A Photoactivatable Formaldehyde Donor with Fluorescence Monitoring Reveals Threshold to Arrest Cell Migration

Lukas P. Smaga, Nicholas W. Pino, Gabriela E. Ibarra, Vishnu Krishnamurthy, Jefferson Chan

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Controlled light-mediated delivery of biological analytes can enable the investigation of highly reactivity molecules within living systems. As many biological effects are concentration dependent, it is critical to determine the location, time, and quantity of analyte donation. In this work, we have developed the first photoactivatable donor for formaldehyde (FA). Our optimized photoactivatable donor, photoFAD-3, is equipped with a fluorescence readout that enables monitoring of FA release with a concomitant 139-fold fluorescence enhancement. Tuning of photostability and cellular retention enabled quantification of intracellular FA release through cell lysate calibration. Application of photoFAD-3 uncovered the concentration range necessary for arresting wound healing in live cells. This marks the first report where a photoactivatable donor for any analyte has been used to quantify intracellular release.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)680-684
Number of pages5
JournalJournal of the American Chemical Society
Volume142
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 15 2020

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Catalysis
  • General Chemistry
  • Biochemistry
  • Colloid and Surface Chemistry

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