Elevated uptake of nutrients is considered as a marker of tumorigenesis. Up to date a direct measuring of nutrient uptake in the cell has been carried out with radiolabeled analogs, limiting the applicability of the assay. This study aims to develop fluorescent probes amenable for measuring nutrient uptake directly, based on the development of fluorescence upon cellular accumulation of the fluorophore-conjugated nutrient substrates. We designed probes that gain fluorescence upon accumulation in the cytosol after an esterase-mediated release of the fluorophore. The design has been tested on measuring fructose uptake and can be extended to other sugars and small molecules, such nucleic acids, fatty acids, amino acids and other nutrients or bioactive compounds.

Cleavable fluorescent probes for direct measurement of nutrient uptake

253rd National Meeting (2017)

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