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AAT Bioquest

What labels are used for the plasma membrane?

Posted January 20, 2022


Answer

Most widely used labels for plasma membrane include:

Lipophilic Tracers such as DiA, DiO, DiI, DiD, DiS, and DiR - These dialkylcarbocyanines have extremely high coefficients, polarity-dependent fluorescence, and short excited-state lifetimes. These spectroscopic properties make them appropriate for labeling the plasma membrane. 

Fluorescently labeled lectin such as Wheat germ agglutinin (WGA) - Fluorescent WGA is used extensively for labeling the plasma membrane in live and fixed cells. When conjugated to AAT Bioquest iFluor® dyes, fluorescent WGA conjugates exhibit very bright fluorescence with high signal-to-noise ratio. WGA conjugates are also highly resistant to pH change, photobleaching, fixations and permeabilization

Fluorescent probes of DiIC12, DiD, DiIC18, FM4-64, BD-SM, LRB-PE, and Laurdan – These labels are suitable for staining plasma membranes in suspended or attached live cells. They are available in green, orange and red fluorescence to facilitate multicolor staining, and have bright fluorescence with high signal-to-noise ratios and high photostability. The plasma membrane retains the staining well after fixation.


Brand name. Got it from the site you recommended for this article. Not sure if it’s okay to use it.

Additional resources

Labeling the plasma membrane with TMA-DPH