A surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS)-based sensor was developed for the detection of the oncoprotein c-Jun at nanomolar levels. c-Jun is a member of the bZIP (basic zipper) family of dimeric transcriptional activators, and its overexpression has been associated with carcinogenic mechanisms in several human cancers. For our sensing purpose, we exploited the ability of c-Jun to heterodimerize with its native protein partner, c-Fos, and therefore designed a c-Fos peptide receptor chemically modified to incorporate a thiophenol (TP) group at the N-terminal site. The TP functionality anchors the c-Fos protein onto the metal substrate and works as an effective SERS probe to sense the structural rearrangements associated with the c-Fos/c-Jun heterodimerization.

The use of fluorescent techniques in biological research is widespread. Many of the techniques rely on the use of fluorescent genetically-encoded tags (namely GFP and its different variants), but small molecules and nanoparticle-based approaches are being increasingly used. Peptides, owing to their modular nature, synthetic accessibility and biomolecular recognition potential, offer unique possibilities for the development of efficient and selective fluorescent sensors. In this tutorial review we present several of the strategies that have been used to develop fluorescent-based peptide sensors and discuss selected applications to biological problems.

A cyclam-like macrocycle with an integrated push-pull chromophore selectively detects Cu2+ inclusion through both orange-to-yellow colour change and quenching of the green fluorescence.

Ruthenium-catalyzed activation of DNA-binding compounds in aqueous buffers and in cellular environments.

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