Zhang Huatang, Liu Ruochuan, Liu Jie, Li Lin, Wang Ping, Yao Shao Q, Xu Zhengtao, Sun Hongyan
Department of Biology and Chemistry , City University of Hong Kong , 83 Tat Chee Avenue , Kowloon , Hong Kong , China . Email:
Key Laboratory of Biochip Technology, Biotech and Health Centre , Shenzhen Research Institute of City University of Hong Kong , Shenzhen , 518057 , PR China.
Chem Sci. 2016 Jan 1;7(1):256-260. doi: 10.1039/c5sc02431e. Epub 2015 Sep 22.
A simple molecule, tetrafluoroterephthalonitrile (4F-2CN), was discovered to be an efficient fluorescent probe for detecting biological thiol species. The probe responded to Cys and emitted strong green fluorescence, whereas it reacted with Hcy/GSH and generated blue fluorescence. Addition of CTAB (cetyl trimethylammonium bromide) was observed to alter the fluorescence color of the reaction product of 4F-2CN and Hcy (from blue to green), but no alteration of the fluorescence color occurred for Cys and GSH. For the very first time, cell imaging experiments showed that the three commonly occurring thiols (Cys/Hcy/GSH) could be differentiated using a single fluorescent probe. In addition, the reaction product of 4F-2CN and Cys exhibits two-photon properties, offering a potentially useful tool for tissue imaging studies. To the best of our knowledge, 4F-2CN is currently the smallest fluorescent probe for thiol detection. We envision that this new and versatile probe will be a useful tool for further elucidating the roles of thiols in biology.
一种简单的分子，四氟对苯二甲腈（4F-2CN），被发现是一种用于检测生物硫醇类物质的高效荧光探针。该探针与半胱氨酸（Cys）反应并发出强烈的绿色荧光，而与同型半胱氨酸（Hcy）/谷胱甘肽（GSH）反应则产生蓝色荧光。观察到添加十六烷基三甲基溴化铵（CTAB）会改变4F-2CN与Hcy反应产物的荧光颜色（从蓝色变为绿色），但Cys和GSH的荧光颜色没有变化。细胞成像实验首次表明，使用单一荧光探针可以区分三种常见的硫醇（Cys/Hcy/GSH）。此外，4F-2CN与Cys的反应产物具有双光子特性，为组织成像研究提供了一种潜在有用的工具。据我们所知，4F-2CN是目前用于硫醇检测的最小荧光探针。我们设想这种新型多功能探针将成为进一步阐明硫醇在生物学中作用的有用工具。
