Process for determining the pH value in the interior of a cell

US4677060A · kind A · utility

Assignee

• Max-Planck-Gesellschaft zur Föderung der Wissenschaften e.V. · US

Inventors

• Gunter Valet · Munich, DE
• Gerhard Ruhenstroth-Bauer · Oberndorf am Neckar, DE
• Erich Wunsch · Tutzing, DE
• Luis Moroder · Martinsried, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Dec 10, 1984
• Grant date: Jun 30, 1987
• Expiry date: Dec 10, 2004

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G01N33/84
• WIPO field: Measurement
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

A process for determining the pH value in the interior of a cell is descrd. This is accomplished by measurement of the emission of a fluorescent substance which is absorbed by the cell through incubation in a solution. The solution contains a compound of the said fluorescent substance; the fluorescent substance is separated from this compound in the cell by an enzyme present in the cell. The fluorescent substance selected is one such that the frequency of the emission maximum is dependent on the pH value. The compound of this fluorescent substance which is selected is one which is membrane penetrating. Measurement of the fluorescence is based on the principle of measurement of the frequency at which the emission maximum occurs. A fluorescent substance suitable for this purpose is 2,3-dicyano-1,4-hydroquinone. A suitable membrane penetrating compound is 1,4-diacetoxy-2,3-dicyanobenzene or 1,4-dibutyryloxy-2,3-dicyanobenzene or 1,4-di(-tert-butyloxycarbonyl-1-alanyloxy)-2,3-dicyanobenzene.