Characterization of red fluorescent reporters for dual-color in vivo three-photon microscopy

Significance Three-photon (3P) microscopy significantly increases the depth and resolution of in vivo imaging due to decreased scattering and nonlinear optical sectioning. Simultaneous excitation of multiple fluorescent proteins is essential to study multicellular interactions and dynamics in the intact brain. Aim We characterized the excitation laser pulses at a range of wavelengths for 3P microscopy, and then explored the application of tdTomato or mScarlet and EGFP for dual-color single-excitation structural 3P imaging deep in the living mouse brain. Approach We used frequency-resolved optical gating to measure the spectral intensity, phase, and retrieved pulse widths at a range of wavelengths. Then, we performed in vivo single wavelength-excitation 3P imaging in the 1225 - 1360 nm range deep in the mouse cerebral cortex to evaluate the performance of tdTomato or mScarlet in combination with EGFP. Results We find that tdTomato and mScarlet, expressed in oligodendrocytes and neurons respectively, have high signal-to-background in the 1300–1360 nm range, consistent with enhanced 3P cross sections. Conclusions These results suggest that a single excitation wavelength source is advantageous for multiple applications of dual-color brain imaging and highlight the importance of empirical characterization of individual fluorophores for 3P microscopy.