Description
Quantity: 1 kit
Unit Size: Each
Propidium iodide is a commonly used dead-cell stain that emits red fluorescence when bound to DNA. Propidium iodide is also used as a counterstain in multicolor fluorescent techniques. With Propidium Iodide ReadyProbes™ Reagent, we provide a room temperature-stable solution of classic DNA stain that comes in a convenient-to-use dropper bottle. Just tip and drip two drops per ml to stain your cells.Features of Propidium Iodide ReadyProbes™ Reagent:
• Ready-to-use liquid propidium iodide formulation
• Rapid staining of dead cells without wash steps
• Ready-to-use liquid formulation in convenient dropper bottle—no need to dilute, weigh, or pipette
• Stable at room temperature—keep handy at your work station or cell culture areaClassic Dead Cell StainPropidium iodide is a classic fluorescent dye used extensively for staining of dead cells (Figure 1). It exhibits a sufficiently large Stokes shift to allow simultaneous detection of nuclear DNA and FITC or Alexa Fluor™ 488-labeled antibodies.Packaged for ConveniencePropidium Iodide ReadyProbes™ Reagent is supplied ready-to-use and can be stored right next to your flow cytometer or in your cell culture lab. A liquid formulation in an ultra-convenient dropper bottle (Figure 2) allows you to stain your cells whenever and wherever they are ready. Just add two drops per ml for optimally bright and distinct nuclear counter-staining.Multiple ApplicationsPropidium iodide is membrane-impermeant and excluded from viable cells. It is therefore commonly used for identifying dead cells in a population. Its spectral properties, selectivity for dsDNA, and increased fluorescence when bound to DNA, make propidium iodide ideal for use with green (Alexa Fluor™ 488, FITC, GFP) fluorophores in multicolor experiments. Because of its high affinity for DNA, it is also frequently used for counting cells, measuring apoptosis, and sorting cells based on DNA content.Suggestions for Use
• In most cases, 2 drops/1×10^6cells of Propidium Iodide ReadyProbes™ Reagent and an incubation time of 15 to 30 minutes will produce bright nuclear staining; however, optimization may be needed for some cell types, conditions, and applications. In such cases, simply add more or fewer drops until the optimal staining intensity is obtained.
• When bound to nucleic acids, the fluorescence excitation maximum for propidium iodide is 535 nm and the emission maximum is 617 nm. Propidium iodide can be excited with a xenon or mercury-arc lamp or with the 488 line of an argon-ion laser. Generally, propidium iodide fluorescence is detected in the FL2 channel of flow cytometers.
• As a preferred red nuclear stain in dead cell analyses using flow cytometry, Propidium Iodide ReadyProbes™ Reagent is ideal for use with antibody-based applications.See other Molecular Probes™ imaging tools and reagents.
