Injae Shin

A fluorescent probe based on fluorescein displays an excellent selectivity and sensitivity for thiols and its application for bioimaging is described.

Fluorescent probes have been used extensively to monitor biomolecules and biologically relevant species in vitro and in vivo. A new trend in this area that has been stimulated by the desire to obtain more detailed information about the biological effects of analytes is the change from live cell to whole animal fluorescent imaging. Zebrafish has received great attention for live vertebrate imaging due to several noticeable advantages. In this tutorial review, recent advances in live zebrafish ima

In the last decade, carbohydrate microarrays have been core technologies for analyzing carbohydrate-mediated recognition events in a high-throughput fashion. A number of methods have been exploited for immobilizing glycans on the solid surface in a microarray format. This microarray-based technology has been widely employed for rapid analysis of the glycan binding properties of lectins and antibodies, the quantitative measurements of glycan-protein interactions, detection of cells and pathogens,

The first examples of boronic acid-linked fluorescent and colorimetric chemosensors for copper ions are reported; the monoboronic acid-conjugated rhodamine probe displays a highly selective fluorescent enhancement with Cu2+ among the various metal ions whereas the fluorescence of the bisboronic acid-conjugated fluorescein probe is selectively quenched by Cu2+, probably by way of a PET mechanism.

A boronic acid moiety can bind to nucleophilic species, such as fluoride ions and 1,2-diols, and arylboronates are converted to the corresponding phenols by treatment with hydrogen peroxide. Based on these reactivity profiles of boron compounds, a variety of boronic acid and boronate-based fluorescent chemosensors have been developed for detecting biologically relevant species. This feature article highlights recent advances that have been made in the development of chemosensors of these types f

The biological significance of glycans in the post-genomic era requires the development of new technologies to enable functional studies of carbohydrates in a high-throughput manner. Recently, carbohydrate microarrays have been exploited as an advanced technology for this purpose. Efficient immobilization methods for carbohydrate probes on the proper surface are essential for the successful fabrication of carbohydrate microarrays. Up to date, several techniques have been developed to attach simp

A cell-based screening approach in which annexin V was used as a staining agent identified apoptozole (Az; see scheme) as an imidazole-based molecule which induces apoptosis. Az binds to Hsc70 and Hsp70 (anti-apoptotic chaperone proteins), with dissociation constants of 0.21 and 0.14 μM, respectively, thereby inhibiting their function. Thus, Az possesses antitumor activity and is, therefore, a potential cancer therapeutic agent. Supporting information for this article is available on the WWW und

Autophagy or self-eating is a complicated cellular process that is involved in protein and organelle digestion occurring via a lysosome-dependent pathway. This process is of great importance in maintaining normal cellular homeostasis. However, disruption of autophagy is closely associated with various human diseases such as cancer, neurodegenerative disorders, heart disease and pathogen infection. Therefore, small molecules that modulate autophagy can be employed to dissect this complex process

The 4-propargylamino-1,8-naphthalimide based fluorescent probe 1 has been explored as a sensor for selective detection of Au(3+). 4-Amino-1,8-naphthalimides, that possess typical intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) electronic characteristics, have been widely used as versatile platforms for fluorescent probes. The newly designed probe 1 contains a propargylamine moiety at C-4 of the naphthalimide chromophore that reacts with Au(3+) to generate a product that has distinctly different electronic

Carbohydrate microarrays have become very powerful tools to elucidate the molecular basis of carbohydrate-recognition events in a high-throughput manner. This microarray technology has been applied in the rapid analysis of the binding properties of a variety of binding partners such as lectins, antibodies, mammalian cells, pathogens and viruses. In this feature article, methods for the preparation of carbohydrate microarrays and their applications in biological and biomedical research are descri

In recent years a variety of chemical approaches have been developed for elucidating the molecular basis of biological processes in which glycans participate. The chemical technologies uncovered have greatly influenced the progress of glycomics research programs. This tutorial review highlights recent advances in chemical tools which have been developed and their applications in studies aimed at gaining a better understanding of the roles that glycans play in biological processes.