Development of a Cholesterol-Conjugated Fluorescent Sensor for Site-Specific Detection of Zinc Ion at the Plasma Membrane

A cholesterol-conjugated fluorescence Zn²⁺ sensor based on the fluorescein platform was designed and synthesized. The cholesterol moiety is essential for localizing the Zn²⁺ sensor to the cell membrane, allowing the sensor to probe changes in the Zn²⁺ concentration in a localized area of the cell.