The use of caged compounds for the photolytic application of molecular bioeffectors into experimental systems with precise spatial and temporal control has proven very beneficial to several areas of the biosciences, including neuroscience, biochemistry, biophysics, etc. However, widespread implementation of the technology is presently limited by the fact that extant caged compounds require high energy, high cost UV illumination for effective uncaging. The present proposal describes a chemical approach to a novel caging group for biogenic amines that should allow for photolytic uncaging in the near- to visible wavelength region (400 nm). This caging group will be linked covalently to five representative bioactive amino acids. The resulting compounds will be evaluated photolytically in vitro for uncaging rate and quantum yield. Promising candidates will then be evaluated, both for pre-photolysis inertness and bioeffector photoproduction, on whole cells expressing ion channel-associated receptors for the respective amino acids. If successful, visible wavelength uncaging is expected to dramatically increase the commercialization of caged compounds.
Molecular Probes currently serves the biosciences research market by providing a broad variety of reagents, including fluorescent and caged probes. At present the market for caged compounds is relatively small. However, visible wavelength uncaging is expected to dramatically increase the commercial potential of these reagents.
