Subcellular Compartment-targeting Fluorescent Zn2+ Probes

Abstract

Zinc homeostasis in cells is tightly regulated by zinc-binding metalloproteins and zinc transporters. Since disruption of zinc homeostasis is associated with various diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease and diabetes, investigating its functions and physiological roles is important. One of the powerful methods for visualizing Zn2+ dynamics in a cell is fluorescence imaging because of its high sensitivity and spatiotemporal resolution. Several organelle-targeting fluorescent Zn2+ probes have been developed for imaging intracellular Zn2+ distribution and dynamics. This chapter highlights organelle-targeting small-molecule probes and protein-tag–small-molecule hybrid probes, which are expected to have higher potential for accurately visualizing and quantifying labile Zn2+ at the organelle level.