Weber G.
*
University of Cambridge, UK
Polarization of the Fluorescence of Macromolecules. 2. Fluorescent Conjugates of Ovalbumin
and Bovine Serum Albumin.
Biochem. J. 1952;
51: 155-167
Key words
dansyl chloride - fluorophores - protein conjugate
Significance
Labelling of proteins with small molecule fluorophores has been instrumental for elucidating
protein structure and function and has enabled a variety of biological studies. Its
easy synthesis, small size and good fluorescent properties of its amides made dansyl
chloride a popular reagent that is still being used to date. For example, dansyl amides
have been of great use to measure distances based on Förster resonance energy transfer.
Comment
Weber prepared dansyl chloride by grinding 5-dimethylamino-1-naphthalenesulfonic acid
with PCl5 to a melt, then pouring it into water. Dansyl chloride enabled labelling of primary
amino groups of bovine serum albumin (BSA) and the determination of the fluorescence
properties of the conjugate under various conditions. Mendel improved the synthesis
of this important fluorophore by performing the addition of PCl5 in POCl3.
