New water-soluble amine-reactive reagents for labeling microbial cells: application to mural paintings

Abstract

Mural paintings are continuously exposed to physical, chemical and biological degradation, however, among the biological agents that cause deterioration, microorganisms are of critical importance, due to their metabolic versatility and flexibility, and their ability to tolerate unfavourable conditions. Thereby, microorganisms can cause damages in mural paintings surfaces through a variety of mechanisms, including biofilm formation, chemical reactions, physical penetration into the substrate and production of pigments [1-3]. It is imperative the development of new strategies that detect microbial contamination in order to plan effective remediation strategies. This research focuses on the application of fluorescent compounds. In this context we developed new water-soluble coumarin derivatives (4-Sulfotetrafluorophenyl Esters) as long-wavelength fluorescent labels for biomolecules[4]. These esters are easily synthesized, and react readily with primary amines to give acylation products.