Click-mediated labeling of bacterial membranes through metabolic modification of the lipopolysaccharide inner core

Abstract

Clicking bugs: Metabolically active Gram-negative bacteria can specifically incorporate an azide-modified analogue of 3-deoxy-D-manno-octulosonic acid (1; see scheme) into the lipopolysaccharides on their membranes. This process adds a bioorthogonal chemical reporter onto the cell surface and allows the rapid fluorescent labeling of viable cells by click chemistry. Copyright © 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.