Selenium-Nitrogen Exchange Click Chemistry: Probing Dynamic Protein Modifications in Living Systems

Hou et al. (2024, Angew. Chemie) introduced the concept of selenium-nitrogen exchange (SeNEx) click chemistry, inspired by biochemical selenium exchange in natural systems. Unlike classic bioorthogonal reactions, SeNEx chemistry is reversible and highly modular. This project would adapt SeNEx to label, visualize, and even modulate cysteine-rich protein domains in living cells, enabling dynamic tracking or reversible control of protein function—something not yet explored in the literature (contrast with Bertozzi, 2022; Agrahari et al., 2024). This approach could unlock new possibilities for real-time imaging, post-translational modification studies, and the development of “on/off” protein switches, representing a major leap from static labeling towards dynamic, functional bioorthogonal tools.

References:

1. Growing Impact of Bioorthogonal Click Chemistry in Cell Surface Glycan Labeling. A. Agrahari, S. Rajkhowa, S. Singh, Manoj K. Jaiswal, Vinod K. Tiwari (2024). Current organic chemistry.
2. A Special Virtual Issue Celebrating the 2022 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for the Development of Click Chemistry and Bioorthogonal Chemistry. C. Bertozzi (2022). ACS Central Science.
3. A Special Virtual Issue Celebrating the 2022 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for the Development of Click Chemistry and Bioorthogonal Chemistry. C. Bertozzi (2022). ACS Central Science.
4. Bioinspired Selenium-Nitrogen Exchange (SeNEx) Click Chemistry Suitable for Nanomole-Scale Medicinal Chemistry and Bioconjugation.. Wei Hou, Yi-Ying Zhang, Fuchao Huang, Wanting Chen, Yuang Gu, Yan Wang, Jiacheng Pang, Hewei Dong, Kangyin Pan, Shuning Zhang, Peixiang Ma, Hongtao Xu (2024). Angewandte Chemie.