Locking the GFP Fluorophore to Enhance Its Emission Intensity

Funding Information: Thanks are due to the University of Aveiro, FCT/MEC, Centro 2020 and Portugal2020, the COMPETE program, and the European Union (FEDER program) via the financial support to the LAQV-REQUIMTE (UIDB/50006/2020 and UIDP/50006/2020), to the CICECO-Aveiro Institute of Materials (UID/CTM/50011/2019, UIDB/50011/2020 and UIDP/50011/2020), financed by national funds through the FCT/MCTES, to the Portuguese NMR Network. SG is supported by national funds (OE), through FCT, I.P., in the scope of the framework contract foreseen in the numbers 4, 5, and 6 of the article 23, of the Decree-Law 57/2016, of August 29, changed by Law 57/2017, of July 19. JRMF. Thanks FCT and ESF (European Social Fund) through POCH (Programa Operacional Capital Humano) for her PhD grant (UI/BD/151272/2021). Publisher Copyright: © 2022 by the authors.The Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP) and its analogues have been widely used as fluorescent biomarkers in cell biology. Yet, the chromophore responsible for the fluorescence of the GFP is not emissive when isolated in solution, outside the protein environment. The most accepted explanation is that the quenching of the fluorescence results from the rotation of the aryl–alkene bond and from the Z/E isomerization. Over the years, many efforts have been performed to block these torsional rotations, mimicking the environment inside the protein β-barrel, to restore the emission intensity. Molecule rigidification through chemical modifications or complexation, or through crystallization, is one of the strategies used. This review presents an overview of the strategies developed to achieve highly emissive GFP chromophore by hindering the torsional rotations.publishersversionpublishe

Synthesis and luminescence properties of analogues of the green fluorescent protein chromophore

The green fluorescent protein (GFP) is extensively used as a biomarker for fluorescence biological imaging. The chromophore in GFP is only fluorescent when confined into the β–barrel of the protein. Similarly, synthetic analogues of the fluorophore of GFP are usually non-emissive in solution, due to free rotation around the aryl-alkene bond and (Z/E)-isomerization of the double bond. Here, the synthesis and characterization of three analogues of the fluorophore of GFP are reported. The introduction of more electron donating substituents induces a red-shift in the absorption and emission. The fluorophores are more emissive in the solid state than in solution, and a study of their crystal structure reveals that the (Z/E)-isomerization is efficiently blocked in the crystals.publishe

Novel functionalised imidazo-benzocrown ethers bearing a thiophene spacer as fluorimetric chemosensors for metal ion detection

Novel phenylalanine derivatives bearing benzimidazole and crown ethers as coordinating/reporting units and thiophene as a spacer unit were synthesized for the first time, and their evaluation as fluorimetric chemosensors was carried out in acetonitrile and acetonitrile/water solutions. 15-Crown-5 benzimidazolyl phenylalanine methyl ester, 15-crown-5 thienylbenzimidazolyl phenylalanine methyl ester and 18-crown-6 thienylbenzimidazolyl phenylalanine methyl ester were tested for alkaline, alkaline-earth and transition metal ions (such as Na+, Ca2+, Cd2+, Co2+, Cr3+, Cu2+, Fe2+, Fe3+, Hg2+, Ni2+, Pd2+ and Zn2+). The different crown ether binding moieties as well as the electronic nature and the length of the π-bridge linked to the benzimidazole heterocycle allowed the fine tuning of the sensory properties as seen by spectrofluorimetric titrations. Therefore, 15-crown-5 benzimidazolyl phenylalanine methyl ester is a fluorimetric chemosensor, being selective and sensitive for Cu2+ and Pd2+ in aqueous solutions (ACN/H2O; 80:20). On the other hand, the metal cation sensing properties displayed by 15-crown-5 thienylbenzimidazolyl phenylalanine methyl ester bearing an arylthienyl spacer showed that this is a promising candidate as fluorimetric chemosensor for Fe3+, Pb2+ and Pd2+ in acetonitrile solution.Thanks are due to Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (Portugal) for financial support to the Portuguese NMR network (PTNMR, Bruker Avance III 400-Univ. Minho), FCT and FEDER (European Fund for Regional Development)-COMPETEQREN-EU for financial support to the research centre CQ/UM [PEst-C/QUI/UI0686/2013 (FCOMP-01-0124-FEDER-037302], a PhD grant to C.I.C. Esteves (SFRH/BD/68360/2010) and a post-doctoral grant to R.M.F. Batista (SFRH/BPD/79333/2011).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio