Issue 1, 2016

A minimalist fluorescent probe for differentiating Cys, Hcy and GSH in live cells

Abstract

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.

Graphical abstract: A minimalist fluorescent probe for differentiating Cys, Hcy and GSH in live cells

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Edge Article
Submitted
06 Jul 2015
Accepted
19 Sep 2015
First published
22 Sep 2015
This article is Open Access

All publication charges for this article have been paid for by the Royal Society of Chemistry
Creative Commons BY license

Chem. Sci., 2016,7, 256-260

Author version available

A minimalist fluorescent probe for differentiating Cys, Hcy and GSH in live cells

H. Zhang, R. Liu, J. Liu, L. Li, P. Wang, S. Q. Yao, Z. Xu and H. Sun, Chem. Sci., 2016, 7, 256 DOI: 10.1039/C5SC02431E

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licence. You can use material from this article in other publications without requesting further permissions from the RSC, provided that the correct acknowledgement is given.

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