Lanthanide-based protease activity sensors for time-resolved fluorescence measurements

Area of Science:

• Analytical Chemistry
• Biochemistry
• Materials Science

Background:

• Lanthanide luminescence allows for time-resolved fluorescence measurements due to its long lifetime.
• Developing sensitive and selective sensors for protease activity is crucial in biological and medical research.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and synthesize novel lanthanide-based luminogenic sensors for detecting protease activities.
• To demonstrate the utility of these sensors in time-resolved fluorescence assays.

Main Methods:

• Exploration and selection of suitable antenna groups for lanthanide complexation.
• Synthesis of lanthanide-based luminogenic sensor molecules.
• Testing sensor response to proteases like calpain I and leucine aminopeptidase (LAP).
• Utilizing time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy for measurements.

Main Results:

• The designed lanthanide-based sensors exhibited strong luminescence upon addition of proteases.
• The long luminescence lifetimes of the probes facilitated time-resolved measurements.
• Background fluorescence signals from impurities were effectively excluded.

Conclusions:

• The developed lanthanide-based sensors are effective for detecting protease activity.
• The long luminescence lifetime enables robust time-resolved fluorescence assays, minimizing interference.
• This sensing principle holds potential for broader applications in protease detection and other assays.