DBCO-PEG1-NHS ester | CAS 2228857-34-7

DBCO-PEG1-NHS ester is a DBCO-functionalized, PEGylated N-hydroxysuccinimide (NHS) ester designed for rapid conjugation of amine-containing biomolecules followed by copper-free strain-promoted azide–alkyne cycloaddition (SPAAC) with azide-bearing partners. The reagent combines an NHS ester handle for efficient labeling and a cyclooctyne (DBCO) click moiety for orthogonal, catalyst-free coupling in aqueous conditions. Its PEG spacer improves solubility and helps reduce steric constraints, making it widely used in chemical biology workflows that require modular assembly of probes, surfaces, and imaging reagents.

1. Protein And Peptide Labeling

DBCO-PEG1-NHS ester is commonly used to attach DBCO functionality to proteins, peptides, and other amine-rich biomolecules via NHS ester chemistry, enabling subsequent SPAAC coupling to azide-functional targets. This workflow is frequently adopted in proteomics sample preparation, affinity reagent generation, and routine labeling of antibodies or binding proteins for downstream conjugation steps. The short PEG spacer supports aqueous handling and can help preserve binding behavior during multistep probe assembly, where the DBCO group serves as a stable, click-ready handle for later attachment to fluorophores, affinity tags, or solid supports.

2. Antibody Conjugation Workflows

DBCO-PEG1-NHS ester is well suited for preparing azide-reactive antibody conjugates in research settings where modular, catalyst-free click coupling is preferred. By installing DBCO onto lysine residues using the NHS ester, researchers can generate antibody intermediates that are then coupled to azide-bearing imaging dyes, polymeric carriers, or multivalent scaffolds through SPAAC. This approach is attractive for building multicomponent immunoconjugates while maintaining a clear separation between the initial amine-labeling step and the final assembly step, which simplifies optimization of labeling density and conjugate architecture.

3. Surface And Material Functionalization

DBCO-PEG1-NHS ester is used to functionalize biomaterial surfaces and synthetic materials that present accessible amine groups, allowing immobilization of DBCO-bearing layers for subsequent azide click patterning. Typical use cases include coating microarrays, preparing functionalized membranes, and creating clickable interfaces for biosensor development and assay platform construction. The PEG spacer and NHS reactivity support robust coupling to amine-containing coatings, while the DBCO moiety provides a convenient SPAAC handle for attaching azide-functional biomolecules, nanoparticles, or polymer brushes under mild conditions.

4. Fluorophore And Probe Assembly

DBCO-PEG1-NHS ester enables modular construction of fluorescent and detection probes by first introducing DBCO onto an amine-containing labeling component, followed by SPAAC coupling to azide-tagged reporters. This design is widely used in molecular imaging reagent development, where researchers need flexible exchange of targeting vectors and signal units without repeating the initial labeling chemistry. The PEG linker helps maintain solubility and can improve the practical handling of conjugates during probe synthesis, purification, and storage, supporting consistent downstream coupling to azide-functional dyes, affinity ligands, or reporter scaffolds.