Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41876528›Full record

ArticleNature communications2026

A high-affinity split-HaloTag for live-cell protein labeling.

Yin-Hsi Lin, Julian Kompa, De-En Sun, Runyu Mao, Birgit Koch, Konstantin Hinnah, Jonas Wilhelm, Natascha Franz, Stefanie Kühn, Tanja Menche and 4 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Nature communications, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. CRISPR Gene Tagging for Illuminating Endogenous Protein Dynamics.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026
    Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

14 authors.

Yin-Hsi LinDepartment of Chemical Biology, Max Planck Institute for Medical Research, Heidelberg, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1453-8130
Julian KompaDepartment of Chemical Biology, Max Planck Institute for Medical Research, Heidelberg, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4479-5429
De-En SunDepartment of Chemical Biology, Max Planck Institute for Medical Research, Heidelberg, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3664-2035
Runyu MaoDepartment of Chemical Biology, Max Planck Institute for Medical Research, Heidelberg, Germany.
Birgit KochDepartment of Chemical Biology, Max Planck Institute for Medical Research, Heidelberg, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4683-3115
Konstantin HinnahDepartment of Chemical Biology, Max Planck Institute for Medical Research, Heidelberg, Germany.
Jonas WilhelmDepartment of Chemical Biology, Max Planck Institute for Medical Research, Heidelberg, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1743-2726
Natascha FranzDepartment of Chemical Biology, Max Planck Institute for Medical Research, Heidelberg, Germany.
Stefanie KühnDepartment of Chemical Biology, Max Planck Institute for Medical Research, Heidelberg, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9911-2410
Tanja MencheDepartment of Chemical Biology, Max Planck Institute for Medical Research, Heidelberg, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5615-4170
Abdinasir AdowDepartment of Chemical Biology, Max Planck Institute for Medical Research, Heidelberg, Germany.
Paula BreuerDepartment of Chemical Biology, Max Planck Institute for Medical Research, Heidelberg, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0005-6741-2303
Julien HiblotDepartment of Chemical Biology, Max Planck Institute for Medical Research, Heidelberg, Germany. julien.hiblot@mr.mpg.de.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7883-8079
Kai JohnssonDepartment of Chemical Biology, Max Planck Institute for Medical Research, Heidelberg, Germany. johnsson@mr.mpg.de.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8002-1981

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

We introduce a high-affinity split-HaloTag comprised of a short peptide tag (Hpep, 14 residues) and a large, inactive fragment (cpHaloΔ3). Hpep binds to cpHaloΔ3 spontaneously with nanomolar affinity, enabling subsequent labeling with fluorescent HaloTag ligands. The small size of Hpep facilitates cloning-free endogenous protein tagging using CRISPR/Cas9 and the complementation of Hpep-tagged proteins can be achieved in live cells through co-expression with cpHaloΔ3 and in fixed cells through incubation with cpHaloΔ3. The approach is compatible with advanced microscopy techniques such as expansion microscopy and live-cell STED imaging. Additionally, variants of Hpep that modulate the spectral properties of labeled fluorophores enable simultaneous imaging of two different Hpep-tagged proteins via fluorescence lifetime microscopy. In summary, our high-affinity split-HaloTag is a robust and versatile tool for live-cell imaging and diverse applications in chemical biology.

Indexed as

Staining and LabelingAnimalsCRISPR-Cas SystemsFluorescent DyesHEK293 CellsHumansLigandsMicroscopy, FluorescencePeptidesFluorescent DyesLigandsPeptides

Identifiers

PMID41876528
PMCPMC13022382

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.