6-Methylpyridyl for Pyridyl Substitution Tunes the Properties of Fluorescent Zinc Sensors of the Zinpyr Family

Abstract

To prepare fluorescent zinc sensors with binding affinities lower than that of the parent 9-(o-carboxyphenyl)-2,7-dichloro-4,5-bis(bis(2-pyridylmethyl)methylaminomethyl)-6-hydroxy-3-xanthenone (ZP1), dimethylated and tetramethylated derivatives were synthesized having either two or four of the pyridyl subunits methylated at the 6-position. Like the parent ZP1, both Me₂ZP1 and Me₄ZP1 exhibit increased fluorescence in the presence of Zn²⁺. The integrated emission of Me₂ZP1 increases 4-fold in the presence of excess zinc, whereas Me₄ZP1 displays 2.5-fold enhanced fluorescence for Zn²⁺. Methylating the 6-positions of the pyridyl rings raises the dissociation constant of the sensors and lowers the pK_a values associated with the tertiary amine ligands in a systematic manner. The properties of the dimethylated Me₂ZP1 dye resemble those of ZP1, but the tetramethylated Me₄ZP1 differs greatly from ZP1 in terms of its brightness, affinity toward Zn²⁺, exchange kinetics, and metal sensitivity. Both Me₂ZP1 and Me₄ZP1 can enter HeLa cells and signal the presence of Zn²⁺. Staining caused by both dyes is punctate, with localization patterns resembling that observed for ZP1.