Novel probe visualizes Sulf-2 activity in living cancer cells, suggesting applications in diagnostics and therapy.
Sulfatase 2 (Sulf-2), an extracellular sulfatase that modulates the sulfation pattern of heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPGs), serves as a critical biomarker for various pathological conditions. Monitoring Sulf-2 activity in living cell samples provides valuable insights for diagnostic applications and therapeutic evaluation of Sulf-2-related diseases. In this study, we developed a novel plasma-membrane-targeted fluorogenic probe, MAR-S, to visualize the activity of Sulf-2 secreted by living cells. Upon incubation with Sulf-2-containing culture supernatant from pancreatic cancer cells, MAR-S exhibited a significant increase in fluorescence at approximately 540 nm. Notably, MAR-S allowed for time-lapse monitoring of endogenous Sulf-2 activity in living cancer cells overexpressing Sulf-2, demonstrating its potential as a valuable tool for Sulf-2-related cancer diagnostics and therapeutic research.
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Ding et al. (2025) studied this question.
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