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Development of dual enzyme responsive molecular AND logic gate

Summary

Scientists created a special fluorescent molecule that acts like a smart sensor, only lighting up when both tyrosinase and esterase enzymes are present together. This is useful because diseases like melanoma often involve abnormal levels of multiple enzymes simultaneously. By requiring both enzymes to activate the sensor, it can more accurately distinguish diseased tissue from healthy tissue, potentially improving diagnostic accuracy for drug-resistant cancers.

Background

Molecular logic gates are information processing devices that respond to environmental signals through Boolean logic operations. They have been used to develop smart sensors and therapeutic agents. Diseases including cancer are characterized by abnormal levels or activities of multiple enzymes, making multi-enzyme sensing valuable for accurate diagnosis.

Objective

To develop a dual enzyme-responsive molecular AND logic gate capable of discriminating various combinations of enzyme levels and activities. Specifically, the authors designed a resorufin-based sensor responsive to both tyrosinase and esterase enzymes to enable discrimination of disease phenotypes with characteristic enzyme combinations.

Results

Compound 2 exhibited a ~70-fold fluorescence enhancement at 584 nm only when both esterase and tyrosinase were present. Single enzyme treatment produced no significant signal change. The Michaelis constant (Km) was calculated as 44.3 μM, demonstrating lower affinity when the hydroxyl group was acetyl-protected. The probe showed high selectivity toward the target enzymes with no response to other biological molecules.

Conclusion

A dual enzyme-responsive molecular AND logic gate was successfully developed using a simple resorufin-based structure. The compound functions as an information processing device that produces readable output only in the presence of both enzymes, with potential applications in diagnosis of drug-resistant melanoma and other diseases characterized by specific enzyme combinations.
  • Published in:Turkish Journal of Chemistry,
  • Study Type:Experimental Research,
  • Source: 10.55730/1300-0527.3329
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