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Design, Synthesis, and Characterization of Caged Compounds

Adapted from "Application of Light-Directed Activation of Caged Biomolecules and CALI to Problems in Cell Motility," Chapter 10, in Live Cell Imaging (eds. Goldman and Spector). Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, Cold Spring Harbor, NY, USA, 2005.

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Design of Caged Peptides and Proteins

When choosing a particular molecule for photoactivation studies, it is necessary to have some structural knowledge of the molecule in order to design an appropriately caged species that will retain its biological inactivity until uncaging is effected. The following points should be considered when designing a caged biomolecule:

• The caged reagent should react with the protein of interest in an aqueous solution using physiologically relevant conditions (e.g., neutral to slightly basic pH and small amounts of organic solvent).
  
  
• The bond formed between the caged group and the protein should be stable under physiological conditions. Linking the caged group to the . . . [Full Text of this Article]

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Characterization