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.
Publication types
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Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
MeSH terms
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Animals
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Cell Line
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Cysteine / analogs & derivatives*
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Cysteine / blood
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Cysteine / pharmacokinetics
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Epithelial Cells / drug effects
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Epithelial Cells / metabolism*
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Fluorescent Dyes / chemical synthesis
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Fluorescent Dyes / chemistry*
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Fluorescent Dyes / pharmacology
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Humans
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Kidney Tubules, Proximal / cytology
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Kidney Tubules, Proximal / drug effects
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Kidney Tubules, Proximal / metabolism*
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Mercury / blood
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Mercury / pharmacokinetics*
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Methylmercury Compounds / blood
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Methylmercury Compounds / pharmacokinetics*
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Microscopy, Fluorescence
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Naphthalimides
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Nicotiana / cytology
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Nicotiana / drug effects
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Nicotiana / metabolism*
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Piperazines / chemistry*
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Piperazines / metabolism
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Piperazines / pharmacokinetics
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Plants, Genetically Modified
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Quinolones / chemistry*
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Quinolones / metabolism
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Quinolones / pharmacokinetics
Substances
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2,6-bis(4'-piperazino-N'-butyl-1',8'-naphthalimide)dimethylpyridine
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2,6-bis(4'-piperazino-N'-hydroxyethoxyethylene-1',8'-naphthalimide)dimethylpyridine
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Fluorescent Dyes
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Methylmercury Compounds
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Naphthalimides
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Piperazines
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Quinolones
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methylmercury cysteine
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Mercury
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Cysteine