Commonly used fluorescence staining solutions
Propidium Iodide (PI)
DAPI
Acridine Orange (AO)
Each staining solution has different functions and characteristics.
PI and DAPI are used to stain dead cells with damaged membranes so that these solutions can penetrate the inner part of the cells and stain the nucleus.
AO is a permeable staining solution that can penetrate both live and dead cells, making it useful for counting the total number of cells.
Main target for staining
Propidium Iodide | DNA |
Acridine Orange | DNA and RNA |
DAPI | DNA |
Wavelength of staining solutions
(When bound to either DNA or RNA)
PI | AO | DAPI | |
Excitation | 535 nm | 500 nm 460 nm (RNA) | 458 nm |
Emission | 617 nm | 525 nm 650 nm (RNA) | 461 nm |
Properties of staining solutions
PI | AO | DAPI | |
Molecular weight | 668.39 g/mol | 301.82 g/mol | 277.32 g/mol |
Permeability | X | O | X |
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