Building on previous findings in Zhu's laboratory, he and his colleagues will seek to design and prepare new, fluorescent probe molecules that will bind to Zn2+ ions over broad concentration ranges, thus allowing for far greater sensitivity and accuracy in measuring the levels of zinc found in biological samples. In particular, the researchers hope to use the probe molecules to measure zinc levels in neurons found in a part of the brain known as the hippocampus. A better understanding of zinc's neurochemical role in the hippocampus could one day lead to more effective treatments for depression, autism, schizophrenia and other disorders.

Other Florida State researchers working with Zhu on the NIGMS project are Cathy W. Levenson, an associate professor in the Department of Biomedical Sciences within the College of Medicine; and Michael W. Davidson, a research associate at the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory and one of the world's foremost experts in the field of optical microscopy.

Zhu, whose own research typically focuses on the areas of organic chemistry and materials science, expressed excitement about the opportunity to work with scientists from other disciplines whose knowledge complements his own.

"Cathy is an expert in neurosciences and has contributed greatly to our understanding of the effects of zinc on the function of brain neurons," Zhu said. "And Mike is one of the best microscopists in the world. I'm happy that we can work together to tackle such a complicated scientific problem, which has elements of synthetic chemistry, bioinorganic chemistry, microscopy, cell biology and neuroscience."

An abstract of the team's research project, titled "Development of Sensitive Fluorescent Probes for Physiological Zn2+ Over Large Concentration Ranges," is available at tr.im/L88I.

Source: Florida State University