ATTO 550 acid is manufactured by AAT Bioquest for research and development use. ATTO 550 is an orange fluorescent dye chemically related to the well-known Rhodamine 6G and Rhodamine B dyes. It is characterized by a strong absorption, a high fluorescence quantum yield, and excellent photostability and thermal stability. This dye exhibits moderate hydrophilicity, with an optimal excitation range of 540–565 nm. ATTO 550 is cationic and carries a net electrical charge of +1 after coupling to a substrate. This dye is well-suited for advanced applications in single-molecule detection and high-resolution microscopy techniques, including PALM, dSTORM, and STED microscopy. It is also compatible with flow cytometry (FACS), fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), and a variety of other biological assays. ATTO 550 can be used with excitation sources and fluorescence filters similar to those for Cy3® and TAMRA.

ATTO 550 acid is a non-reactive compound that can be employed as a reference standard in studies utilizing ATTO 550 conjugates. It is also suitable for use as a control in confocal microscopy, immunocytochemistry (ICC), high-content screening (HCS), flow cytometry, and live cell imaging applications. Furthermore, it can be utilized in the synthesis of activated esters and STP and can be coupled to hydrazines, hydroxylamines, or amines in aqueous solutions using water-soluble carbodiimides (e.g., EDAC). This allows for the conjugation of the dye to amino-containing molecules, such as proteins, antibodies, amine-modified oligonucleotides, and peptides.