal ATP fluctuations in complex
biological environments with excellent biocompatibility, membrane
permeability, and lysosome-targeting ability. Importantly, HR-MP enables
real-time tracking of ATP fluctuations during starvation- or drug-induced
autophagy in living cells, providing a powerful tool for elucidating
the links between autophagy and energy metabolism.