{
  "abstract": "Using near-infrared photoswitchable photochromic genetically encoded probes, differential photoacoustic tomography (PAT) enables deep-tissue imaging with high resolution and sensitivity; however, current bacteriophytochrome-based probes are bulky multidomain proteins exceeding 55 kDa, which constrains their use for designing PAT molecular reporters. Here we engineer rsmiRFPnano, a compact cyanobacteriochrome-derived photoswitchable PAT probe. With a molecular weight below 19 kDa, rsmiRFPnano efficiently incorporates biliverdin, exhibits high extinction coefficients in both photochromic states and demonstrates robust performance in live cells. We established rsmiRFPnano-based reporters for NF-κB and AP-1 pathways, which display low basal activity and strong activation-dependent responses. These reporters effectively visualized acute inflammation using noninvasive PAT in vivo, further validated through cellular-level spatial omics mapping. We then created photoswitchable nanobody probes, rsNIR-Fbs, stabilized upon antigen binding and rapidly degraded otherwise, enabling selective photoacoustic immuno-imaging of intracellular antigens in vivo. Together, these results establish rsmiRFPnano as an ultracompact and versatile platform for molecular PAT.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Department of Anatomy, Medicum, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland",
    "Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC USA",
    "Department of Genetics and Gruss-Lipper Biophotonics Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY USA",
    "Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Duke University, Durham, NC USA"
  ],
  "article_type": "research article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 13,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Olena S. Oliinyk"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Yirui Xu"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Jinhuan Luo",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-0123-0839"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Kateryna O. Tokarchuk",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-7160-5707"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Kyrylo Yu. Manoilov",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-3546-5751"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Josie van de Klashorst"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Matthew P. Eyring",
      "orcid": "0009-0001-9498-1182"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3
      ],
      "name": "Mu-en Wang"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3
      ],
      "name": "Ming Chen",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-3470-1062"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Pengfei Song",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-9103-6345"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "John W. Hickey",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-9961-7673"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Junjie Yao",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-2381-706X"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        2
      ],
      "name": "Vladislav V. Verkhusha",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-2083-8121"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/czqjgg2wypxrc.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1038/s41592-026-03255-y",
  "fulltext_url": "https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC13736489/",
  "id": "czqjgg2wypxrc",
  "issns": [
    "1548-7091",
    "1548-7105"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://doi.org/10.1038/s41592-026-03255-y",
  "language": "en",
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "heading",
      "Article"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "1304|Advanced Fluorescence Microscopy Techniques"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7221690201",
  "pdf_url": "https://www.nature.com/articles/s41592-026-03255-y.pdf",
  "pmcid": "PMC13736489",
  "pmid": "42870097",
  "published": "2026-10-13",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/czqjgg2wypxrc.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-11-09T12:21:55Z",
      "native_id": "PMC13736489",
      "source": "pmc",
      "url": "https://doi.org/10.1038/s41592-026-03255-y"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "biochemistry",
      "origin": "openalex:1304|Advanced Fluorescence Microscopy Techniques",
      "subfield": "biophysics"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Near-infrared photochromic miniprotein enables photoacoustic molecular imaging of acute inflammation and intracellular antigens",
  "title_text": "Near-infrared photochromic miniprotein enables photoacoustic molecular imaging of acute inflammation and intracellular antigens",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-09T12:21:55Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/czqjgg2wypxrc",
  "venue": "Nature Methods",
  "versions": []
}