We synthesized a new probe, Mito-Naph, to visualize mitochondrial thioredoxin (Trx) activity in cells. A fluorescence off-on change is induced by disulfide cleavage of the probe, resulting from a reaction with Trx and subsequent intramolecular cyclization by the released thiolate to give a fluorescent product. By measuring the fluorescence at 540 nm, Trx activity can be detected at nanomolar concentrations (down to 50 nM) well below its physiological levels. The in vitro and in vivo Trx preference of Mito-Naph was demonstrated by fluorometric and confocal microscopic experiments. In vitro kinetic analysis of the disulfide bond cleavage revealed that the second-order rate constant for Trx is (4.04 +/- 0.26) x 10(3) (M s)(-1) approximately 5000 times faster than that for GSH. The inhibition experiments involving PX-12, a selective inhibitor of Trx, also revealed that the emission from Mito-Naph significantly decreased in PX-12 dose-dependent manners, both in living cells and in cellular protein extracts. The Trx preference was further supported by an observation that the fluorescence intensity of rat liver extract was decreased according to the Trx depletion by immunoprecipitation. On the basis of these results, it is concluded that Mito-Naph preferentially reacts with Trx, compared with other biological thiols containing amino acids in vitro and in vivo.
We synthesized a new probe, Mito-Naph, to visualize mitochondrial thioredoxin (Trx) activity in cells. A fluorescence off-on change is induced by disulfide cleavage of the probe, resulting from a reaction with Trx and subsequent intramolecular cyclization by the released thiolate to give a fluorescent product. By measuring the fluorescence at 540 nm, Trx activity can be detected at nanomolar concentrations (down to 50 nM) well below its physiological levels. The in vitro and in vivo Trx preference of Mito-Naph was demonstrated by fluorometric and confocal microscopic experiments. In vitro kinetic analysis of the disulfide bond cleavage revealed that the second-order rate constant for Trx is (4.04 +/- 0.26) x 10(3) (M s)(-1) approximately 5000 times faster than that for GSH. The inhibition experiments involving PX-12, a selective inhibitor of Trx, also revealed that the emission from Mito-Naph significantly decreased in PX-12 dose-dependent manners, both in living cells and in cellular protein extracts. The Trx preference was further supported by an observation that the fluorescence intensity of rat liver extract was decreased according to the Trx depletion by immunoprecipitation. On the basis of these results, it is concluded that Mito-Naph preferentially reacts with Trx, compared with other biological thiols containing amino acids in vitro and in vivo.
作者:Min Hee Lee、Nayoung Park、Chunsik Yi、Ji Hye Han、Ji Hye Hong、Kwang Pyo Kim、Dong Hoon Kang、Jonathan L. Sessler、Chulhun Kang、Jong Seung Kim
DOI:10.1021/ja506301n
日期:2014.10.8
We report here a mitochondria-targetable pH-sensitive probe that allows for a quantitative measurement of mitochondrial pH changes, as well as the real-time monitoring of pH-related physiological effects in live cells. This system consists of a piperazine-linked naphthalimide as a fluorescence off-on signaling unit, a cationic triphenylphosphonium group for mitochondrial targeting, and a reactive benzyl chloride subunit for mitochondrial fixation. It operates well in a mitochondrial environment within whole cells and displays a desirable off-on fluorescence response to mitochondrial acidification. Moreover, this probe allows for the monitoring of impaired mitochondria undergoing mitophagic elimination as the result of nutrient starvation. It thus allows for the monitoring of the organelle-specific dynamics associated with the conversion between physiological and pathological states.