Authors: Lucie Ludvikova, Emma Simon, Mathieu Deygas, Thomas Panier, Marie-Aude Plamont, Jean Ollion, Alison Tebo, Matthieu Piel, Ludovic Jullien, Lydia Robert, Thomas Le Saux, Agathe Espagne
Published: 2023-08-03
DOI: 10.1038/s41587-023-01893-7
Source: Full article
AbstractHere we present a method to reduce the photobleaching of fluorescent proteins and the associated phototoxicity. It exploits a photophysical process known as reverse intersystem crossing, which we induce by near-infrared co-illumination during fluorophore excitation. This dual illumination method reduces photobleaching effects 1.5–9.2-fold, can be easily implemented on commercial microscopes and is effective in eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells with a wide range of fluorescent proteins.