Imaging of mtHyPer7, a Ratiometric Biosensor for Mitochondrial Peroxide, in Living Yeast Cells

Mitochondria are organelles within cells that facilitate energy mobilization, central metabolism, production of vital macromolecules, calcium storage, and signal transduction. As a result, they play a crucial role in cellular function, fitness, and lifespan control. Our research focuses on investigating the impact of mitochondria on aging using the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a model organism.

Live cell imaging is our best tool to observe variation in mitochondrial function. Here we describe a method that utilizes a genetically encoded ratio metric spectral shifting biosensor called mitochondrial HyPer7. mtHyPer7 detects hydrogen peroxide, a reactive oxygen species, that can damage cellular constituents, but also functions as a signaling molecule in mitochondria of live cells.

mtHyPer7 has a high affinity for hydrogen peroxide and low sensitivity to pH. It is integrated into the yeast genome, which results in stable and consistent expression in yeast cell populations. Finally, it is quantitatively targeted to mitochondria and has no detectable effect on cellular or mitochondrial function or fitness.

Biosensors like mtHyPer7 are critical for studying mitochondrial function at subcellular resolution, for finding mechanisms underlying mitochondrial quality control, and for examining how that process affects cell fitness, feed, and lifespan. The mtHyPer7 stain provides consistent laboring in contrast to organic dyes utilized for reactive oxygen species detection. Compared to FRET-based sensors, mtHyPer7 is more compact and avoids issues such as cross-excitation and bleed through, as well as the precise positioning and the orientation requirements for FRET.