1. Rapid and scalable assembly of firefly luciferase substrates
- Author
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David C. McCutcheon, William B. Porterfield, and Jennifer A. Prescher
- Subjects
Nanotechnology ,Firefly luciferin ,Firefly Luciferin ,Biochemistry ,Article ,Substrate Specificity ,chemistry.chemical_compound ,Medicinal and Biomolecular Chemistry ,Luciferases, Firefly ,Bioluminescence imaging ,Bioluminescence ,Animals ,Luciferase ,Physical and Theoretical Chemistry ,Luciferases ,Firefly ,Luminescent Agents ,Molecular Structure ,Chemistry ,Organic Chemistry ,Fireflies ,Luciferin ,Scalability ,Substrate specificity ,Biomedical Imaging ,Generic health relevance ,Preclinical imaging - Abstract
Bioluminescence imaging with luciferase–luciferin pairs is a popular method for visualizing biological processes in vivo. Unfortunately, most luciferins are difficult to access and remain prohibitively expensive for some imaging applications. Here we report cost-effective and efficient syntheses of D-luciferin and 6′-aminoluciferin, two widely used bioluminescent substrates. Our approach employs inexpensive anilines and Appel's salt to generate the luciferin cores in a single pot. Additionally, the syntheses are scalable and can provide multi-gram quantities of both substrates. The streamlined production and improved accessibility of luciferin reagents will bolster in vivo imaging efforts.
- Published
- 2015