ATTO 488 NHS ester is manufactured by AAT Bioquest for research and development use. ATTO 488 is a hydrophilic, rhodamine-based fluorescent dye with exceptional water solubility. It is characterized by strong absorption, a high fluorescence quantum yield, and exceptional photostability, making it highly suitable for advanced fluorescence imaging techniques. The dye exhibits optimal excitation within the 480-515 nm wavelength range, aligning precisely with the 488 nm emission line of the Argon-Ion laser. ATTO 488 is particularly effective for single-molecule detection and super-resolution microscopy methods such as PALM, dSTORM, and STED. Moreover, it is well-suited for flow cytometry (FACS), fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), and other bioanalytical applications.

NHS esters react selectively and efficiently with primary amines (such as the side chains of lysine residues or aminosilane-coated surfaces) at pH 7-9, forming stable covalent amide bonds. This property makes ATTO 488 NHS ester an excellent choice for labeling peptides and amine-modified oligonucleotides. For labeling antibodies and other proteins, we highly recommend our iFluor® dyes that are highly water soluble and are optimized for labeling proteins.