Selective Sensor for Silver Ions Built From Polyfluorophores on a DNA Backbone

To explore a new modular metal ion sensor design strategy, fluorophores and ligands were incorporated into short DNA-like oligomers. Compound 1 was found to function as a selective sensor for Ag+ in aqueous buffer, where low micromolar concentrations of Ag+ induce a red-shifted, turn-on fluorescence signal. Experiments with HeLa cells show that 1 can penetrate cells and yield a signal for intracellular Ag+ This suggests a broadly applicable approach to developing sensors for a wide variety of cations.