Chem
ArticleEnzyme-Instructed Self-Assembly for Spatiotemporal Profiling of the Activities of Alkaline Phosphatases on Live Cells
The Bigger Picture
Reversible phosphorylation-dephosphorylation on the extracellular side of the plasma membrane, an essential cellular process, is an emerging field in biology and medicine. Recent advances in cancer research have revealed that many types of cancer cells overexpress certain phosphatases. However, current probes are unsuitable for imaging phosphatases on cancer cells for the diagnosis and monitoring of cancer. This work proves the feasibility of using small-molecule d-tetrapeptide derivatives for enzyme-instructed self-assembly (EISA) as selective molecular probes for imaging the activity of certain phosphatases overexpressed by cancer cells. Biostable d-peptidic probes for imaging the activity of phosphatases provide a new class of functional-imaging agents for biologists and medical scientists to validate the functions and inhibitors of cancer-specific phosphatases at the cellular level. This work contributes a molecular tool for precision medicine by measuring, probing, or targeting phosphatases on and in live cells.
Graphical Abstract
UN Sustainable Development Goals
Cited by (0)
- 4
Lead Contact