SYNTHESIS OF NEW FLUOROPHORES FOR CYTOSOLIC GLUTATHIONE

COVALENT ASSOCIATES, INC. PROPOSES THE SYNTHESIS OF A NEW FLUOROPHORE FOR INTRACELLULAR GLUTATHIONE DETERMINATION. THE REACTION PRODUCT OF THE FLUOROPHORE WITH THIOLS WILL HAVE LONGER WAVELENGTH ADSORPTION AND EMISSION AND HIGHER QUANTUM YIELD THAN THE BEST CYTOSOLIC THIOL FLUROPHORE CURRENTLY IN USE FOR CELL SORTING BY FLOW CYTOMETRY. THE DYE WILL HAVE THE ADVANTAGE OF BEING CELL-MEMBRANE-PERMEABLE OWING TO ESTERIFIED PHENOL AND CARBOXYL GROUPS WHICH WILL SUBSEQUENTLY BE DE-ESTERFIED BY CYTOSOLIC ESTERASES, THUS TRAPPING THE INDICATOR WITHIN THE CELL. THEREFORE, CELL LOADING SHOULD OCCUR AT MUCH LOWER EXTRACELLULAR DYE CONCENTRATIONS THAN CURRENTLY POSSIBLE. ADSORPTION AND EMISSION PROPERTIES IN BOTH BOUND AND UNBOUNDSTATES WIT GLUTATHIONE AND THIOL-CONTAINING PROTEINS WILL ALSO BE STUDIED.