Localized Intracellular pH Measurement Using a Ratiometric Photoinduced Electron-Transfer-Based Nanosensor

摘要

Hydrogen ions are an important intracellular species. In eukaryotic cells the function of several organelles is dependent on the pH in each of those individual organelles. The pH in the cytosol and the nucleus is typically 7.2-7.4, the secretory and the endocytic pathways have a lower pH, while the acidic organelles, such as endosomes and lysosomes, typically have a pH as low as 4.0-5.5. Disruption of the pH within the different organelles may lead to dysfunction of the affected organelle and ultimately to a diseased state. For example, tumor cells have been shown to have an abnormal cellular pH and disturbances in the pH of the acidic organelles have been associated with renal failure oncological processes, and with the so called lysosomal storage disorders. With consideration of the large number of diseases related to abnormal values of pH in the acidic organelles it is important to develop new tools, to supplement those molecular probes that already exist, to quantify the hydrogen ion concentration.