title: Visible study of mercuric ion and its conjugate in living cells of mammals and plants.
abstract: The investigation of mercuric ion and mercuric conjugate inside live specimens has drawn intense attention because of their cytotoxicity. The translocation, transportation, and distribution of Hg2+ inside either mammals or plants, however, are still invisible due to the lack of favorable fluorescent molecular sensors for Hg2+. Here, two sensors, 2,6-bis(4'-peperazino-N'-hydroxylethoxylethylene-1',8'-naphthalimide)dimethylpyridine and 2,6-bis(4'-peperazino-N'-butyl-1',8'-naphthalimide)dimethylpyridine, which were composed of nitrogen atoms of 2,6-bis(aminomethyl)pyridine as the ion receptor and the donor of photoinduced electron transfer, were applied to the cultured mammalian cells and plant cells. Their membrane permeability, low toxicity, slow bleaching/fading, and high selectivity and sensitivity to Hg2+ in a live cell rendered them attractive to become real-time and real-space sensors. For the first time, the transportation of Hg2+ cation and Hg2+ conjugate of cysteine was observed with the help of a fluorescence microscope. The chloroplast location of Hg2+ in transgenic tobacco was also visible.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Fine Chemicals, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116012, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Zhichao
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Di
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Xiangfeng
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.forename: Xuhong
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Qian
authors.forename: Zhe
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: Qin
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Yuanyuan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Liping
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Duan
authors.forename: Yuke
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: He
authors.forename: Zhe
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Feng
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002460:Cell Line; D003545:Cysteine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000097:blood / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology; D006801:Humans; D007687:Kidney Tubules, Proximal / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D008628:Mercury / Q000097:blood / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D008767:Methylmercury Compounds / Q000097:blood / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D053644:Naphthalimides; D010879:Piperazines / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D030821:Plants, Genetically Modified; D015363:Quinolones / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D014026:Nicotiana / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: C509524:2,6-bis(4'-piperazino-N'-butyl-1',8'-naphthalimide)dimethylpyridine; C509523:2,6-bis(4'-piperazino-N'-hydroxyethoxyethylene-1',8'-naphthalimide)dimethylpyridine; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D008767:Methylmercury Compounds; D053644:Naphthalimides; D010879:Piperazines; D015363:Quinolones; C030589:methylmercury cysteine; D008628:Mercury; D003545:Cysteine