Chemical Biological Properties of Zinc Sensors TSQ and Zinquin: Formation of Sensor-Zn-Protein Adducts versus Zn(Sensor)2 Complexes

Fluorescent zinc sensors are the most commonly used tool to study the intracellular mobile zinc status within cellular systems. Previously, we have shown that the quinoline-based sensors Zinquin and 6-methoxy-8-p-toluene-sulfonamido-quinoline (TSQ) predominantly form ternary adducts with members of the Zn-proteome. Here, the chemistries of these sensors are further characterized, including how Zn(sensor)(2) complexes may react in an intracellular environment. We demonstrate that these sensors are typically used in higher concentrations than needed to obtain maximum signal. Exposing cells to either Zn(Zinquin)(2) or Zn(TSQ)(2) resulted in efficient cellular uptake and the formation of sensor-Zn-protein adducts as evidenced by both a fluorescence spectral shift toward that of ternary adducts and the localization of the fluorescence signal within the proteome after gel filtration of cellular lysates. Likewise, reacting Zn(sensor)(2) with the Zn-proteome from LLC-PK1 cells resulted in the formation of sensor-Zn-protein ternary adducts that could be inhibited by first saturating the Zn- proteome with excess sensor. Further, a native SDS PAGE analysis of the Zn-proteome reacted with either the sensor or the Zn(sensor)(2) complex revealed that both reactions result in the formation of a similar set of sensor-Zn-protein fluorescent products. The results of this experiment also demonstrated that TSQ and Zinquin react with different members of the Zn-proteome. Reactions with the model apo-Zn-protein bovine serum albumin showed that both Zn(TSQ)(2) and Zn(Zinquin)(2) reacted to form ternary adducts with its apo-Zn-binding site. Moreover, incubating Zn(sensor)(2) complexes with non-zinc binding proteins failed to elicit a spectral shift in the fluorescence spectrum, supporting the premise that blue-shifted emission spectra are due to sensor-Zn-protein ternary adducts. It was concluded that Zn(sensors)(2) species do not play a significant role in the overall reaction between these sensors and intact cells. In turn, this study further supports the formation of sensor-Zn-protein adducts as the principal observed fluorescent product during experiments employing these two sensors.