Cage the firefly luciferin! - a strategy for developing bioluminescent probes

Bioluminescent imaging (BLI) has been widely applicable in the imaging of process envisioned in life sciences. As the most conventional technique for BLI, the firefly luciferin-luciferase system is exceptionally functional in vitro and in vivo . The state-of-the-art strategy in such a system is to c...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Chemical Society reviews 2013-01, Vol.42 (2), p.662-676
Main Authors: Li, Jing, Chen, Laizhong, Du, Lupei, Li, Minyong
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Biocompatibility
Bioluminescence
Cage
Enzyme Assays - methods
Enzymes
Fireflies
Fireflies - enzymology
Firefly Luciferin - chemistry
Firefly Luciferin - metabolism
Humans
Imaging
Luciferases, Firefly - metabolism
Luminescent Agents - chemistry
Luminescent Agents - metabolism
Luminescent Measurements - methods
Models, Molecular
Optical Imaging - methods
Strategy
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Summary:Bioluminescent imaging (BLI) has been widely applicable in the imaging of process envisioned in life sciences. As the most conventional technique for BLI, the firefly luciferin-luciferase system is exceptionally functional in vitro and in vivo . The state-of-the-art strategy in such a system is to cage the luciferin, in which free luciferin is conjugated with distinctive functional groups, thus accommodating an impressive toolkit for exploring various biological processes, such as monitoring enzymes activity, detecting bioactive small molecules, evaluating the properties of molecular transporters, etc. This review article summarizes the rational design of caged luciferins towards diverse biotargets, as well as their applications in bioluminescent imaging. It should be emphasized that these caged luciferins can stretch out the applications of bioluminescence imaging and shed light upon understanding the pathogenesis of various diseases. This review article summarizes the rational design of caged firefly luciferins towards diverse biotargets, as well as their applications in bioluminescent imaging.
ISSN:0306-0012
1460-4744
DOI:10.1039/c2cs35249d