Single-step synthesis and characterization of biotinylated nitrilotriacetic acid, a unique reagent for the detection of histidine-tagged proteins immobilized on nitrocellulose.

Using a one-step reaction, a bifunctional compound was synthesized for detecting histidine-tagged proteins immobilized on nitrocellulose. This compound has a biotin as one functional group and a nitrilotriacetic acid as the other. The nitrilotriacetic acid is used to chelate a Ni(II) ion at four of its six coordination sites. The remaining two sites are available for binding to a histidine tag. The biotin functional group can then be detected using a streptavidin-horseradish peroxidase conjugate and chemiluminescence. Using this biotinylated nitrilotriacetic acid, it is possible to detect less than 0.11 pmol of histidine-tagged Escherichia coli RNA polymerase sigma70 subunit. This reagent is also able to specifically detect His-tagged sigma70 from a whole cell lysate following SDS-PAGE and transfer to nitrocellulose. The reagent can be dissociated from the His-tagged protein at pH 4.8 and the blot can be reprobed with a monoclonal antibody for detection of different proteins on the same blot.