Fluorogenic and genetic targeting of a red-emitting molecular calcium indicator

Abstract

We introduce a strategy for the fluorogenic and genetic targeting of a calcium indicator by combining a protein fluorogen with the BAPTA sensing group. The resulting dual-input probe acts like a fluorescent AND logic gate with a Ca²⁺-sensitive red emission that is activated only upon reaction with HaloTag with a 25-fold intensity enhancement and can be used for wash-free calcium imaging in HeLa cells. The modular all-molecular design relying on a well-established self-labeling protein tag opens future possibilities for tuning the photophysical properties or targeting different analytes.