Triple-FRET multi-purpose fluorescent probe for three-protease detection

A new, robust and reliable methodology for three-protease screening in a single-enzyme mode has been developed and verified, employing a multi-purpose peptide probe with three selectively cleavable sites furnished with four fluorophores. A triple-FRET-based single-excitation quadruple-emission concept for unambiguous sensing of trypsin, chymotrypsin and caspase-8 in the lowest detectable concentrations of 0.5 ng mL(−1), 0.2 μg mL(−1), and 2 U mL(−1), respectively, has been applied and graphically depicted. Then the developed 4-dye probe has been also studied from the perspective of simultaneous two-protease screening, which was found only partially feasible, primarily due to unselective chymotrypsin cleavage.