Imaging nuclear, endoplasmic reticulum and plasma membrane events in real time.

Live cell imaging can provide important information on cellular dynamics; however, the full utilisation of this technology has been hampered by the limitations of imaging reagents. Metal-based complexes have the potential to overcome many of the issues common to many current imaging agents. The rhenium (I)-based complex fac-[Re(CO)3 (1,10-phenanthroline)(4-pyridyltetrazolate)], herein referred to as ReZolve-ER(™) , shows promise as a live cell imaging agent with rapid cell uptake, low cytotoxicity, resistance to photobleaching and compatibility with multicolour imaging. ReZolve-ER(™) localised to the nuclear membrane/endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and allowed the detection of exocytotic events at the plasma membrane. Thus, we present a new imaging agent for monitoring live cell events in real time, which is ideal for imaging either short- or long-time courses.