Many of the key questions facing cellular biology concern the location and concentration of chemical species, from signalling molecules to metabolites to exogenous toxins. Fluorescent sensors (probes) have revolutionised the understanding of biological systems through their exquisite sensitivity to specific analytes. Probe design has focussed on selective sensors for individual analytes, but many of the most pertinent biological questions are related to the interaction of more than one chemical species. While it is possible to simultaneously use multiple sensors for such applications, data interpretation will be confounded by the fact that sensors will have different uptake, localisation and metabolism profiles. An alternative solution is to instead use a single probe that responds to two analytes, termed a dual-responsive probe. Recent progress in this field has yielded exciting probes, some of which have demonstrated biological application. Here we review work that has been carried out to date, and suggest future research directions that will harness the considerable potential of dual-responsive fluorescent probes.

中文翻译：

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荧光探针可同时检测生物学中的多种分析物

细胞生物学面临的许多关键问题都涉及化学物质的位置和浓度，从信号分子到代谢产物再到外源性毒素。荧光传感器（探针）通过对特定分析物的出色灵敏度，彻底改变了对生物系统的理解。探针设计的重点是针对单个分析物的选择性传感器，但是许多最相关的生物学问题与一种以上化学物质的相互作用有关。尽管可以将多个传感器同时用于此类应用，但由于传感器具有不同的吸收，定位和代谢曲线，因此数据解释会感到困惑。一种替代解决方案是改为使用对两种分析物有反应的单个探针，称为双反应探针。该领域的最新进展已产生了令人兴奋的探针，其中一些探针已证明具有生物学用途。在这里，我们将回顾迄今为止已开展的工作，并提出未来的研究方向，以利用双重响应荧光探针的巨大潜力。