The evolving small-molecule fluorescent-conjugate toolbox for Class A GPCRs

The past decade has witnessed fluorescently tagged drug molecules gaining significant attraction in their use as pharmacological tools with which to visualize and interrogate receptor targets at the single-cell level. Additionally, one can generate detailed pharmacological information, such as affin...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Vernall, Andrea J., Hill, Stephen J., Kellam, Barrie
Format: Article
Published: Wiley 2014
Online Access:https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/3034/
_version_ 1848790936467800064
author Vernall, Andrea J.
Hill, Stephen J.
Kellam, Barrie
author_facet Vernall, Andrea J.
Hill, Stephen J.
Kellam, Barrie
author_sort Vernall, Andrea J.
building Nottingham Research Data Repository
collection Online Access
description The past decade has witnessed fluorescently tagged drug molecules gaining significant attraction in their use as pharmacological tools with which to visualize and interrogate receptor targets at the single-cell level. Additionally, one can generate detailed pharmacological information, such as affinity measurements, down to almost single-molecule detection limits. The now accepted utilization of fluorescence-based readouts in high-throughput/high-content screening provides further evidence that fluorescent molecules offer a safer and more adaptable substitute to radioligands in molecular pharmacology and drug discovery. One such drug-target family that has received considerable attention are the GPCRs; this review therefore summarizes the most recent developments in the area of fluorescent ligand design for this important drug target. We assess recently reported fluorescent conjugates by adopting a receptor-family-based approach, highlighting some of the strengths and weaknesses of the individual molecules and their subsequent use. This review adds further strength to the arguments that fluorescent ligand design and synthesis requires careful planning and execution; providing examples illustrating that selection of the correct fluorescent dye, linker length/composition and geographic attachment point to the drug scaffold can all influence the ultimate selectivity and potency of the final conjugate when compared with its unlabelled precursor. When optimized appropriately, the resultant fluorescent conjugates have been successfully employed in an array of assay formats, including flow cytometry, fluorescence microscopy, FRET and scanning confocal microscopy. It is clear that fluorescently labelled GPCR ligands remain a developing and dynamic research arena.
first_indexed 2025-11-14T18:20:32Z
format Article
id nottingham-3034
institution University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus
institution_category Local University
last_indexed 2025-11-14T18:20:32Z
publishDate 2014
publisher Wiley
recordtype eprints
repository_type Digital Repository
spelling nottingham-30342020-05-04T20:15:13Z https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/3034/ The evolving small-molecule fluorescent-conjugate toolbox for Class A GPCRs Vernall, Andrea J. Hill, Stephen J. Kellam, Barrie The past decade has witnessed fluorescently tagged drug molecules gaining significant attraction in their use as pharmacological tools with which to visualize and interrogate receptor targets at the single-cell level. Additionally, one can generate detailed pharmacological information, such as affinity measurements, down to almost single-molecule detection limits. The now accepted utilization of fluorescence-based readouts in high-throughput/high-content screening provides further evidence that fluorescent molecules offer a safer and more adaptable substitute to radioligands in molecular pharmacology and drug discovery. One such drug-target family that has received considerable attention are the GPCRs; this review therefore summarizes the most recent developments in the area of fluorescent ligand design for this important drug target. We assess recently reported fluorescent conjugates by adopting a receptor-family-based approach, highlighting some of the strengths and weaknesses of the individual molecules and their subsequent use. This review adds further strength to the arguments that fluorescent ligand design and synthesis requires careful planning and execution; providing examples illustrating that selection of the correct fluorescent dye, linker length/composition and geographic attachment point to the drug scaffold can all influence the ultimate selectivity and potency of the final conjugate when compared with its unlabelled precursor. When optimized appropriately, the resultant fluorescent conjugates have been successfully employed in an array of assay formats, including flow cytometry, fluorescence microscopy, FRET and scanning confocal microscopy. It is clear that fluorescently labelled GPCR ligands remain a developing and dynamic research arena. Wiley 2014-03 Article PeerReviewed Vernall, Andrea J., Hill, Stephen J. and Kellam, Barrie (2014) The evolving small-molecule fluorescent-conjugate toolbox for Class A GPCRs. British Journal of Pharmacology, 171 (5). pp. 1073-1084. ISSN 0007-1188 http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bph.12265/full doi:10.1111/bph.12265 doi:10.1111/bph.12265
spellingShingle Vernall, Andrea J.
Hill, Stephen J.
Kellam, Barrie
The evolving small-molecule fluorescent-conjugate toolbox for Class A GPCRs
title The evolving small-molecule fluorescent-conjugate toolbox for Class A GPCRs
title_full The evolving small-molecule fluorescent-conjugate toolbox for Class A GPCRs
title_fullStr The evolving small-molecule fluorescent-conjugate toolbox for Class A GPCRs
title_full_unstemmed The evolving small-molecule fluorescent-conjugate toolbox for Class A GPCRs
title_short The evolving small-molecule fluorescent-conjugate toolbox for Class A GPCRs
title_sort evolving small-molecule fluorescent-conjugate toolbox for class a gpcrs
url https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/3034/
https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/3034/
https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/3034/