Fluorophore bioconjugation to proteins, nucleic acids,
and other
important molecules can provide a powerful approach to sensing, imaging,
and quantifying chemical and biological processes. One of the most
prevalent methods for fluorophore attachment is through the formation
of amide bonds, which are often facilitated by coupling agents to
activate carboxylic acid moieties for subsequent nucleophilic attack
by amines. 4-(4,6-Dimethoxy-1,3,5-triazin-2-yl)-4-methyl-morpholinium
chloride (DMTMM) is among the most popular of these coupling agents
for bioconjugation due to its ability to facilitate amide bond formation
in water. After observing quenching of 5-fluoresceinamine (5-FAM)-conjugated
oligonucleotides in the presence of DMTMM, we sought to evaluate the
magnitude and scope of this challenge by surveying the effect of DMTMM
on a range of fluorescent dyes. A higher quenching effect was consistently
observed for xanthene dyes compared to that for cyanine dyes. Further
analysis of the impact of DMTMM on FAM shows that quenching occurs
independently of whether the dye is free in solution or attached to
an oligonucleotide or antibody. Furthermore, we found that FAM-conjugated
DNA was unable to recover its fluorescence after the removal of DMTMM,
and UV–vis and NMR analyses suggest the formation of new products,
such as an adduct formed between FAM and the dimethoxytriazine of
DMTMM. As such, DMTMM at high concentrations is not recommended for
coupling reactions where targets are fluorescently labeled. This research
serves as a word of caution to those utilizing xanthene-containing
fluorophores in bioconjugation reactions involving DMTMM.