A prototype luminescent turn-on probe for Cu(+) (and Ag(+)) is described, harnessing a selective binding site (log Kass = 9.4 and 7.3 for Cu(+) and Ag(+), respectively) based on the coordinating environment of the bacterial metallo-chaperone CusF, integrated with a terbium-ion-signaling moiety. Cation-π interactions were shown to enhance tryptophan triplet population, which subsequently sensitized, on the microsecond timescale, the long-lived terbium emission, offering a novel approach in bioinspired chemosensor design.

Responsive luminescent probes emitting in the near-infrared (NIR) are in high demand today for biological applications as they allow for the easy and unambiguous discrimination of autofluorescence. Due to their luminescence properties, lanthanide ions offer an interesting alternative to classical organic fluorescent dyes. This has stimulated the development of lanthanide-based responsive probes. Nevertheless, responsive probes that can operate in water with NIR-emitting lanthanide ions are scarce. In this communication, zinc fingers are shown to be versatile scaffolds to elaborate a variety of Zn -responsive probes based on lanthanide emission and featuring desirable properties for the selective detection of Zn in experimental conditions close to cellular. Of special interest is a NIR-emitting probe relying on Nd emission.

The reactivity of a series of Zn(Cys)(4) zinc finger model peptides towards H(2)O(2) and O(2) has been investigated. The oxidation products were identified by HPLC and ESI-MS analysis. At pH<7.5, the zinc complexes and the free peptides are oxidised to bis-disulfide-containing peptides. Above pH 7.5, the oxidation of the zinc complexes by H(2)O(2) also yields sulfinate- and sulfonate-containing overoxidised peptides. At pH 7.0, monitoring of the reactions between the zinc complexes and H(2)O(2) by HPLC revealed the sequential formation of two disulfides. Several techniques for the determination of the rate constant for the first oxidation step corresponding to the attack of H(2)O(2) by the Zn(Cys)(4) site have been compared. This rate constant can be reliably determined by monitoring the oxidation by HPLC, fluorescence, circular dichroism or absorption spectroscopy in the presence of excess ethyleneglycol bis(2-aminoethyl ether)tetraacetic acid. In contrast, monitoring of the release of zinc with 4-(2-pyridylazo)resorcinol or of the thiol content with 5,5'-dithiobis(2-nitrobenzoate) did not yield reliable values of this rate constant for the case in which the formation of the second disulfide is slower than the formation of the first. The kinetic measurements clearly evidence a protective effect of zinc on the oxidation of the cysteines by both H(2)O(2) and O(2), which points to the fact that zinc binding diminishes the nucleophilicity of the thiolates. In addition, the reaction between the zinc finger and H(2)O(2) is too slow to consider zinc fingers as potential sensors for H(2)O(2) in cells.

International audienceDuring the past decades it has been established that zinc-bound cysteines in proteins can react with various electrophiles to perform physiological functions such as alkyl transfer reactions or oxidative stress sensing. Electrophiles targeting especially vulnerable structural zinc fingers have also been proposed as therapeutic agents against cancers or HIV. However, the nucleophilic reactivity of zinc fingers remains poorly understood. In this article, we investigate the nucleophilic reaction of zinc finger model peptides with H2O2 in order to get deeper insight into the factors governing the reactivity of zinc-bound cysteines of zinc finger sites. We use a set of nine peptides belonging to two different peptide families with (Cys)(4), (Cys)(3)(His) and (Cys)(2)(His)(2) coordination sets. One family is derived from the consensus peptide of classical beta beta alpha zinc fingers and the other one derived from the zinc finger site of the oxidative stress sensor Hsp33 that adopts a loosened zinc ribbon fold. The coordination properties and the structural behaviors of the new members of the latter family were carefully characterized. The rate constants of the reaction of the nine zinc finger models with H2O2 were measured at various temperatures to determine the activation parameters. In all cases, the reaction is characterized by a small enthalpy of activation, which shows that the nucleophilic reaction of zinc-bound cysteines is easy, and large unfavorable negative entropy of activation. Neutral Zn(Cys)(2)(His)(2) cores are intrinsically less reactive than negatively charged Zn(Cys)(4) and Zn(Cys)(3)(His). Interestingly, we observe that the more flexible zinc finger sites are the more reactive. Indeed the entropies of activation are strongly linked to the conformational behavior of the peptide in solution. This work reveals important factors that govern the reactivity of zinc-bound cysteines in these two structural classes of zinc fingers and can be used to identify reactive zinc fingers in proteins

A bioinspired probe based on a zinc finger peptide functionalized by a lanthanide(iii)-DOTA monoamide complex turns out to be active for both luminescence and MRI detection of Zn2+, depending on the lanthanide cation. A mechanism for MRI-based detection is proposed.

Copper(i) is a soft metal ion that plays an essential role in living organisms and Cu+-responsive probes are required to detect Cu+ ions in physiological conditions and understand its homeostasis as well as the diseases associated with its misregulation. In this article, we describe a series of cyclic peptides, which are structurally related to the copper chaperone CusF, and that behave as Cu+-repsonsive probes. These peptide probes comprise the 16-amino acid loop of CusF cyclized by a β-turn inducer dipeptide and functionalized by a Tb3+ complex for its luminescence properties. The mechanism of luminescence enhancement relies on the modulation of the antenna effect between a tryptophan residue and the Tb3+ ion within the probe when Cu+ forms a cation-π interaction with the tryptophan. Here, we investigate the influence of the amino acid sequence of these cyclic peptides on the copper-induced modulation of Tb3+ emission and show that the rigid β-turn inducer Aib-d-Pro and insertion of the Tb3+ complex close to its tryptophan antenna are required to obtain turn-on Cu+ responsive probes. We also show that the amino acid sequence, especially the number and position of proline residues has a significant impact on metal-induced luminescence enhancement and metal-binding constant of the probes.

A prototype luminescent turn‐on probe for Cu+ (and Ag+) is described, harnessing a selective binding site (log Kass=9.4 and 7.3 for Cu+ and Ag+, respectively) based on the coordinating environment of the bacterial metallo‐chaperone CusF, integrated with a terbium‐ion‐signaling moiety. Cation–π interactions were shown to enhance tryptophan triplet population, which subsequently sensitized, on the microsecond timescale, the long‐lived terbium emission, offering a novel approach in bioinspired chemosensor design.

Due to their similar coordination properties, discrimination of Cu + and Ag + by water-soluble luminescent probes is challenging. We have synthesized LCC4 Eu , an 18 amino acid cyclic peptide bearing a europium complex, that is able to bind one Cu + or Ag + ion by the side chains of two methionines, a histidine and a 3-(1-naphthyl)-Lalanine. In this system, the naphthyl moiety establishes a cation- interaction with these cations. It also acts as an antenna for the sensitization of Eu 3+ luminescence. Interestingly, when excited at 280 nm behaves as a turn-on probe for Ag + (+150 % Eu emission) and as a turn-off probe for Cu + (-50% Eu 3+ emission). Shifting the excitation wavelength to 305 nm makes the probe responsive to Ag + (+380% Eu 3+ emission) but not to Cu + or other physiological cations. Thus, LCC4 Eu is uniquely capable of discriminating Ag + from Cu + . A detailed spectroscopic characterization based on steady state and time-resolved measurements clearly demonstrates that Eu 3+ sensitization relies on electronic energy transfer from the naphthalene triplet state to the Eu 3+ excited states and that the cation- interaction lowers the energy of this triplet state by 700 cm -1 and 2400 cm -1 for Ag + and Cu + , respectively. Spectroscopic data point to a modulation of the efficiency of the electronic energy transfer caused by the differential red-shift of the naphthalene triplet, deciphering the differential luminescence response of LCC4 Eu toward Ag + and Cu + .