Sensitive detection and labelling of proteins with a molecular rotor-based fluorogenic probe

Reported herein is a sensitive fluorogenic reagent based on an environment-sensitive molecular rotor for detecting and labelling proteins. The rapid binding of the probe to protein amino residues results in a significant enhancement in fluorescence emission, while its reversible interaction with free amino acids remains non-fluorescent. We demonstrate the utility of this reagent for wash-free and real-time imaging of membrane proteins in living cells and for rapidly determining the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of antibiotics against bacteria.