ChromoTek GmbH is a biotechnological company with focus on the discovery and development of novel immunologic research tools for basic research and pharmaceutical drug development. Founded in 2008 as a spin-off of the Ludwig-Maximilians University Munich (LMU), ChromoTek is specialized in serving the needs of scientists around the world. Technology ChromoTek’s proprietary technology is based on recombinant antibody fragments derived from single-chain antibodies from Alpaca, so called VHH-fragments. Due to their extremely small size and high stability, VHH-fragments are ideally suited to recognize 3-dimensional target structures inaccessible for conventional antibodies. They can be applied for a wide range of methods and techniques in proteome analysis, high resolution microscopy or live cell assays. As a unique feature VHH-fragments are functional inside living cells where they detect and visualize endogenous target structures in real time by fusion with a fluorescent protein. The Alpaca Antibody Advantage: Products and areas of application - Nanotraps as reliable and laborsaving alternatives to conventional antibodies for proteome research. - ChromoTek’s Booster are highly specific VHH fragments chemically labeled with the superior fluorescent dyes from ATTO-TEC. They reactivate, boost and stabilize the signals of fluorescent fusion proteins or can be used as directly labeled antibodies. - Chromobodies® as diagnostic probes for High-Content Analysis (HCA) in the early stage of pharmaceutical drug development to target and trace endogenous structures in living cells. - The F2H® assay for detection of reversible protein-protein interactions. Nanotraps (e.g. the GFP-Trap®) are available coupled to immobilizing matrices. They reduce assay times in immunoprecipitation experiments up to 70%, at the same time producing much cleaner results than conventional antibodies. ChromoTek offers traps for a number of widely used protein tags, like GFP, RFP and GST as well as more specialized proteins like Dnmt1. As to their small size and excellent stability VHH-fragments are ideally suited to recognize target structures inside of living cells, making them especially useful for HCA real time assays. Although HCA is used by all major drug developers, it is severely hampered by the fact that existing reagents cannot easily access intracellular compartments, i.e. the cells have to be fixed before analysis. As time course experiments with such end-point assays are extremely time consuming and only a limited number of samples can be analyzed per run, Chromobodies® are expected to have a major impact in the HCA field. To complete the product portfolio, several conventional, monoclonal antibodies (for detection of denatured protein as in Western blots) are available. Our Fluorescent 2- Hybrid Assay (F2H®) allows visualization of reversible protein interactions and screening for their inhibitors. By tethering a fluorescent bait at a defined cellular structure ChromoTek has generated a positional protein-protein interaction biosensor to assay for co-localization of fluorescent bait and prey proteins in living cells. To round up our Alpaca Antibody Advantage toolboxes, we offer a dedicated selection of high quality conventional monoclonal antibodies to complement our products.
GFP -Trap® - use your fluorescence fusion as tag for biochemical studies.Curiously GFP, the most widely used labeling tag in cell biology, is rarely used for biochemical analyses. This may be due in part to limited GFP antibody availability and specificity as well as co-eluted heavy and light antibody chains that interfere with subsequent analyses.Our GFP-Trap® is a high quality GFP-binding protein coupled to a monovalent matr…
RFP -Trap® - use your fluorescence fusion as tag for biochemical studies Curiously RFP, a widely used labeling tag in cell biology, is rarely used for biochemical analyses. This may be due in part to limited RFP antibody availability and specificity as well as co-eluted heavy and light antibody chains that interfere with subsequent analyses. Superior results in a fraction of the time The ChromoTek RFP-Trap® overcomes these pro…
GFP/RFP-Booster – enhance your fluorescent fusion protein ChromoTek’s Booster are very small, highly specific GFP- or RFP-binding proteins covalently coupled to the superior fluorescent dyes from ATTO-TEC. With our Booster you can: • Reactivate • Boost • Stabilize the signals of your fusion proteinsDirectly stain your protein of interest in fixed cells and benefit from the high specificity an small size that are perfect for su…
Chromobodies® - Your perfect reagents for cellular research including High-Content Analysis. Chromobodies are fluorescent nanoprobes suitable for real time analyses of endogenous cellular structures and processes in live cells. Chromobodies® are a novel species of extremely small intracellular antibodies. They are based on the antigen binding domain (VHH) derived from heavy chain antibodies of camelids genetically fused to a f…
Fusion of proteins to Glutathione S-Transferase (GST) of Schistosoma japonicum is a common technique to increase solubility and expression level of a protein. Furthermore, GST-tagged fusion proteins are often used in protein-protein interaction studies. Both approaches require highly specific tools to isolate and detect GST fusion proteins. GST-Trap The GST-Trap is a highly specific and robust GST-binding protein coupled to ma…
DNA methylation was the first epigenetic modification identified and has been intensively studied for more than half a century. By now it is clear that Dnmt1, the major eukaryotic DNA methyltransferase, faithfully maintains genome-wide methylation patterns and plays an essential role in the epigenetic network controlling gene expression and genome stability during development. However, the molecular mechanisms that ultimately…
Proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) is a homotrimeric ring-shaped protein that encircles DNA and acts as a loading platform for multiple, transiently interacting factors participating in various DNA transactions. PCNA plays a key role in DNA replication, repair, cell cycle regulation, and post-replicative transactions like DNA methylation and chromatin remodeling. All these cellular processes are regulated by a complex n…
Being able to visualize endogenous cellular structures in live cells is key for many high content analyses. The two Chromobodies® of the ChromoTek’s Cell Organelle Toolbox offer a new way to investigate key compartments of the cell non-invasively. Lamin-Chromobody® The new Lamin-Chromobody® is a major breakthrough especially in High-Content Analysis (HCA) as apoptosis assays thus far rely on static endpoint assays. The nucle…
RNA polymerase II features a large carboxyl-terminal repeat domain (CTD) that consists of the consensus heptapeptide Tyr1-Ser2-Pro3-Thr4-Ser5-Pro6-Ser7. Differential phosphorylation in this CTD orchestrates accessibility for various co-factors of the transcription complex. Using the phosphorylation specific antibodies it is now possible to determine specific phosphorylation states. In addition to phosphorylation specific antib…
F2H®-Kit Basic for effortless imaging of interactions between GFP- and RFP-tagged proteins of interest and domains thereof in live mammalian cells. The Fluorescent Two- Hybrid (F2H®) Technology is a fast and simple way to study protein-protein interactions (PPIs) by conventional fluorescence microscopy. Its direct optical readout is optimal for high-content analysis (HCA) and screening for PPI inhibitors.F2H® Principle: F…
