Fluorochromes

Fluorochromes are a type of fluorescent dye used to stain or label biological samples. They are commonly used in microscopy and flow cytometry to visualize and quantify various biological substances.

Overview

Fluorochromes are a type of chromophore that can absorb and emit light of specific wavelengths. When exposed to light of the correct wavelength, they absorb the energy and re-emit it as light of a longer wavelength. This property makes them useful for labeling and visualizing biological samples.

Types of Fluorochromes

There are many different types of fluorochromes, each with its own unique properties. Some of the most commonly used fluorochromes include:

• FITC (Fluorescein isothiocyanate) - a green fluorescent dye used in flow cytometry and immunofluorescence.
• PE (Phycoerythrin) - a red-orange fluorescent dye used in flow cytometry.
• APC (Allophycocyanin) - a red fluorescent dye used in flow cytometry.
• DAPI (4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindole) - a blue fluorescent dye that binds to DNA and is used in fluorescence microscopy.

Applications

Fluorochromes are used in a variety of biological and medical applications. They are commonly used in immunofluorescence to label antibodies, allowing researchers to visualize and quantify the presence of specific proteins in a sample. They are also used in flow cytometry to label cells, allowing researchers to sort and analyze populations of cells based on their fluorescence.

In addition to these applications, fluorochromes are also used in FISH (fluorescence in situ hybridization) to label DNA probes, allowing researchers to visualize and quantify specific DNA sequences in a sample.

See Also

• Fluorescence
• Flow cytometry
• Immunofluorescence
• FISH

Fluorochromes Resources
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