Fluorescent Probes for Imaging Protein Disulfides in Live Organisms

Abstract

Cellular redox homeostasis is predominantly controlled by the ratio of thiols and disulfides, and reversible thiol-disulfide exchange reactions are fundamental of the biological redox regulation. However, due to the dynamic exchanges of thiols and disulfides, the detection, especially the in situ detection, of protein disulfides (PDS) is challenging. We employ the strategy, i.e., the increase of emission upon an environment-sensitive dye binding to proteins, to design PDS probes and discover a two-photon probe PDSTP590 (S6) that selectively recognizes PDS in live organisms. With the aid of the probe, we further disclose the elevation of PDS in brains of the mouse stroke model.

Imaging of Carbonic Anhydrase Level in Epilepsy with an Environment-Sensitive Fluorescent Probe

“…Environment-sensitive fluorophores have extensive applications in protein-specific detection, which change their fluorescent intensity and color with the alter of the surrounding environment. – These fluorophores usually exhibit a weak fluorescence in hydrophilic environments, but a stronger fluorescence emission in hydrophobic environments . Furthermore, red or near-infrared fluorescent probes allow penetration into deep tissues and have less background fluorescence interference, which have a wide application in tissue imaging.…”