Photoswitchable Epothilone-Based Microtubule Stabilisers Allow GFP-Imaging-Compatible, Optical Control over the Microtubule Cytoskeleton

Optical methods to modulate microtubule dynamics show promise for reaching the micron- and millisecond-scale resolution needed to decrypt the roles of the cytoskeleton in biology. However, optical microtubule stabilisers are under-developed. We introduce "STEpos" as GFP-orthogonal, light-responsive epothilone-based microtubule stabilisers. They use a novel styrylthiazole photoswitch in a design to modulate hydrogen-bonding and steric effects that control epothilone potency. STEpos photocontrol microtubule dynamics and cell division with micron- and second-scale spatiotemporal precision. They substantially improve potency, solubility, and ease-of-use compared to previous optical microtubule stabilisers, and the structure-photoswitching-activity relationship insights in this work will guide future optimisations. The STEpo reagents can contribute greatly to high-precision research in cytoskeleton biophysics, cargo transport, cell motility, cell division, development, and neuroscience.

A Robust, GFP-Orthogonal Photoswitchable Inhibitor Scaffold Extends Optical Control over the Microtubule Cytoskeleton

Optically controlled chemical reagents, termed "photopharmaceuticals," are powerful tools for precise spatiotemporal control of proteins particularly when genetic methods, such as knockouts or optogenetics are not viable options. However, current photopharmaceutical scaffolds, such as azobenzenes are intolerant of GFP/YFP imaging and are metabolically labile, posing severe limitations for biological use. We rationally designed a photoswitchable "SBT" scaffold to overcome these problems, then derivatized it to create exceptionally metabolically robust and fully GFP/YFP-orthogonal "SBTub" photopharmaceutical tubulin inhibitors. Lead compound SBTub3 allows temporally reversible, cell-precise, and even subcellularly precise photomodulation of microtubule dynamics, organization, and microtubule-dependent processes. By overcoming the previous limitations of microtubule photopharmaceuticals, SBTubs offer powerful applications in cell biology, and their robustness and druglikeness are favorable for intracellular biological control in in vivo applications. We furthermore expect that the robustness and imaging orthogonality of the SBT scaffold will inspire other derivatizations directed at extending the photocontrol of a range of other biological targets.

Design, Synthesis, and Proticity Inclined Conformational Modulation in a Highly Fluorescent Bichromophoric Naphthalimide Derivative: Hint Directed from RICT Perspective

The present study embodies design, in silico DNA interaction, synthesis of benzothiazole containing naphthalimide derivative, 2-(6-chlorobenzo[d]thiazol-2-yl)-1H-benzo[de] isoquinoline-1,3(2H)-dione (CBIQD) along with its systematic photophysics, solvatochromic behavior, and solvation dynamics using an experimental and theoretical spectroscopic approach. Steady-state dual emission and biexponential fluorescence decay reveals the formation of two different excited species. Ground- and excited-state optimized geometry and the potential-energy curve obtained from DFT and TD-DFT calculation ascertained the existence of nonplanar and planar conformation. When the solvent polarity is changed from nonpolar to protic polar, the feebly emissive emission band highly intensifies probably due to the reversal of n, π*-π, π* emissive state along with consequent modulation of their energy gap that is induced by H-bonding. Excluding nonpolar solvents, in all other solvents, the Stokes shift correlates linearly with orientation polarizability, whereas in water, the story remains intriguing. With photoexcitation, intermolecular H-bonding stimulates the pyramidalization tendency of imide "N" with subsequent conformational change of GS nonplanar geometry to a coplanar one through acceptor rehybridization generating a rehybridized intramolecular charge transfer (RICT) state that caused a dramatic fluorescence upsurge. This allosteric modulation is promoted by excited-state H-bonding dynamics especially in strong H-bond donor water. A close interplay between preferential solvation and the proximity effect is evident in the emission behavior in a benzene (Bn)-ethanol (EtOH) binary mixture. Molecular docking analysis delineates considerable noncovalent sandwiched π-π stacking interactions of CBIQD with the pyrimidine rings as well as with imidazole rings of dG 6 and dG 2 base pairs of B-DNA double helix, which probably suffices the design strategy adopted. Overall, a strategic design to synthesize a highly fluorescent and potential bioactive agent is executed to revolutionize the fluorophore field due its enormous progressive importance in biochemical applications.

Electronic structure and spectral properties of aurones as visible range fluorescent probes: a DFT/TDDFT study

A DFT and TDDFT study was performed to understand the electronic and optical properties of aurone and its amine-substituted derivatives as potential fluorescent probes.