5-Ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine

5-Ethynyl-2′-deoxyuridine (61135-33-9) is a novel agent for fast and sensitive detection of DNA synthesisin vivo.1 5-EdU is incorporated into proliferating cells followed by detection with a fluorescent azide using click ligation.1 In contrast to the use of BrdU, the new method does not require sample fixation or DNA denaturation. 5-Ethynyl-2′-deoxyuridine may be used for studying cell proliferation in the central nervous system and may be combined with BrdU staining in a novel protocol allowing for double labeling of DNA synthesis.2

5-Ethynyl-2’deoxyuridine is a extensively used nucleoside analog used as a probe for DNA synthesis. However, 5-Ethynyl-2’deoxyuridine is a toxic anti-metabolite, which potentially causes DNA instabi liy, necrosis and cell-cycle arrest, therefore it is often used for short-term DNA synthesis in tissue culture and living organisms where prolonged cell survival is not required.

5-Ethynyl-2′-deoxyuridine (EdU) is a thymidine analog that can be incorporated into replicating DNA for detection of cell proliferation. It has an alkyne handle that can ligate with azide-containing fluorescent probes through a highly efficient click chemistry reaction. EdU nucleoside can be incorporated into the DNA of cells either in culture or in animals without showing significant toxicity. The assay offers a simpler workflow for detecting cell proliferation than anti-BrdU assays.

For information on Baseclick kits containing all the reagents for the assays see: Baseclick kits

For a listing of the Baseclick kits see: Baseclick kits

Store at -20°C

[1] ADRIAN SALIC  Timothy J M. A chemical method for fast and sensitive detection of DNA synthesis in vivo.[J]. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2008, 105 7: 2415-2420. DOI:10.1073/pnas.0712168105
[2] CHENBO ZENG . Evaluation of 5-ethynyl-2′-deoxyuridine staining as a sensitive and reliable method for studying cell proliferation in the adult nervous system[J]. Brain Research, 2010, 1319: Pages 21-32. DOI:10.1016/j.brainres.2009.12.092