Photoactivatable fluorophores are powerful tools for increasing the temporal and special resolution in bioimaging. Upconverting nanoparticles (UCNPs) possess several properties that make them ideal for use as biolabels including increased photostability, absence of blinking, and low excitation densities but have yet to be designed for microscopic photoactivation.  At the same time the use of dithienylethene (DTE) photoswitches to achieve control of physical and chemical molecular properties has been well documented in recent years.  Through the combination of UCNPs and DTE photoswitches we are able to create photomodulated upconverting biolabels.  Using the absorption of the DTE photoswitch we are able to selectively quench the luminescence of the UCNP.  By modulation the switch with UV and visible light we are able to selectively turn off and on the upconversion luminescence, respectively. Our system has an advantage over caged fluorophores as the luminescence of our UCNPs can be cycled through the on and off state multiple times.

Photomodulation of upconverting nanoparticle biomarkers in live organisms using dithienylethene photoswitches

243rd National Meeting (2012)

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