NEW PROBE SELECTIVELY PICKS OUT IMPORTANT BIOTHIOL

摘要

Biological molecules containing sulfhydryl groups participate in numerous cellular processes, such as redox reactions, metabolism, and detoxification. Glutathione (GSH) is a thiol that is the most abundant sulfhydryl-containing molecule in mammalian cells. GSH can be easily oxidized into a dimer, GSSG, in response to oxidative stress. Intracellular GSH concentration is an important measure of the overall health of a cell and its ability to withstand oxidative damage. Despite GSH's importance, there is not an imaging agent or probe to specifically and sensitively detect it. Brian K. McMahon and Thorfinnur Gunnlaugsson have now developed a new probe called l.Tb (DOI: 10.1021/ja300887k). The probe has the lanthanide element, terbium, which luminesces under the right conditions. The terbium is embedded in a cyclical molecule connected to a maleimide group, which readily reacts with thiols.