Long Wavelength TCF-Based Fluorescent Probe for the Detection of Alkaline Phosphatase in Live Cells

Abstract

A long wavelength TCF-based fluorescent probe (<b>TCF-ALP</b>) was developed for the detection of alkaline phosphatase (ALP). ALP-mediated hydrolysis of the phosphate group of <b>TCF-ALP</b> resulted in a significant fluorescence "turn on" (58-fold), which was accompanied by a colorimetric response from yellow to purple. <b>TCF-ALP</b> was cell-permeable, which allowed it to be used to image ALP in HeLa cells. Upon addition of bone morphogenic protein 2, <b>TCF-ALP</b> proved capable of imaging endogenously stimulated ALP in myogenic murine C2C12 cells. Overall, TCF-ALP offers promise as an effective fluorescent/colorimetric probe for evaluating phosphatase activity in clinical assays or live cell systems.