Propidium Iodide

Citations & References (1087)

Invitrogen™

Propidium Iodide

Propidium iodide (PI) is a popular red-fluorescent nuclear and chromosome counterstain. Since propidium iodide is not permeant to live cells,Read more

Catalog Number	Quantity
P1304MP	100 mg

Catalog number P1304MP

Price (USD)

285,65

Add to cart

Quantity:

100 mg

Price (USD)

285,65

Add to cart

Propidium iodide (PI) is a popular red-fluorescent nuclear and chromosome counterstain. Since propidium iodide is not permeant to live cells, it is also commonly used to detect dead cells in a population.

PI binds to DNA by intercalating between the bases with little or no sequence preference. In aqueous solution, the dye has excitation/emission maxima of 493/636 nm. Once the dye is bound, its fluorescence is enhanced 20- to 30-fold, the fluorescence excitation maximum is shifted ∼30–40 nm to the red and the fluorescence emission maximum is shifted ∼15 nm to the blue, resulting in an excitation maximum at 535 nm and fluorescence emission maximum at 617 nm.

PI is widely used in fluorescence microscopy, confocal laser scanning microscopy, flow cytometry, and fluorometry.

Learn more about propidium iodide, and propidium iodide containing products

For Research Use Only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures.

Specifications

Recommended StorageContains 1 vial propidium iodide (100 mg). Store at room temperature and protect from light.

Physical FormSolid

Quantity100 mg

Unit SizeEach

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

I want to use propidium iodide and SYTO 9 to do LIVE/DEAD testing of a bacterial sample. Will anaerobic conditions adversely affect the assay?

Oxygen content should not affect the binding of propidium iodide and SYTO 9 to nucleic acids. SYTO 9 will label all cells, and propidium iodide will label only dead cells or cells with a compromised membrane.

Find additional tips, troubleshooting help, and resources within our Cell Analysis Support Center.

I have a LIVE/DEAD BacLight Bacterial Viability kit that has SYTO 9 and propidium iodide in it. Will I be able to stain eukaryotic cells that have engulfed bacteria and determine if the bacteria are alive or dead using this kit?

Unfortunately, no. SYTO 9 will label the nuclei of live or dead cells, including the eukaryotic cells. Propidium iodide is cell impermeant, and will only enter dead cells. If the eukaryotic cells are dead, they will label with propidium iodide as well. If the eukaryotic cells are alive, propidium iodide will not be able to enter and thus will not label the bacteria inside, whether the bacteria are alive or dead. We are not aware of any way to do a viability assay of bacteria once they have been engulfed by cells.

Find additional tips, troubleshooting help, and resources within our Cell Analysis Support Center.

Is propidium iodide (PI) fixable with glutaraldehyde or paraformaldehyde (PFA)?

PI is not fixable with glutaraldehyde or PFA. Both reagents fix by crosslinking amines. PI and other nucleic acid stains do not inherently bind covalently to nucleic acids and these fixatives do not crosslink the dyes to nucleic acids.
The one fixable nucleic acid stain is Ethidium Monoazide Bromide (EMA), Cat no. E1374); it covalently binds to nucleic acids upon activation by exposure to light.

Find additional tips, troubleshooting help, and resources within our Cell Analysis Support Center.

Citations & References (1087)

Citations & References

Abstract

Signaling through MHC class II molecules blocks CD95-induced apoptosis.

Authors:Catlett IM,Xie P,Hostager BS,Bishop GA

Journal:Journal of immunology (Baltimore, Md. : 1950)

PubMed ID:11342618

Glutamate and non-glutamate receptor mediated toxicity caused by oxygen and glucose deprivation in organotypic hippocampal cultures.

Authors:Newell DW, Barth A, Papermaster V, Malouf AT

Journal:J Neurosci

PubMed ID:7472521

In vitro ischemia models have utilized oxygen, or oxygen and glucose deprivation to simulate ischemic neuronal injury. Combined oxygen and glucose deprivation can induce neuronal damage which is in part mediated through NMDA receptors. Severe oxygen deprivation alone however can cause neuronal injury which is not NMDA mediated. We tested ... More

Identification and characterization of two subpopulations of Encephalitozoon intestinalis.

Authors:Hoffman RM, Marshall MM, Polchert DM, Jost BH

Journal:Appl Environ Microbiol

PubMed ID:12902292

Microsporidia are obligate intracellular protozoa that have been shown to be pathogenic to most living creatures. The development of in vitro cell culture propagation methods has provided researchers with large numbers of spores and facilitated the study of these organisms. Here, we describe heterogeneity within cell culture-propagated Encephalitozoon intestinalis suspensions. ... More

Autoantigens targeted in systemic lupus erythematosus are clustered in two populations of surface structures on apoptotic keratinocytes.

Authors:Casciola-Rosen LA, Anhalt G, Rosen A

Journal:J Exp Med

PubMed ID:7511686

'Systemic lupus erythematosus is a multisystem autoimmune disease in which the autoantibody response targets a variety of autoantigens of diverse subcellular location. We show here that these autoantigens are clustered in two distinct populations of blebs at the surface of apoptotic cells. The population of smaller blebs contains fragmented endoplasmic ... More

Caspase activation contributes to delayed death of heat-stressed striatal neurons.

Authors:White MG, Emery M, Nonner D, Barrett JN

Journal:J Neurochem

PubMed ID:14622126

'Hyperthermia can contribute to brain damage both during development and post-natally. We used rat embryonic striatal neurons in culture to study mechanisms underlying hyperthermia-induced neuronal death. Heat stress at 43 degrees C for 2 h produced no obvious signs of damage during the first 12 h after the stress, but ... More

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