Peptide-conjugated fluorescent molecular rotor for subcellular protein detection

Protein detection plays an important role in disease diagnosis and treatment. However, it faces limitations, including insufficient sensitivity, complex operation procedure, and frequent labeling. These constraints hinder the reliable detection and dynamic monitoring of targeted proteins. Fluorescent molecular rotors (FMRs) present a viable sensing alternative for protein detection. The peptide-conjugated FMRs employ functional peptides for the specific recognition of targeted proteins and incorporate FMRs as signaling units. Upon binding to the targeted protein, the rotational freedom of the molecular rotor is restricted, leading to a marked increase in fluorescence intensity. Consequently, it significantly overcomes key limitations like operational complexity, antibody dependence, and dynamic tracking. This review focuses on the design strategies of peptide-conjugated FMRs for protein detection. Their application and recent progress in quantifying expression levels, monitoring structural alterations, and detecting intermolecular interactions of different proteins within organelles are also highlighted.