One-step 18F-fluorination of smart positron emission tomography tracer for sensing furin activity in tumors

Cysteine protecting groups: applications in peptide and protein science

Protecting group chemistry for the cysteine thiol group has enabled a vast array of peptide and protein chemistry over the last several decades. Increasingly sophisticated strategies for the protection, and subsequent deprotection, of cysteine have been developed, facilitating synthesis of complex disulfide-rich peptides, semisynthesis of proteins, and peptide/protein labelling in vitro and in vivo. In this review, we analyse and discuss the 60+ individual protecting groups reported for cysteine, highlighting their applications in peptide synthesis and protein science.

Reaction of [18F]Fluoride at Heteroatoms and Metals for Imaging of Peptides and Proteins by Positron Emission Tomography

The ability to radiolabel proteins with [18F]fluoride enables the use of positron emission tomography (PET) for the early detection, staging and diagnosis of disease. The direct fluorination of native proteins through C-F bond formation is, however, a difficult task. The aqueous environments required by proteins severely hampers fluorination yields while the dry, organic solvents that promote nucleophilic fluorination can denature proteins. To circumvent these issues, indirect fluorination methods making use of prosthetic groups that are first fluorinated and then conjugated to a protein have become commonplace. But, when it comes to the radiofluorination of proteins, these indirect methods are not always suited to the short half-life of the fluorine-18 radionuclide (110 min). This review explores radiofluorination through bond formation with fluoride at boron, metal complexes, silicon, phosphorus and sulfur. The potential for these techniques to be used for the direct, aqueous radiolabeling of proteins with [18F]fluoride is discussed.

Highlight selection of radiochemistry and radiopharmacy developments by editorial board (January-June 2020)

BACKGROUND

The Editorial Board of EJNMMI Radiopharmacy and Chemistry releases a biyearly highlight commentary to describe trends in the field.

RESULTS

This commentary of highlights has resulted in 19 different topics selected by each member of the Editorial Board addressing a variety of aspects ranging from novel radiochemistry to first in man application of novel radiopharmaceuticals.

CONCLUSION

Trends in radiochemistry and radiopharmacy are highlighted demonstrating the progress in the research field being the scope of EJNMMI Radiopharmacy and Chemistry.

Enzymatic Noncovalent Synthesis

Enzymatic reactions and noncovalent (i.e., supramolecular) interactions are two fundamental nongenetic attributes of life. Enzymatic noncovalent synthesis (ENS) refers to a process where enzymatic reactions control intermolecular noncovalent interactions for spatial organization of higher-order molecular assemblies that exhibit emergent properties and functions. Like enzymatic covalent synthesis (ECS), in which an enzyme catalyzes the formation of covalent bonds to generate individual molecules, ENS is a unifying theme for understanding the functions, morphologies, and locations of molecular ensembles in cellular environments. This review intends to provide a summary of the works of ENS within the past decade and emphasize ENS for functions. After comparing ECS and ENS, we describe a few representative examples where nature uses ENS, as a rule of life, to create the ensembles of biomacromolecules for emergent properties/functions in a myriad of cellular processes. Then, we focus on ENS of man-made (synthetic) molecules in cell-free conditions, classified by the types of enzymes. After that, we introduce the exploration of ENS of man-made molecules in the context of cells by discussing intercellular, peri/intracellular, and subcellular ENS for cell morphogenesis, molecular imaging, cancer therapy, and other applications. Finally, we provide a perspective on the promises of ENS for developing molecular assemblies/processes for functions. This review aims to be an updated introduction for researchers who are interested in exploring noncovalent synthesis for developing molecular science and technologies to address societal needs.

Recent advances in stimuli-responsive in situ self-assembly of small molecule probes for in vivo imaging of enzymatic activity

Stimuli-responsive in situ self-assembly of small molecule probes into nanostructures has been promising for the construction of molecular probes for in vivo imaging. In the past few years, a number of intelligent molecular imaging probes with fluorescence, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), positron electron tomography (PET) or photoacoustic imaging (PA) modality have been developed based on the in situ self-assembly strategy. In this minireview, we summarize the recent advances in the development of different modality imaging probes through controlling in situ self-assembly for in vivo imaging of enzymatic activity. This review starts from the brief introduction of two different chemical approaches amenable for in situ self-assembly, including (1) stimuli-mediated proteolysis and (2) stimuli-triggered biocompatible reaction. We then discuss their applications in the design of fluorescence, MRI, PET, PA, and bimodality imaging probes for in vivo imaging of different enzymes, such as caspase-3, furin, gelatinase and phosphatase. Finally, we discuss the current and prospective challenges in the stimuli-responsive in situ self-assembly strategy for in vivo imaging.