Rapid Protein Labelling Kit Launched

Fluidic Analytics Ltd has launched a time-saving and affordable protein labelling kit - fluidiphore rapid amine 503. Absorbing at 503 nm, the new kit can be used with a multitude of techniques including the company’s groundbreaking Fluidity One-W instrument for protein interaction analysis. 

Fluorescent labelling of proteins such as antibodies, DNA and lipids is widely used to investigate and better understand protein structure and function. There are various fluorescent dyes available on the market, most of which require a long labelling process over several hours and a purification step to remove excess dye.  

Fluidic Analytics’ fluidiphore labelling kit is extremely rapid, taking just 30 minutes to bind proteins rather than four hours to overnight, as is required by other kits. In addition, the fluidiphore kit uniquely does not require a purification step. This is due to a clever ‘triple-lock’ against background effects. Firstly, the absorbance of the dye shifts from 612 nm (free) to 503 nm when conjugated, meaning that unbound dye will not fluoresce at the same excitation wavelength. Quantum yield (the ratio of fluorescence emission to absorption) also increases upon conjugation meaning that unbound dye will have a much weaker signal than bound. Thirdly, any unused dye hydrolyses during the labelling process becoming inactive and unable to bind, therefore preventing the shift in absorbance and increase in quantum yield.

In addition, there is also a useful observable colour change from blue to red/yellow which confirms that labelling is taking place, giving researchers additional confidence in the process.

The fluidiphore rapid amine 503 labelling kit is ideal for use with Fluidic Analytics’ Fluidity One-W instrument to study proteins such as membrane proteins, multi-protein complexes, and intrinsically disordered proteins. The Fluidity One-W enables researchers to accurately assess on-target protein interactions in solution, even in complex, unpurified backgrounds such as crude lysates or blood plasma. The instrument reports absolute size of bound and unbound species, stoichiometry and the nature of binding can be assessed at the same time as binding affinity, giving a complete picture of binding events.