Neutral Borate Buffer Activates Diazo for Rapid Protein Labeling

Diazo, a carbene precursor, offers an effective chemistry for bioorthogonal labeling upon activation by acids, metals, and/or photo-illumination. Here, we report neutral borate buffer can trigger diazo compounds into carbene for protein labeling without the need for acid, metal, or light. We show that such boron-diazo-mediated covalent modification rapidly occurs within seconds under physiological conditions and preferentially targets carboxylate-containing amino acid residues. Towards applications of such boron-diazo protein chemistry, we exemplify the design of an affinity-based covalent inhibitor for dihydrofolate reductase by installing diazo on the non-covalent trimethoprim drug. When extended to stressed cells, we also capture cellular aggresomes using a diazo-Thioflavin T probe that selectively labels aggregated proteins. Finally, in Alzheimer's disease brain tissue, we employ this boron-diazo chemistry to label, enrich, and profile amyloid plaques, identifying proteins related to pathological deposition. Together, the boron-diazo chemistry reported herein provides a rapid and facile protein modification strategy under mild conditions.