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Updated: Jan 20, 2026

Discovering Protein Interactions and Characterizing Protein Function Using HaloTag Technology
Published on: July 12, 2014
Advanced Fluorescent Polymer Probes for the Site-Specific Labeling of Proteins in Live Cells Using the HaloTag
Thomas Berki1,2, Anush Bakunts3, Damien Duret1,2
1Univ Lyon, Université Lyon 1, INSA de Lyon, CNRS, Laboratoire Ingénierie des Matériaux Polymères, UMR5223, F-69621 Villeurbanne, France.
Abstract:
We report the site-specific and covalent bioconjugation of fluorescent polymer chains to proteins in live cells using the HaloTag technology. Polymer chains bearing a Halo-ligand precisely located at their α-chain-end were synthesized in a controlled manner owing to the RAFT polymerization process. They were labeled in lateral position by several organic fluorophores such as AlexaFluor 647. The resulting Halo-ligand polymer probe was finally shown to selectively recognize and label HaloTag proteins present at the membrane of live cells using confocal fluorescence microscopy. Such a polymer bioconjugation approach holds great promises for various applications ranging from cell imaging to cell surface functionalization.
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