A Dual-Response Fluorescent Probe Reveals the H2 O2 -Induced H2 S Biogenesis through a Cystathionine β-Synthase Pathway.

The two signaling molecules H2 S and H2 O2 play key roles in maintaining intracellular redox homeostasis. The biological relationship between H2 O2 and H2 S remains largely unknown in redox biology. In this study, we rationally designed and synthesized single- and dual-response fluorescent probes for detecting both H2 O2 and H2 S in living cells. The dual-response probe was shown to be capable of mono- and dual-detection of H2 O2 and H2 S selectively and sensitively. Detailed bioimaging studies based on the probes revealed that both exogenous and endogenous H2 O2 could induce H2 S biogenesis in living cells. By using gene-knockdown techniques with bioimaging, the H2 S biogenesis was found to be majorly cystathionine β-synthase (CBS)-dependent. Our finding shows the first direct evidence on the biological communication between H2 O2 (ROS) and H2 S (RSS) in vivo.