A terbium(iii) luminescent ATCUN-based peptide sensor for selective and reversible detection of copper(ii) in biological media.

The measurement of exchangeable Cu2+ levels in biological samples is gaining interest in the context of copper-related pathologies. Here, we report a Tb3+ luminescent turn-off sensor for Cu2+ based on the specific and suitable-affinity Xxx-Zzz-His (ATCUN) peptide motif, enabling Cu2+ detection in the presence of a biological fluorescent background.