Probe Compound for Detecting and Isolating Enzymes and Means and Methods Using the Same

Abstract

The present invention relates to a probe compound that can comprise any substrate or metabolite of an enzymatic reaction in addition to an indicator component, such as, for example, a fluorescence dye, or the like. Moreover, the present invention relates to means for detecting enzymes in form of an array, which comprises any number of probe compounds of the invention which each comprise a different metabolite of interconnected metabolites representing the central pathways in all forms of life. Moreover, the present invention relates to a method for detecting enzymes involving the application of cell extracts or the like to the array of the invention which leads to reproducible enzymatic reactions with the substrates. These specific enzymatic reactions trigger the indicator (e.g. a fluorescence signal) and bind the enzymes to the respective cognate substrates. Moreover, the invention relates to means for isolating enzymes in form of nanoparticles coated with the probe compound of the invention. The immobilisation of the cognate substrates or metabolites on the surface of nanoparticles by means of the probe compounds allows capturing and isolating the respective enzyme, e.g. for subsequent sequencing.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.