title: Cyanine dye labeling reagents for sulfhydryl groups.
abstract: Cyanine and merocyanine dyes are introduced as new fluorescent reagents for covalently labeling proteins and other biomolecules. These dyes, which contain iodoacetamide functional groups, have high extinction coefficients and moderate quantum yields. A major advantage of these polymethine dyes is the easy manipulation of their spectral properties during synthesis. Cyanines containing reactive functional groups can be made with absorption maxima ranging from less than 500 nm to greater than 750 nm. This property opens additional regions of the spectrum for experiments involving the simultaneous multicolor analysis of different fluorescent probes. The cyanines, which are relatively insensitive to solvent property changes, are complemented by the merocyanines, which are keen indicators of solvent polarity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, Carnegie-Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213.
authors.forename: L A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Ernst
authors.forename: R K
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Gupta
authors.forename: R B
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Mujumdar
authors.forename: A S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Waggoner
mesh_terms: D002232:Carbocyanines / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism; D006651:Histocytochemistry; D007202:Indicators and Reagents; D011804:Quinolines; D013050:Spectrometry, Fluorescence / Q000379:methods; D013438:Sulfhydryl Compounds / Q000378:metabolism*; D009626:Terminology as Topic
chemical_list: D002232:Carbocyanines; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D007202:Indicators and Reagents; D011804:Quinolines; D013438:Sulfhydryl Compounds