NitrOFF: An Engineered Fluorescent Biosensor to Illuminate Nitrate Transport in Living Cells.

The duality of nitrate is nowhere better exemplified than in human physiology-a detrimental pollutant but also a protective nutrient-particularly as connected to nitric oxide. Aside from limited insights into nitrate uptake and storage, foundational nitrate biology has lagged. Genetically encoded fluorescent biosensors can address this gap with real-time imaging, but such technologies for mammalian cell applications remain rare.

NitrOFF: An engineered fluorescent biosensor to illuminate nitrate transport in living cells.

The duality of nitrate is nowhere best exemplified than in human physiology - a detrimental pollutant but also a protective nutrient and signaling ion - particularly as connected to reactive nitrogen oxides. Aside from limited insights into nitrate uptake and storage, foundational nitrate biology has lagged. Genetically encoded fluorescent biosensors can address this gap with real-time imaging.

Illuminating anions in biology with genetically encoded fluorescent biosensors.

Anions are critical to all life forms. Anions can be absorbed as nutrients or biosynthesized. Anions shape a spectrum of fundamental biological processes at the organismal, cellular, and subcellular scales.