Probing pyrene

Canadian researchers have been shedding light on the nature of the underlying photophysical processes in fluorescent probes.

The dynamic behaviour of macromolecules in solution can be investigated by attaching a light-absorbing fluorescent ’tag’ to the molecule of interest via a covalently bound ’tether’. Because of its photophysical properties pyrene is often used both to provide the tag and to participate in intramolecular electron or energy transfer processes. Ronald Steer and colleagues at the University of Saskatchewan have focused on the covalent tether’s nature in their work on pyrene-labelled compounds.

The group hoped to provide primary background information that can then be used in photophysical experiments on biomolecules tagged with pyrene. The predictive value of their data has important implications for experimenters using these probes.

Steer and colleagues hope to use their results as a platform to study photoinitiated electron transfer through rigid peptide spacers in biomolecules.

Steer believes the next step will be a challenge, saying ’the synthesis of model compounds containing structurally rigid peptide spacers is key to success’.

Katherine Davies