Stoichiometric and irreversible cysteine-selective protein modification using carbonylacrylic reagents
- Bernardim, B. 36
- Cal, P.M.S.D. 35
- Matos, M.J. 3
- Oliveira, B.L. 3
- Martínez-Saéz, N. 3
- Albuquerque, I.S. 5
- Perkins, E. 1
- Corzana, F. 23
- Burtoloso, A.C.B. 6
- Jiménez-Osés, G. 24
- Bernardes, G.J.L. 35
- 1 Albumedix Ltd, Castle Court, 59 Castle Boulevard, Nottingham, United Kingdom
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2
Universidad de La Rioja
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3
University of Cambridge
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4
Universidad de Zaragoza
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5
Universidade de Lisboa
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6
Universidade de São Paulo
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ISSN: 2041-1723
Año de publicación: 2016
Volumen: 7
Tipo: Artículo
Otras publicaciones en: Nature Communications
Resumen
Maleimides remain the reagents of choice for the preparation of therapeutic and imaging protein conjugates despite the known instability of the resulting products that undergo thiol-exchange reactions in vivo. Here we present the rational design of carbonylacrylic reagents for chemoselective cysteine bioconjugation. These reagents undergo rapid thiol Michael-addition under biocompatible conditions in stoichiometric amounts. When using carbonylacrylic reagents equipped with PEG or fluorophore moieties, this method enables access to protein and antibody conjugates precisely modified at pre-determined sites. Importantly, the conjugates formed are resistant to degradation in plasma and are biologically functional, as demonstrated by the selective imaging and detection of apoptotic and HER2+ cells, respectively. The straightforward preparation, stoichiometric use and exquisite cysteine selectivity of the carbonylacrylic reagents combined with the stability of the products and the availability of biologically relevant cysteine-tagged proteins make this method suitable for the routine preparation of chemically defined conjugates for in vivo applications. © 2016 The Author(s).