Spatiotemporal analysis of proteins in single live cells: methods and applications.

Abstract

The spatiotemporal detection of proteins within living cells presents a persistent challenge. This complexity arises from the dynamic nature of cellular environments, where proteins interact in a highly regulated manner. Some innovative methodologies collectively represent significant strides toward overcoming the challenges associated with spatiotemporal protein detection in living cells. They are crucial for elucidating cellular biology and advancing theranostic technologies. Nonetheless, the spatial and temporal organization of organelles within living cells remains inadequately characterized. Currently, there is a lack of review articles that comprehensively survey the progress made in recent years. This review aims to fill this gap by providing an extensive overview of recent advancements in protein analysis within individual living cells, along with their significant applications. In this review, we survey the recent technical advances in protein spatio-temporal analysis in single live cells and briefly discuss the prospects and challenges of this direction.