When weak is strong: a plea for low affinity binders for optical microscopy.

Abstract

The exploitation of low-affinity molecular interactions in protein labeling is an emerging topic in optical microscopy. Such non-covalent and low-affinity interactions can be realized with various concepts from chemistry and for different molecule classes, and lead to a constant renewal of fluorescence signals at target sites. Further benefits are a versatile use across microscopy methods, in 3D, live and many-target applications. In recent years, several classes of low-affinity labels were developed and a variety of powerful applications demonstrated. Still, this research field is underdeveloped, while the potential is huge.