Using Native Chemical Ligation for Site-Specific Synthesis of Hetero-bis-lanthanide Peptide Conjugates: Application to Ratiometric Visible or Near-Infrared Detection of Zn

The interest in ratiometric luminescent probes that detect and quantify a specific analyte is growing. Owing to their special luminescence properties, lanthanide(III) cations offer attractive opportunities for the design of dual-color ratiometric probes. Here, the design principle of hetero-bis-lanthanide peptide conjugates by using native chemical ligation is described for perfect control of the localization of each lanthanide cation within the molecule. Two zinc-responsive probes, r-LZF1