Click Chemistry for Molecular Observation in Living Organisms
Here’s a breakdown of the key facts from the provided text, focusing on Carolyn Bertozzi’s work and its significance:
* The Problem: The original “click chemistry” developed by Sharpless, meldal, and Morten was highly effective (99.9% success rate, no byproducts) but used copper, which is toxic to living cells.
* Bertozzi’s Solution: Bertozzi sought a way to perform click chemistry inside living cells without causing harm. She discovered that azides and ring-shaped alkynes woudl react without a copper catalyst.
* Key Revelation (2004): Bertozzi’s team showed they could attach azide molecules to living cells without damaging them.
* Visualization of Glycans (2007): Bertozzi and her team used their method to visualize glycans (sugar molecules) within living hamster cells. They did this by:
* Incorporating azide-modified carbohydrates into the glycans.
* Adding a ring-shaped alkyne linked to a green fluorescent protein.
* The azide and alkyne “clicked” together, revealing the location of the glycans with the glowing protein.
* “Bioorthogonal” Chemistry: Bertozzi named her process “bioorthogonal” click chemistry because it doesn’t interfere with the natural processes within living cells.
In essence, Bertozzi adapted click chemistry to be biocompatible, opening up new possibilities for studying biological processes in living systems.