Chemical biology is an emerging field that enables the study and manipulation of biological
systems with probes whose reactivities provide structural insights. The opportunistic fungal
pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans possesses a polysaccharide capsule that is a major
virulence factor, but is challenging to study. We report here the synthesis of a hydroxylamine-
armed fluorescent probe that reacts with reducing glycans and its application to study the
architecture of the C. neoformans capsule under a variety of conditions. The probe signal …