Maleimide Labeling of Proteins and Other Thiolated Biomolecules
The reaction of thiols with maleimides is a process widely used for the bioconjugation and labeling biomolecules, including proteins and peptides. It proceeds according to the following scheme:
Maleimides are electrophilic compounds that show high selectivity towards thiols. While maleimides hardly ever occur in nature, thiols are very abundant. They are encountered in proteins and peptides as cysteine residues. Although natural DNA does not contain thiols, synthetic oligonucleotides with thiol groups can be easily prepared.
Thiols are prone to oxidative dimerization with the formation of disulfide bonds. Cysteine residues thus form disulfide bridges, which stabilize protein tertiary structures. Disulfides do not react with maleimides. Therefore, it is necessary to reduce disulfides before the conjugation and exclude oxygen from the reaction.
Conjugation protocol depends on the solubility of the starting components. For compounds with low aqueous solubility, like most fluorescent dye maleimides, using of an organic co-solvent, such as DMSO or DMF, is essential.
We recommend the following protocol for conjugation Lumiprobe dye maleimides with proteins, peptides, and other thiolated biomolecules.
- Dissolve the protein or other molecule containing thiol to be labeled in a degassed buffer, pH 7-7.5 (PBS, Tris, and HEPES are good, although other buffers containing no thiols can be used) in a plastic vial. Buffer can be degassed by applying vacuum on it for several minutes or by bubbling through inert gas (nitrogen, argon, or helium). For proteins, good concentration is between 1-10 mg/mL.
- Add an excess of TCEP (tris-carboxyethylphosphine) reagent to reduce disulfide bonds, flush with inert gas, and close. 100× molar excess of TCEP is fine. Keep the mixture for 20 min at room temperature.
- Dissolve dye maleimide in DMSO or fresh DMF (1-10 mg in 100 uL).
- Add dye maleimide solution to thiol solution (20× fold excess of dye), flush the vial with inert gas, and close tightly.
- Mix thoroughly and keep overnight at 4 °C or room temperature.
- Purify the product by gel filtration, HPLC, FPLC, or electrophoresis.
For maleimides with poor aqueous solubility, like most dye maleimides, we recommend the use of co-solvent (DMF or DMSO). Maleimides with good aqueous solubility (like sulfo-Cyanine maleimides) can be dissolved in water. If precipitation occurs, increase the content of organic co-solvent in the mixture to achieve better labeling.
Dialysis is recommended as a means of purification only for maleimides with good aqueous solubility.
Related products
3-Maleimidopropionic acid NHS-ester
Bifunctional crosslinker with an amine-reactive succinimidyl ester and a thiol-reactive maleimide group.Cat. # | Quantity | Price | Lead time | Buy this product |
---|---|---|---|---|
3419-100mg | 100 mg | – | in stock | |
3419-500mg | 500 mg | $110 | in stock |
AF 430 maleimide
AF 430 is a green-yellow emitting fluorescent dye of the coumarin series. This maleimide derivative allows the labeling of thiolated biomolecules.Cat. # | Quantity | Price | Lead time | Buy this product |
---|---|---|---|---|
10880 | 1 mg | $140 | in stock | |
20880 | 5 mg |
$450
|
in stock | |
40880 | 25 mg |
$1460
|
in stock | |
50880 | 50 mg |
$1890
|
in stock | |
60880 | 100 mg |
$2640
|
in stock |
AF 488 maleimide
AF 488 C6 maleimide is a thiol-reactive dye for labeling of protein SH groups.Cat. # | Quantity | Price | Lead time | Buy this product |
---|---|---|---|---|
11880 | 1 mg | $140 | in stock | |
21880 | 5 mg |
$450
|
in stock | |
41880 | 25 mg |
$1460
|
in stock | |
51880 | 50 mg | please inquire | in stock | |
61880 | 100 mg | please inquire | in stock |
AF 647 maleimide
AF 647 maleimide is a thiol-reactive far-red fluorescent dye for labeling of thiolated biomolecules (proteins, oligonucleotides, etc.).Cat. # | Quantity | Price | Lead time | Buy this product |
---|---|---|---|---|
16880 | 1 mg | $140 | in stock | |
26880 | 5 mg |
$450
|
in stock | |
46880 | 25 mg |
$1460
|
in stock | |
56880 | 50 mg |
$1890
|
in stock | |
66880 | 100 mg |
$2990
|
in stock |
Alkyne maleimide
Maleimide reagent for the attachment of alkyne functional group to proteins, peptides, and other molecules bearing SH (thiol) groups, including cysteine residues.Cat. # | Quantity | Price | Lead time | Buy this product |
---|---|---|---|---|
41780 | 25 mg | $95 | in stock | |
51780 | 50 mg | $175 | in stock | |
61780 | 100 mg | $200 | in stock |
Alkyne-PEG3-maleimide
Bifunctional spacer with alkyne and maleimide groups for conjugation of biomolecules.Cat. # | Quantity | Price | Lead time | Buy this product |
---|---|---|---|---|
2344-100mg | 100 mg | $140 | in stock | |
2344-1g | 1 g |
$530
|
in stock |
Alkyne-PEG4-maleimide
Water soluble, heterobifunctional hydrophilic linker with a length of 14 Å, containing maleimide for thiol labeling, and alkyne for click chemistry. An ideal reagent to attach an alkyne moiety to a protein.Cat. # | Quantity | Price | Lead time | Buy this product |
---|---|---|---|---|
2002-100mg | 100 mg | $150 | in stock | |
2002-1g | 1 g |
$590
|
in stock |
BDP® 558/568 maleimide
Maleimide derivative of boron-dipyrromethene dye BDP 558/568, which emits fluorescence in the yellow range; BDP 558/568 maleimide can be used for modification of thiol groups in biomolecules.Cat. # | Quantity | Price | Lead time | Buy this product |
---|---|---|---|---|
A7480 | 1 mg | $125 | in stock | |
B7480 | 5 mg | $260 | in stock | |
C7480 | 10 mg | $325 | in stock | |
D7480 | 25 mg |
$510
|
in stock | |
E7480 | 50 mg |
$895
|
in stock | |
F7480 | 100 mg |
$1490
|
in stock |
BDP® 581/591 maleimide
Thiol reactive maleimide derivative of BDP 581/591 dye. The fluorophore is useful for a variety of application, including fluorescence polarization assays, and microscopy.Cat. # | Quantity | Price | Lead time | Buy this product |
---|---|---|---|---|
16480 | 1 mg | $125 | in stock | |
26480 | 5 mg | $260 | in stock | |
46480 | 25 mg |
$510
|
in stock | |
56480 | 50 mg |
$895
|
in stock | |
66480 | 100 mg |
$1490
|
in stock |
BDP® 630/650 maleimide
BDP 630/650 maleimide is a thiol reactive, borondipyrromethene based dye tuned to match the far red channel of Cyanine5 fluorophore.Cat. # | Quantity | Price | Lead time | Buy this product |
---|---|---|---|---|
15480 | 1 mg | $125 | in stock | |
25480 | 5 mg | $260 | in stock | |
45480 | 25 mg |
$510
|
in stock | |
55480 | 50 mg |
$895
|
in stock | |
65480 | 100 mg |
$1490
|
in stock |
BDP® 650/665 maleimide
This maleimide is a thiol-reactive derivative of BDP 650/665, a borondipyrromethene dye for the Cyanine5 (Cy5) channel.Cat. # | Quantity | Price | Lead time | Buy this product |
---|---|---|---|---|
18480 | 1 mg | $125 | in stock | |
28480 | 5 mg | $260 | in stock | |
48480 | 25 mg |
$510
|
in stock | |
58480 | 50 mg |
$895
|
in stock | |
68480 | 100 mg |
$1490
|
in stock |
BDP® FL maleimide
BDP FL maleimide is a bright and photostable thiol-reactive dye for protein labeling, an ideal replacement for fluorescein for microscopy.Cat. # | Quantity | Price | Lead time | Buy this product |
---|---|---|---|---|
11480 | 1 mg | $125 | in stock | |
21480 | 5 mg | $260 | in stock | |
41480 | 25 mg |
$510
|
in stock | |
51480 | 50 mg |
$895
|
in stock | |
61480 | 100 mg |
$1490
|
in stock |
BDP® R6G maleimide
BDP R6G is a borondipyrromethene dye tuned to R6G (rhodamine 6G) channel. This is a thiol reactive maleimide for the labeling of protein cysteine residues, and other thiols.Cat. # | Quantity | Price | Lead time | Buy this product |
---|---|---|---|---|
14480 | 1 mg | $125 | in stock | |
24480 | 5 mg | $260 | in stock | |
44480 | 25 mg |
$510
|
in stock | |
54480 | 50 mg |
$895
|
in stock | |
64480 | 100 mg |
$1490
|
in stock |
BDP® TMR maleimide
A bright, thiol reactive dye for TAMRA channel. Useful for microscopy and fluorescence polarization assays, among other applications.Cat. # | Quantity | Price | Lead time | Buy this product |
---|---|---|---|---|
12480 | 1 mg | $125 | in stock | |
22480 | 5 mg | $260 | in stock | |
42480 | 25 mg |
$510
|
in stock | |
52480 | 50 mg |
$895
|
in stock | |
62480 | 100 mg |
$1490
|
in stock |
BDP® TR maleimide
BDP TR is a multi-purpose fluorophore with absorption and emission channels matching ROX dye. BDP TR is suitable for two photon, and fluorescence polarization studies.Cat. # | Quantity | Price | Lead time | Buy this product |
---|---|---|---|---|
13480 | 1 mg | $125 | in stock | |
23480 | 5 mg | $260 | in stock | |
43480 | 25 mg |
$510
|
in stock | |
53480 | 50 mg |
$895
|
in stock | |
63480 | 100 mg |
$1490
|
in stock |
Biotin-X-maleimide
Thiol-reactive bifunctional linker for attaching biotin to proteins, peptides, and other thiolated molecules.Cat. # | Quantity | Price | Lead time | Buy this product |
---|---|---|---|---|
2896-25mg | 25 mg | $225 | in stock | |
2896-100mg | 100 mg |
$850
|
in stock |
Cyanine3B maleimide
Derivative of a Cyanine3B dye, improved Cyanine3 dye to have higher quantum yield, for maleimide reaction chemistry.Cat. # | Quantity | Price | Lead time | Buy this product |
---|---|---|---|---|
19380 | 1 mg | $250 | in stock | |
29380 | 5 mg |
$450
|
in stock | |
49380 | 25 mg |
$1750
|
in stock |
Cyanine3 maleimide
Cyanine3 maleimide is a thiol mono-reactive dye for protein labeling.Cat. # | Quantity | Price | Lead time | Buy this product |
---|---|---|---|---|
11080 | 1 mg | $125 | in stock | |
21080 | 5 mg | $260 | in stock | |
41080 | 25 mg |
$510
|
in stock | |
51080 | 50 mg |
$895
|
in stock | |
61080 | 100 mg |
$1490
|
in stock |
Cyanine5.5 maleimide
Cyanine5.5 maleimide is a thiol reactive dye for protein labeling.Cat. # | Quantity | Price | Lead time | Buy this product |
---|---|---|---|---|
17080 | 1 mg | $125 | in stock | |
27080 | 5 mg | $260 | in stock | |
47080 | 25 mg |
$510
|
in stock | |
57080 | 50 mg |
$895
|
in stock | |
67080 | 100 mg |
$1490
|
in stock |
Cyanine5 maleimide
Cyanine5 maleimide reacts with thiols to give dye labeled conjugates.Cat. # | Quantity | Price | Lead time | Buy this product |
---|---|---|---|---|
13080 | 1 mg | $125 | in stock | |
23080 | 5 mg | $260 | in stock | |
43080 | 25 mg |
$510
|
in stock | |
53080 | 50 mg |
$895
|
in stock | |
63080 | 100 mg |
$1490
|
in stock |
Cyanine7.5 maleimide
Cyanine7.5 maleimide is a thiol reactive near-infrared dye for labeling of protein SH groups.Cat. # | Quantity | Price | Lead time | Buy this product |
---|---|---|---|---|
16080 | 1 mg | $125 | in stock | |
26080 | 5 mg | $260 | in stock | |
46080 | 25 mg |
$510
|
in stock | |
56080 | 50 mg |
$895
|
in stock | |
66080 | 100 mg |
$1490
|
in stock |
Cyanine7 maleimide
Cyanine7 maleimide is a sulfhydryl-reactive NIR dye for labeling of proteins.Cat. # | Quantity | Price | Lead time | Buy this product |
---|---|---|---|---|
15080 | 1 mg | $125 | in stock | |
25080 | 5 mg | $260 | in stock | |
45080 | 25 mg |
$510
|
in stock | |
55080 | 50 mg |
$895
|
in stock | |
65080 | 100 mg |
$1490
|
in stock |
DBCO-maleimide
Bifunctional linker containing a thiol-reactive maleimide group and an azide-reactive dibenzocyclooctyne moiety.Cat. # | Quantity | Price | Lead time | Buy this product |
---|---|---|---|---|
4448-100mg | 100 mg | $319 | in stock | |
4448-500mg | 500 mg |
$1028
|
in stock |
FAM maleimide, 6-isomer
Fluorescein (FAM) maleimide is a thiol reactive dye derived from isomerically pure 6-FAM. Fluorescein is a bright dye that is compatible with various fluorescence measurement instruments.Cat. # | Quantity | Price | Lead time | Buy this product |
---|---|---|---|---|
24180 | 5 mg | – | in stock | |
44180 | 25 mg | $260 | in stock | |
54180 | 50 mg | $370 | in stock | |
64180 | 100 mg |
$525
|
in stock |
ICG maleimide
ICG maleimide is a thiol-reactive dye for labeling protein and other thiol-containing molecules.Cat. # | Quantity | Price | Lead time | Buy this product |
---|---|---|---|---|
28080 | 5 mg | $198 | in stock | |
48080 | 25 mg |
$598
|
in stock |
Pyrene maleimide
Pyrene maleimide derivative for the labeling of thiol groups. Pyrene is a useful excimer-forming proximity probe.Cat. # | Quantity | Price | Lead time | Buy this product |
---|---|---|---|---|
13580 | 1 mg | $110 | in stock | |
23580 | 5 mg | $210 | in stock | |
43580 | 25 mg |
$410
|
in stock | |
53580 | 50 mg |
$695
|
in stock | |
63580 | 100 mg |
$1190
|
in stock |
ROX maleimide, 5-isomer
ROX maleimide is a thiol reactive dye derivative based on isomerically bright rhodamine X fluorophore.Cat. # | Quantity | Price | Lead time | Buy this product |
---|---|---|---|---|
11280 | 1 mg | $110 | 5 days | |
21280 | 5 mg | $165 | in stock | |
41280 | 25 mg | $285 | in stock | |
51280 | 50 mg |
$495
|
in stock | |
61280 | 100 mg |
$880
|
in stock |
sulfo-Cyanine3 maleimide
Water soluble thiol-reactive derivative of sulfo-Cyanine3, a Cy3 analog.Cat. # | Quantity | Price | Lead time | Buy this product |
---|---|---|---|---|
11380 | 1 mg | $115 | in stock | |
21380 | 5 mg | $290 | in stock | |
41380 | 25 mg |
$695
|
in stock | |
51380 | 50 mg |
$1190
|
in stock | |
61380 | 100 mg |
$1990
|
in stock |
sulfo-Cyanine5.5 maleimide
sulfo-Cyanine5.5 is a water-soluble far-red emitting dye. This is a thiol-reactive maleimide derivative of sulfo-Cyanine5.5. It is recommended for the labeling of sensitive proteins.Cat. # | Quantity | Price | Lead time | Buy this product |
---|---|---|---|---|
17380 | 1 mg | $125 | in stock | |
27380 | 5 mg | $325 | in stock | |
47380 | 25 mg |
$790
|
in stock | |
57380 | 50 mg |
$1490
|
5 days | |
67380 | 100 mg |
$1990
|
5 days |
sulfo-Cyanine5 maleimide
Thiol reactive maleimide, water soluble cyanine dye for Cy5 channel.Cat. # | Quantity | Price | Lead time | Buy this product |
---|---|---|---|---|
13380 | 1 mg | $115 | in stock | |
23380 | 5 mg | $290 | in stock | |
43380 | 25 mg |
$695
|
in stock | |
53380 | 50 mg |
$1270
|
in stock | |
63380 | 100 mg |
$1990
|
in stock |
sulfo-Cyanine7.5 maleimide
sulfo-Cyanine7.5 is a highly hydrophilic near infrared dye for in vivo imaging. This maleimide derivative is useful for the labeling of thiol groups of proteins and peptides.Cat. # | Quantity | Price | Lead time | Buy this product |
---|---|---|---|---|
16380 | 1 mg | $115 | in stock | |
26380 | 5 mg | $295 | in stock | |
46380 | 25 mg |
$790
|
in stock | |
56380 | 50 mg |
$889
|
in stock | |
66380 | 100 mg |
$1385
|
in stock |
sulfo-Cyanine7 maleimide
Water-soluble near-infrared dye maleimide for the labeling of proteins and peptides.Cat. # | Quantity | Price | Lead time | Buy this product |
---|---|---|---|---|
15380 | 1 mg | $115 | in stock | |
25380 | 5 mg | $295 | in stock | |
45380 | 25 mg |
$790
|
in stock | |
55380 | 50 mg |
$1490
|
in stock | |
65380 | 100 mg |
$1990
|
in stock |
TAMRA maleimide, 5-isomer
Maleimide derivative of TAMRA (tetramethylrhodamine) for the labeling of thiol groups. Pure 5-isomer of TAMRA.Cat. # | Quantity | Price | Lead time | Buy this product |
---|---|---|---|---|
17180 | 1 mg | $110 | in stock | |
27180 | 5 mg | $210 | in stock | |
47180 | 25 mg |
$410
|
in stock | |
57180 | 50 mg |
$695
|
in stock | |
67180 | 100 mg |
$1190
|
in stock |
TAMRA maleimide, 6-isomer
TAMRA is a well-known xanthene dye of the rhodamine series. This reagent is a thiol-reactive maleimide for the labeling of SH groups in proteins and peptides. Pure 6-isomer.Cat. # | Quantity | Price | Lead time | Buy this product |
---|---|---|---|---|
18180 | 1 mg | $110 | in stock | |
28180 | 5 mg | $260 | in stock | |
48180 | 25 mg |
$410
|
in stock | |
58180 | 50 mg |
$695
|
in stock | |
68180 | 100 mg |
$1190
|
in stock |
