Expanding the utility and range of quantum and polymer dots for multiplexed super resolution fluorescence imaging in plants

Abstract

The emission spectra of plant pigments currently limit the number of fluorescent colors that can be imaged simultaneously and, therefore, the number of cellular components that can be imaged within a single experiment. Hence, developing fluorescent tags and a microscope system that can image beyond the visible range (NIR) would greatly enhance plant imaging capabilities. Extending imaging into the NIR would support the interrogation of multiple proteins/molecules simultaneously, but would inevitably decrease spatial resolution due to the increase of the diffraction limit of light. To address this need, we propose to develop a super resolution fluorescence imaging (SRFI) platform that would allow imaging of NIR-emitting molecules, as well as quantum dots (QDs) and polymer dots (Pdots).