Sulfo-NHS esters

Sulfo-LC-SMPT is not as stable as SMPT. The sulfo-NHS ester is more susceptible to hydrolysis in aqueous solutions and the pyridyl disulfide group is more easily reduced to the free sulfhydryl. Stock solutions of sulfo-LC-SMPT may be prepared in water, but should be used immediately to prevent loss of amine coupling ability. 

Figure 2.1 Three types of fluorophenyl esters have been used for coupling to amine-containing molecules. The PFP and TFP esters are relatively hydrophobic and typically have better stability toward hydrolysis in aqueous solution than NHS esters. The STP ester is water-soluble due to the negatively charged sulfonate group, and it provides better solubility to associated crosslinkers or bioconjugation reagents similar to that of a sulfo-NHS ester group.

There are some side reactions that may occur when using EDC with proteins. In addition to reacting with carboxylates, EDC itself can form a stable complex with exposed sulfhydryl groups (Carraway and Triplett, 1970). Tyrosine residues can react with EDC, most likely through the phe-nolate ionized form of its side chain (Carraway and Koshland, 1968). The imidazolyl group of histidine may react with sulfo-NHS esters, resulting in an active carbonyl imidazole group which subsequently hydrolyzes (Cuatrecasas and Parikh, 1972). Finally, EDC may promote unwanted polymerization due to the usual abundance of both amines and carboxylates on protein molecules. 

Figure 3.2 The efficiency of an EDC-mediated reaction may be increased through the formation of a sulfo-NHS ester intermediate. The sulfo-NHS ester is more effective at reacting with amine-containing molecules. Thus, higher yields of amide bond formation may be realized using this two-step process as opposed to using a single-step EDC reaction.

CMC should be able to participate in the two-step reaction using a sulfo-NHS ester intermediate similar to EDC, however there are no reports in the literature to this effect. Protocols for the use of this reagent in biological crosslinking applications should be essentially the same as those given previously for EDC, except substituting a molar equivalent quantity of CMC. See Sections 1.1 and 1.2 in this chapter for additional information concerning carbodiimide reactions. 

Figure 4.3 In aqueous solution, a sulfo-NHS ester can either couple to an amine group to form an amide bond or react with water to hydrolyze back to a carboxylate. Both processes release the sulfo-NHS leaving group.

Sulfosuccinimidyl-2-(7-azido-4-methylcoumarin-3-acetamide)ethyl-l,3 -dithiopropionate (SAED) is a photoreactive heterobifunctional crosslinking agent that also contains a fluorescent group (Thermo Fisher). The sulfo-NHS ester end of the reagent reacts with primary amines in proteins and other molecules to form stable amide linkages. The photoreactive end is an AMCA... 

Sulfo-SAMCA, sulfosuccinimidyl-7-azido-4-methylcoumarin-3-acetate, is a heterobifunctional reagent similar in design to SAED (Section 3.9, this chapter) (Thermo Fisher). One end of the crosslinker contains an amine-reactive sulfo-NHS ester, while the other end is an AMCA derivative (Chapter 9, Section 3) that contains a photosensitive phenyl azide group. Unlike... 

Dissolve sulfo-NHS-LC-SPDP at a concentration of 20mM (5.2mg/ml) in DMSO or water. If water is used, the solution must be used immediately to prevent hydrolysis of the sulfo-NHS ester. 

Three main forms of amine-reactive AMCA probes are commonly available. One of them is simply the free acid form of AMCA, which can be used to couple to amine-containing molecules using the carbodiimide reaction (Chapter 3, Section 1.1). The other two are active-ester derivatives of AMCA—the water-insoluble NHS ester and the water-soluble sulfo-NHS ester forms—both of which spontaneously react with amines to create stable amide linkages. All of them react under mild conditions with primary amines in proteins and other molecules to form highly fluorescent derivatives. 

Carbodiimide coupling to carboxylate-containing QDs usually involves the use of EDC in a single-step or two-step process to form an amide bond. If a one-step reaction is done, the QD is activated with EDC in the presence of an amine-containing molecule, such as a protein. Many protocols use this method, but it can result in protein polymerization in addition to coupling, because proteins contain both carboxylates and amines. A two-step protocol results in better control of the reaction (Figure 9.61). In the first step, EDC is used in the presence of sulfo-NHS to activate the carboxylates on the particles to intermediate sulfo-NHS esters. After a quick separation step to remove excess reactants, the activated QDs are added to the protein solution to be coupled. This then results in amide bond formation without polymerization of the protein in solution. See Chapter 3, Section 1 and Chapter 14, Section 1 for additional information on this process. 

Figure 9.61 QDs containing carboxylate groups can be coupled to amine-containing proteins or other molecules using the EDC/sulfo-NHS reaction to form amide bond linkages. The intermediate sulfo-NHS ester is negatively charged and will help maintain particle stability due to like charge repulsion between particles.

Remove excess reactants and block remaining sulfo-NHS ester sites by dialysis against 50mM Tris, pH 7.4. Use a membrane cutoff appropriate to allow passage of the protein being coupled, but retention of the protein-QD conjugate. 

Figure 19.15 The carbodiimide EDC can be used in the presence of sulfo-NHS to create reactive sulfo-NHS ester groups on a carrier protein. Subsequent coupling with an amine-containing hapten can be done to create amide bond linkages.

Mix and react for 15min at room temperature to form the sulfo-NHS esters. 

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