The succinimidyl ester group is capable of spontaneously and irreversibly binding to free amines. Utilized in flow cytometry experiments for tracking cell division in both mammalian cells and bacteria. Used in combination with several cell permeabilizers as an effective, nondestructive fluorescencent stain to quickly detect bacterial cells.
Stich S,etal.Regenerative and immunogenic characteristics of cultured nucleus pulposus cells from human cervical intervertebral discs.PLoS One. 2015 May 19;10(5):e0126954.