A Terpyridine Zinc Complex for Selective Detection of Lipid Pyrophosphates: A Model System for Monitoring Bacterial O- and N-Transglycosylations.

To develop an effective method for probing O- and N-glycosyltransfer reactions that are accompanied by the release of undecaprenyl pyrophosphate, solanesyl pyrophosphate (SPP) is used as a surrogate to bind a terpyridine zinc complex (Tpy-Zn), forming a fluorescent [Tpy-Zn]-SPP complex (Kass 106,000 M-1 in EtOH-CHCl3) with 5.8 µM LOD in HEPES buffer (10 mM, pH 7.4) containing 10 mM CaCl2 and 0.08% decyl PEG, which is similar to the bioassay conditions for lipid II polymerization.