Probes
FDAA are small-molecular probes made of a fluorophore and a D-amino acid backbone. FDAAs enable specific, biocompatible in situ labeling to peptidoglycan, the main content of bacterial cell wall, for studying its biosynthesis mechanisms and dynamics. Nine different FDAAs, which covers the entire visible spectrum, have been reported. They have advanced our knowledge of bacterial growth and provided new solutions for antibiotic developments.
Clickable amino acids contain an amino acid backbone and a "click-chemistry" tag at its side chain. They are small enough to penetrate through the cell membranes, ensuring efficient peptidoglycan labeling. The tag can be modified in vitro or in vivo via click-chemistry with compounds of your interest, such as fluorophores or affinity probes. The clickable dipeptides further enable the detection of transglycosylation reaction during peptidoglycan biosynthesis.
Fluorogenic D-amino acids contain a fluorogenic fluorophore and D-amino acid backbone. They remain in the non-fluorescent state until they incorporating into peptidoglycan structures. This property allows them to monitor peptidoglycan synthesis in real-time without washing and fixation steps. Their fluorogenic response also enables high-throughput assays for studying transpeptidase activity in vitro, as well as for antibiotic candidate screening.
α-FAAs are generated by coupling a fluorophore to an amino acid side backbone. These probes are designed for studying the side chain effects in transpeptidation reaction. More information is coming soon!