Saporin containing a terminal azide group can be combined with an alkyne-containing molecule in a click chemistry reaction. Click chemistry describes a class of chemical reactions that uses bio-orthogonal or biologically unique moities to label and detect a molecule of interest using a two-step procedure. The two-step click reaction involves a copper-catalyzed triazole formation from an azide and an alkyne. The azide and alkyne moieties can be used interchangeably; either one can be used to tag the molecule of interest, while the other is used for subsequent detection. The azides and alkynes are biologically unique, stable, and extremely small.

Click chemistry can be used when methods such as direct labeling or the use of antibodies are not applicable or efficient. The click chemistry label is small enough that tagged molecules (e.g., nucleotides, sugars, and amino acids) are acceptable substrates for the enzymes that assemble these building blocks into biopolymers. The small size of click detection molecules allows them to easily penetrate complex samples, including intact, supercoiled DNA, with only mild permeabilization required.

The characteristics of click reactions include:

• • Efficiency:  the reaction between the detection moieties is complete in less than 1 hour and does not require extreme temperatures or solvents.

• • Stability:  the reaction product contains an irreversible, covalent bond.

• • Biologically inert:  the components of the reaction do not undergo any side reactions.

• • Specificity:  the reaction between the label and detection tag is selective and specific.

The click chemistry-labeled molecules can be applied to complex biological samples and easily detected with high sensitivity and low background, unlike traditional chemical reactions that use succinimidyl esters or maleimides that target amines and sulfhydryls, which are not unique functional groups.

Azido-ZAP eliminates molecules containing a free alkyne group. All other cells are left untouched. It is not suitable for retrograde transport.

This product is being offered as part of our Beta Testing program. It has saporin activity confirmed, peptide sequences published/confirmed, and/or antibody binding specificity published/confirmed. It has not been characterized or reported in scientific literature. The researcher who first publishes data* will receive a $500 credit for use on ATS products.

*Data subject to review by the scientific team at ATS. See complete details here.