Cross-linking strategy for molecular recognition and fluorescent sensing of a multi-phosphorylated peptide in aqueous solution

In the research field of molecular recognition, selective recognition and sensing of phosphorylated protein surfaces is strongly desirable both for elucidation of protein-protein recognition at the molecular level and for regulation of signal transduction through protein surfaces. Here we describe a new strategy for molecular recognition of a multi-phosphorylated peptide using intrapeptide cross-linking on the basis of coordination chemistry. The present artificial receptor can selectively bind to doubly phosphorylated peptide through multiple-point interactions and fluorescently sense the binding event with an association constant of more than 10⁶ M^-1 in neutral aqueous solution.