National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology

The University of Tokyo

Keio University

Sung-Bae Kim

Moritoshi Sato

Hiroaki Tao

Koji Suzuki

Takahiro Nakajima

Daniel Citterio

Ryo Nishihara

There is provided a series of coelenterazine (CTZ) derivatives as a substrate with high luminescence intensity, which is optimal for maximum luminescence wavelengths at both 400 nm (blue-shifted RLuc luminescence system) and 500 nm (ALuc luminescence system) for bioassays which is more sensitive than known techniques. The novel CTZ derivatives are compounds in which a specific position(s) of the CTZ is/are substituted with a specific substituent(s) as shown, for example, by the Formula [I], and has a higher luminescence intensity than known CTZ derivatives in blue-shifted RLuc luminescence system or ALuc luminescence system.

Coelenterazine compounds and uses thereof

A single-chain probe of the present invention for detecting a ligand, comprises: a ligand binding protein for binding the ligand; a recognition protein for recognizing that the ligand is bound by the ligand binding protein; and C- and N-terminal fragments, generated by dissecting an enzyme, between the ligand binding protein and the recognition protein, wherein a carboxy terminal end of the C-terminal fragment is located upstream of an amino terminal end of the N-terminal fragment, and the C- and N-terminal fragments vary the enzyme activity via complementation in case where the recognition protein recognizes that the ligand is bound by the ligand binding protein. This makes it possible to achieve detection of a target protein-specific ligand using the single chain with a high efficiency.

Single-molecule-format probe and utilization thereof

The present invention provides an 'in vivo and in vitro real-time bioluminescence imaging means,' which can transmit a detection signal promptly in response to an external signal, while taking advantage of a single-molecule-format luminescent probe as a bioluminescent means. The present invention is characterized by using, as a single-molecule-format luminescent probe utilizing the increase and decrease of a second messenger level as an index, a fusion protein including a single-chain protein containing a second messenger recognition protein and optionally a peptide which is capable of binding with the protein, and linked respectively to the N-terminus and the C-terminus thereto, an N-terminal fragment (N-LE) and a C-terminal fragment (C-LE) generated by dissecting a luminescent enzyme (LE). A single-molecule-format luminescent probe could be provided, which makes it possible to observe light emission (extinction) in vivo as well as in vitro, as a result of a conformational change of the second messenger recognition protein induced by the binding (unbinding) with a second messenger, and the subsequent association or dissociation between the N-LE and the C-LE flanked at both termini of the recognition protein.

Single molecule-format real-time bioluminescence imaging probe

Growing community of inventors

Ibaraki, Japan

Sung-Bae Kim