Table 1.
Examples of thymidine analogues used to detect de novo DNA synthesis and cell proliferation
| Agent | Antigen retrieval | Molar mass (g/mol) | Molecular formula | Antibody detection |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BrdU | Yes | 307.10 | C9H11BrN2O5 | Yes |
| CldU | Yes | 262.65 | C9H11ClN2O5 | Yes(1) |
| IdU | Yes | 354.10 | C9H11IN2O5 | Yes(2) |
| EdU | No | 252.22 | C11H12N2O5 | Yes(3) |
| F-ara-EdU | No | 270.22 | C11H11FN2O5 | No(4) |
| AmdU | No | 283.24 | C10H13N5O5 | No(5) |
| VdU | No | 254.24 | C11H14N2O5 | No(6) |
AmdU: 5-Azidomethyl-2’-deoxyuridine; BrdU: 5-bromo-2’-deoxyuridine; CldU: 5-chloro-2’-deoxyuridine; EdU: 5-ethynyl-2’-deoxyuridine; F-ara-Edu: 2’-deoxy-2’-fluoro-5-ethynyluridine; IdU: 5-iodo-2’-deoxyuridine; VdU: 5-Vinyl-2’-deoxyuridine. (1): Rat monoclonal anti-BrdU (clone BU1/75) recognizes CldU; (2): rat monoclonal anti-BrdU (clone B/44) recognizes IdU; (3): most commercial anti-BrdU antibodies recognize EdU after single-stranded DNA production; (4–6): commercial antibodies are not available. A bioorthogonal chemical reaction was used for their detection.