Quantifying labeled cells in fluorescent microscopy is a fundamental aspect of modern biology. Critically, the use of short nuclear localization signal (NLS) is a key genetic modification for discriminating single cells labeled with fluorescent proteins (FPs). However, mainstay NLS approaches typically localize proteins to the nucleus with limited efficacy, while alternative non-NLS tag strategies can enhance efficacy at the cost of cellular health.

Arginine-rich NLS (ArgiNLS) flexibly and safely achieves FP nuclear restriction across the brain to facilitate machine learning-based segmentation of single cells at scale.

The ArgiNLS system was conceptualized and developed by Dr. Eric Szelenyi. Dr. Szelenyi and Dr. Golden hold a patent for this system. Constructs through Addgene are available for academic and non-profit use under the Uniform Biological Material Transfer Agreement. Please contact Dr. Szelenyi for any other use requests.