Digoxigenin NHS-ester | CAS 129273-26-3

Digoxigenin NHS-ester is a reactive digoxigenin derivative designed for efficient coupling to primary amines via NHS-ester chemistry, producing stable amide linkages under standard bioconjugation conditions. As a widely used bioorthogonal-compatible hapten, digoxigenin is commonly selected for high-specificity detection in immunoassays and nucleic-acid workflows, where the conjugated hapten serves as a molecular handle for anti-digoxigenin reagents. This reagent is therefore a practical choice for preparing labeled antibodies, oligonucleotide conjugates, and other amine-containing biomolecules or surfaces that require robust, assay-ready digoxigenin presentation.

1. Nucleic Acid Labeling

Digoxigenin NHS-ester is frequently used to introduce digoxigenin haptens onto amine-modified oligonucleotides, enabling sensitive probe and target labeling for hybridization-based assays. Research groups developing DNA and RNA detection workflows rely on digoxigenin to generate probes that can be visualized using anti-digoxigenin antibodies conjugated to enzymes, fluorophores, or chemiluminescent reporters. The NHS-ester format supports straightforward conjugation to amine-bearing linkers or modified nucleic acid backbones, which is particularly useful when building standardized probe sets for screening, mapping, and assay optimization.

2. Immunoassay Probe Conjugates

Digoxigenin NHS-ester is widely applied to prepare digoxigenin-tagged detection reagents for immunoassay formats, including antibody-based binding assays and antigen/ligand detection panels. By coupling digoxigenin to amine-containing proteins, peptides, or affinity reagents, laboratories create consistent hapten density for downstream recognition by anti-digoxigenin reagents. This approach is commonly used in research and industrial assay development to generate labeled standards, calibration materials, and assay components where a stable hapten tag improves workflow reproducibility and signal generation with established anti-digoxigenin detection systems.

3. Antibody and Protein Conjugation

Digoxigenin NHS-ester supports site-agnostic hapten installation on antibodies and other proteinaceous binders that present accessible primary amines, allowing construction of digoxigenin-functionalized biorecognition tools. Bioconjugation teams use this reagent to generate hapten-bearing proteins for use as assay reagents, binding controls, or as capture/detection elements in multi-step workflows that require orthogonal labeling strategies. The NHS-ester reactivity is particularly useful when preparing amine-rich conjugates such as carrier proteins, enzyme conjugates, or protein standards that must be compatible with anti-digoxigenin readouts.

4. Surface and Bead Functionalization

Digoxigenin NHS-ester is commonly used to functionalize amine-presenting solid supports, including activated beads, membranes, and polymeric surfaces, to create digoxigenin-displaying capture platforms. Diagnostic reagent developers and assay engineers use these materials to immobilize hapten tags for subsequent binding to anti-digoxigenin antibodies or conjugates, enabling modular assay assembly and streamlined washing-based workflows. This surface functionalization strategy is also used to build reference materials and binding controls where spatially localized hapten presentation can improve assay consistency across batches and formats.