Selective N-terminal fluorescent labeling of proteins using 4-chloro-7-nitrobenzofurazan: a method to distinguish protein N-terminal acetylation.

A fluorogenic derivatization method was developed to distinguish the protein N-terminal acetylation status. The unacetylated protein selectively reacted with 4-chloro-7-nitrobenzofurazan (NBD-Cl) at neutral pH to provide high fluorescence. In contrast, the protein with N-terminal acetylation was essentially nonfluorescent under the same conditions despite the presence of many internal lysine residues. Fluorescence of the NBD-labeled protein was very stable, and only micromolar concentrations of proteins were required for reliable detection. This method also provides a general and practical way to quantify proteins when their N-terminal amino group is available.