Readily functionalizable phosphonium-tagged fluorescent coumarins for enhanced detection of conjugates by mass spectrometry

Org Biomol Chem. 2016 Aug 10;14(32):7777-91. doi: 10.1039/c6ob01080f.

Abstract

Fluorescent coumarins are an important class of small-molecule organic fluorophores ubiquitous in different well-established and emerging fields of research including, among others, biochemistry and chemical biology. The present work aims at covering the poor detectability of coumarin-based conjugates by mass spectrometry while keeping important photophysical properties of the coumarin core. In this context, the synthesis of readily functionalizable phosphonium-tagged coumarin derivatives enabling a dual mass-tag and fluorescence labelling of analytes or (bio)molecules of interest through a single-step protocol, is reported. The utility of these coumarins is illustrated through the preparation of fluorogenic substrates that facilitated identification of the peptide fragment released by specific proteolytic cleavages.

MeSH terms

  • Coumarins / chemical synthesis
  • Coumarins / chemistry*
  • Fluorescence*
  • Mass Spectrometry
  • Molecular Structure
  • Organophosphorus Compounds / chemistry*

Substances

  • Coumarins
  • Organophosphorus Compounds
  • coumarin