TSQ

TSQ (N-(6-Methoxy-8-quinolyl)-p-toluenesulfonamide) is a highly sensitive, membrane-permeable fluorescent probe widely used for the selective detection and imaging of intracellular zinc (Zn2+) ions. It is selective for Zn (II) in the presence of physiological concentrations of Ca (II) and Mg (II) ions. Upon binding to Zn2+, TSQ exhibits a strong blue fluorescence, making it a powerful tool in cellular and neurobiological studies involving zinc homeostasis, signaling, and transport. It is hypothesized that Zn-TSQ fluorescence, blue-shifted from the 490 nm emission maximum of Zn(TSQ)2, results from ternary complex, TSQ-Zn-protein formation. A study showed that TSQ-zinc complex formed in pancreatic tumors induced cell death if zinc is overloaded. TSQ is commonly applied in fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry to visualize labile zinc pools in live cells and tissues. Spectral Data: lambdaEx=360nm, lambdaEm=490nm.