---
_id: '1101'
abstract:
- lang: eng
  text: Optical sensors based on the phenomenon of Förster resonance energy transfer
    (FRET) are powerful tools that have advanced the study of small molecules in biological
    systems. However, sensor construction is not trivial and often requires multiple
    rounds of engineering or an ability to screen large numbers of variants. A method
    that would allow the accurate rational design of FRET sensors would expedite the
    production of biologically useful sensors. Here, we present Rangefinder, a computational
    algorithm that allows rapid in silico screening of dye attachment sites in a ligand-binding
    protein for the conjugation of a dye molecule to act as a Förster acceptor for
    a fused fluorescent protein. We present three ratiometric fluorescent sensors
    designed with Rangefinder, including a maltose sensor with a dynamic range of
    >300% and the first sensors for the most abundant sialic acid in human cells,
    N-acetylneuraminic acid. Provided a ligand-binding protein exists, it is our expectation
    that this model will facilitate the design of an optical sensor for any small
    molecule of interest.
acknowledgement: "J.A.M., J.H.W., and W.H.Z. were supported by Australian\r\nPostgraduate
  Awards (APA), AS Sargeson Supplementary\r\nscholarships, and RSC supplementary scholarships.
  C.J.J.\r\nacknowledges support from a Human Frontiers in Science\r\nYoung Investigator
  Award and a Discovery Project and Future\r\nFellowship from the Australian Research
  Council. M.L.O. is\r\nsupported by an Australian Research Council Discovery Project\r\n(DP130102153)
  and the Merit Allocation Scheme of the\r\nNational Computational Infrastructure."
article_processing_charge: No
author:
- first_name: Joshua
  full_name: Mitchell, Joshua
  last_name: Mitchell
- first_name: Jason
  full_name: Whitfield, Jason
  last_name: Whitfield
- first_name: William
  full_name: Zhang, William
  last_name: Zhang
- first_name: Christian
  full_name: Henneberger, Christian
  last_name: Henneberger
- first_name: Harald L
  full_name: Janovjak, Harald L
  id: 33BA6C30-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A87
  last_name: Janovjak
  orcid: 0000-0002-8023-9315
- first_name: Megan
  full_name: O'Mara, Megan
  last_name: O'Mara
- first_name: Colin
  full_name: Jackson, Colin
  last_name: Jackson
citation:
  ama: 'Mitchell J, Whitfield J, Zhang W, et al. Rangefinder: A semisynthetic FRET
    sensor design algorithm. <i>ACS SENSORS</i>. 2016;1(11):1286-1290. doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1021/acssensors.6b00576">10.1021/acssensors.6b00576</a>'
  apa: 'Mitchell, J., Whitfield, J., Zhang, W., Henneberger, C., Janovjak, H. L.,
    O’Mara, M., &#38; Jackson, C. (2016). Rangefinder: A semisynthetic FRET sensor
    design algorithm. <i>ACS SENSORS</i>. American Chemical Society. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1021/acssensors.6b00576">https://doi.org/10.1021/acssensors.6b00576</a>'
  chicago: 'Mitchell, Joshua, Jason Whitfield, William Zhang, Christian Henneberger,
    Harald L Janovjak, Megan O’Mara, and Colin Jackson. “Rangefinder: A Semisynthetic
    FRET Sensor Design Algorithm.” <i>ACS SENSORS</i>. American Chemical Society,
    2016. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1021/acssensors.6b00576">https://doi.org/10.1021/acssensors.6b00576</a>.'
  ieee: 'J. Mitchell <i>et al.</i>, “Rangefinder: A semisynthetic FRET sensor design
    algorithm,” <i>ACS SENSORS</i>, vol. 1, no. 11. American Chemical Society, pp.
    1286–1290, 2016.'
  ista: 'Mitchell J, Whitfield J, Zhang W, Henneberger C, Janovjak HL, O’Mara M, Jackson
    C. 2016. Rangefinder: A semisynthetic FRET sensor design algorithm. ACS SENSORS.
    1(11), 1286–1290.'
  mla: 'Mitchell, Joshua, et al. “Rangefinder: A Semisynthetic FRET Sensor Design
    Algorithm.” <i>ACS SENSORS</i>, vol. 1, no. 11, American Chemical Society, 2016,
    pp. 1286–90, doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1021/acssensors.6b00576">10.1021/acssensors.6b00576</a>.'
  short: J. Mitchell, J. Whitfield, W. Zhang, C. Henneberger, H.L. Janovjak, M. O’Mara,
    C. Jackson, ACS SENSORS 1 (2016) 1286–1290.
date_created: 2018-12-11T11:50:09Z
date_published: 2016-11-10T00:00:00Z
date_updated: 2025-09-22T14:14:58Z
day: '10'
department:
- _id: HaJa
doi: 10.1021/acssensors.6b00576
external_id:
  isi:
  - '000388914800003'
intvolume: '         1'
isi: 1
issue: '11'
language:
- iso: eng
month: '11'
oa_version: None
page: 1286 - 1290
publication: ACS SENSORS
publication_status: published
publisher: American Chemical Society
publist_id: '6274'
quality_controlled: '1'
scopus_import: '1'
status: public
title: 'Rangefinder: A semisynthetic FRET sensor design algorithm'
type: journal_article
user_id: 317138e5-6ab7-11ef-aa6d-ffef3953e345
volume: 1
year: '2016'
...