Golgi Apparatus

The Golgi apparatus is a complex of vesicles and folded membranes located in the cytoplasm of most eukaryotic cells. It plays an essential role in the organization and secretion of macromolecules (e.g., proteins, glycoproteins, lipids, glycolipids, and carbohydrates) from the cell, the intracellular transport of macromolecules for use by other organelles within the cell, and the formation of lysosomes. Fluorescent lipids, such as dye-labeled ceramides, and other cell-permeant probes that selectively stain the Golgi apparatus in live cells, can be used to study lipid metabolism, synthesis, and trafficking mechanisms.

Ceramide Dyes for Labeling Golgi in Live Cells

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Fluorescent ceramides are widely used in lipid metabolism and trafficking studies to visualize Golgi structure and dynamics. They provide a convenient and straightforward method to selectively stain the Golgi complex in live cells, with the capacity for fixation, and can be multiplexed with other fluorescent probes for colocalization studies. AAT Bioquest offers two fluorescent ceramides, NBD ceramide and TMR ceramide, for labeling the Golgi apparatus with green or red fluorescence, respectively.

Cell Navigator® NBD Ceramide Golgi Staining Kit

The Cell Navigator® NBD Ceramide Golgi Staining kit utilizes C6 NBD ceramide as a Golgi selective-stain. The dye absorbs blue light with λmax of 467 mn and emits in the FITC region of the visible light spectrum, making it readily detected by fluorescein optical filter sets (click to view C6 NBD spectrum). It can be used together with other standard UV and visible light excitable dyes and fluorescent proteins for multicolor imaging and colocalization studies. The NBD dye is sensitive to its environment as it is weakly fluorescent in aqueous solvents but displays intense fluorescence in aprotic solvents and other nonpolar environments. When complexed with bovine serum albumin (BSA), C6 NBD ceramide can be directly administered to live cells with greater efficacy. Each kit contains sufficient reagents for 100 tests and includes the nuclear counterstain, Hoechst 33342, to highlight the perinuclear localization of the Golgi complex.

Product	Golgi Selective-Stain	Ex/Em (nm)	Fixable	Unit Size	Cat No.
Cell Navigator™ NBD Ceramide Golgi Staining Kit	C6 NBD Ceramide	467/538 nm	Yes	100 tests	22750

Cell Navigator® TMR Ceramide Golgi Staining Kit

The Cell Navigator® TMR Ceramide Golgi Staining kit employs GGR169-ceramide as a Golgi selective-stain. The dye absorbs green light with λmax of 544 mn and emits in the TRITC region of the visible light spectrum, making it readily detected by TRITC optical filter sets (click to view GGR169 spectrum). It can be used in combination with GFP-expressing cell lines or with other green fluorescent conjugates and is particularly useful for staining cells and tissues with substantial amounts of green autofluorescence. Each kit contains sufficient reagents for 100 tests and includes the nuclear counterstain, Hoechst 33342, to highlight the perinuclear localization of the Golgi complex.

Product	Golgi Selective-Stain	Ex/Em (nm)	Fixable	Unit Size	Cat No.
Cell Navigator™ TMD Ceramide Golgi Staining Kit	GGR169-ceramide	544/570 nm	Yes	100 tests	22752

Product ordering information

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