= Dimethyl suberimidate
<Dimethyl suberimidate> is a bifunctional chemical reagent used for <protein cross-linking>. Its two <imidoester> ends can react with <amino groups> to form <amidine> linkages, allowing a single reagent molecule to connect two accessible protein groups.<Dimethyl Suberimidate in MeSH>[D004120, Scope Note]{ref}
In 1970, <G. E. Davies> and <G. R. Stark> used the reagent to investigate subunit organization in oligomeric <proteins>. After cross-linking, detergent gel electrophoresis resolved species with apparent masses corresponding to integral multiples of the individual subunit mass.<Use of dimethyl suberimidate, a cross-linking reagent, in studying the subunit structure of oligomeric proteins by G. E. Davies and G. R. Stark>[Abstract, cross-linking and electrophoretic mass multiples]{ref}
For an illustrative $20\,\mathrm{kDa}$ subunit, linked pairs and triples would appear near $40$ and $60\,\mathrm{kDa}$ before accounting for linker mass and electrophoretic behaviour. A covalent bridge can preserve an association through conditions that disrupt the original <noncovalent interactions>.
The observation establishes chemical proximity under the reaction conditions. It does not automatically locate a unique native interface or prove that every detected pair is a stable complex in a living cell. Reagent accessibility, possible links within one chain and collisions between molecules all affect the products. Comparing treated and untreated preparations, and identifying the protein species, makes the structural inference more informative.
Back to article page
