Functionalized docetaxel probes for mitotic spindles

Understanding the fine structure of mitotic spindles is essential for studying cell division and its errors, which are linked to diseases like cancer. Conventional imaging is limited by resolution and incomplete labeling. This new functionalized docetaxel probe enables robust, homogeneous, and high-density visualization of spindle microtubules in all phases of mitosis, allowing to gain deeper insights into mitotic mechanisms and improve applications in cell biology, diagnostics, and drug development. Traditional imaging of mitotic spindles is hampered by limited resolution and poor labeling density, especially in densely packed spindle regions. Immunolabeling with antibodies often fails to provide continuous, high-contrast imaging, resulting in incomplete structural information. These limitations restrict detailed analysis of mitosis and complicate studies of cell division errors relevant for disease research.

This novel docetaxel-based probe enables homogeneous, high-density labeling of mitotic spindle microtubules, overcoming the limitations of conventional antibody labeling. The probe remains stable after fixation and is fully compatible with expansion microscopy and other super-resolution microscopy techniques, providing clear and continuous visualization of spindle structures throughout all phases of mitosis after 7.3-fold expansion in a linear direction. This advancement allows for detailed and reliable analysis of cell division processes and associated cellular defects.

The docetaxel-based probe enables homogeneous and dense labeling of microtubules and survives fixation for expansion microscopy and other super-resolution techniques. This allows detailed visualization of all mitotic phases, overcoming the limitations of standard immunolabeling, and greatly enhances studies of cell division ultrastructure:

• Enables dense and homogeneous labeling of spindle microtubules for all mitotic phases
• Compatible with advanced imaging methods, including expansion microscopy and other established super-resolution techniques
• Survives chemical fixation: Stable integration ensures robust signal retention during sample processing
• Reveals fine spindle structures previously inaccessible by standard immunolabeling

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