Volume 135, Issue 2 e202213563
Forschungsartikel

A Far-Red Molecular Rotor Fluorogenic Trehalose Probe for Live Mycobacteria Detection and Drug-Susceptibility Testing

Nicholas Banahene

Nicholas Banahene

Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, MI, USA

Biochemistry, Cellular, and Molecular Biology Program, Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, MI, USA

These authors contributed equally to this work.

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Dana M. Gepford

Dana M. Gepford

Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, MI, USA

These authors contributed equally to this work.

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Kyle J. Biegas

Kyle J. Biegas

Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, MI, USA

Biochemistry, Cellular, and Molecular Biology Program, Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, MI, USA

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Daniel H. Swanson

Daniel H. Swanson

Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, MI, USA

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Yen-Pang Hsu

Yen-Pang Hsu

Department of Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA

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Brennan A. Murphy

Brennan A. Murphy

Department of Chemistry, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA

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Zachary E. Taylor

Zachary E. Taylor

Department of Chemistry, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA

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Irene Lepori

Irene Lepori

Department of Microbiology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, USA

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Prof. Dr. M. Sloan Siegrist

Prof. Dr. M. Sloan Siegrist

Department of Microbiology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, USA

Molecular and Cellular Biology Graduate Program, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, USA

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Dr. Andrés Obregón-Henao

Dr. Andrés Obregón-Henao

Department of Microbiology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA

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Prof. Dr. Michael S. Van Nieuwenhze

Prof. Dr. Michael S. Van Nieuwenhze

Department of Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA

Department of Chemistry, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA

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Prof. Dr. Benjamin M. Swarts

Corresponding Author

Prof. Dr. Benjamin M. Swarts

Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, MI, USA

Biochemistry, Cellular, and Molecular Biology Program, Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, MI, USA

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First published: 08 November 2022
Citations: 1

Abstract

Increasing the speed, specificity, sensitivity, and accessibility of mycobacteria detection tools are important challenges for tuberculosis (TB) research and diagnosis. In this regard, previously reported fluorogenic trehalose analogues have shown potential, but their green-emitting dyes may limit sensitivity and applications in complex settings. Here, we describe a trehalose-based fluorogenic probe featuring a molecular rotor turn-on fluorophore with bright far-red emission (RMR-Tre). RMR-Tre, which exploits the unique biosynthetic enzymes and environment of the mycobacterial outer membrane to achieve fluorescence activation, enables fast, no-wash, low-background fluorescence detection of live mycobacteria. Aided by the red-shifted molecular rotor fluorophore, RMR-Tre exhibited up to a 100-fold enhancement in M. tuberculosis labeling compared to existing fluorogenic trehalose probes. We show that RMR-Tre reports on M. tuberculosis drug resistance in a facile assay, demonstrating its potential as a TB diagnostic tool.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Data Availability Statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available in the supplementary material of this article.

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