Hydrazine or Hydrazide Functionalities

The creation of hydrazide probes often is based on the derivatization of a detectable molecule with a fezs-hydrazide compound. Although hydrazine itself (in the form of hydrazine hydrate) can be used in a methanolic solution to modify activated carboxylate molecules forming hydrazides, the availability of the bifunctional hydrazides provides a built-in spacer to accommodate greater steric accessibility. 

The following protocols make use of the compounds adipic acid dihydrazide and carbohy-drazide to derivatize molecules containing aldehydes, carboxylates, and alkylphosphates. The protocols are applicable for the modification of proteins, including enzymes, soluble polymers such as dextrans and poly-amino acids, and insoluble polymers used as micro-carriers or chromatographic supports. 

Aldehyde-containing macromolecules will react spontaneously with hydrazide compounds to form hydrazone linkages. The hydrazone bond is a form of Schiff base that is more stable than the Schiff base formed from the interaction of an aldehyde and an amine. The hydrazone, however, may be reduced and further stabilized by the same reductants utilized for reductive amination purposes (Chapter 3, Section 4.8). The addition of sodium cyanoborohydride to a hydrazide-aldehyde reaction drives the equilibrium toward formation of a stable covalent complex. Mallia (1992) found that adipic acid dihydrazide derivatization of periodate-oxidized dextran (containing multiple formyl functionalities) proceeds with much greater yield when sodium cyanoborohydride is present. 

Add a quantity of adipic acid dihydrazide or carbohydrazide (Aldrich) to the protein solution to obtain at least a 10-fold molar excess over the amount of aldehyde functionality present. High molar ratios are necessary to avoid protein conjugation during the reaction process. If the concentration of aldehydes is unknown, the addition of 32mg adipic acid dihydrazide per ml of the protein solution to be modified should work well. 

React for 2 hours at room temperature. While hydrazone formation does not require the addition of a reductant to create a linkage, including sodium cyanoborohydride in the reaction considerably increases the yield and stability of bonds formed. If the presence 

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