Minimal-tag polyamines for <i>in situ</i> probing of their intracellular distribution

Propargyl polyamines (putrescine, spermidine, and spermine) were synthesized and evaluated as minimal-tag analogs for high-resolution intracellular imaging in mammalian cells and zebrafish. These compounds showed structure-dependent differences in subcellular distribution with unprecedented resolution, discriminating among closely related polyamines.