title: Following the Ca²⁺ roadmap to photocaged complexes for Zn²⁺ and beyond.
abstract: The first photocaged complexes appeared in the mid-1980s specifically to complement the ongoing work studying intracellular Ca(2+) signaling with fluorescent probes. Recently, the field of biological inorganic chemistry has focused increasingly on the homeostasis mechanisms and possible signaling functions of transition metal ions like Mn(2+), Fe(2+), Cu(+) and Zn(2+). Development of fluorescent sensors for imaging studies has been a very active area of research; however the corresponding chemical tools for delivering metal ions have received less interest. Using the roadmap provided by Ca(2+) predecessors, we describe how new photocaged complexes are being developed, and highlight some of the obstacles that must be overcome to investigate an emerging area in metal ion biology with different requirements.
authors.affiliation: University of Connecticut, Department of Chemistry, Storrs, CT 06269-3060, United States.
authors.forename: Celina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gwizdala
authors.forename: Shawn C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Burdette
mesh_terms: D001671:Biochemistry; D002118:Calcium / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism*; D020013:Calcium Signaling; D002413:Cations, Divalent / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D002614:Chelating Agents / Q000737:chemistry; D015392:Chemistry, Inorganic; D055668:Photochemical Processes; D015032:Zinc / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D002413:Cations, Divalent; D002614:Chelating Agents; D015032:Zinc; D002118:Calcium