DAPI is considered a semi-permeant/impermeant nucleic acid stain. Staining of nucleic is dependent upon the cell line in its performance. Some cell lines will label with DAPI, others not at all, and others label inconsistenly. Instead, we recommend using either Hoechst 33342 or Hoechst 33258, which have the same wavelength and binding mode as DAPI (at the A-T minor groove) but are readily cell-permeant.
I want to label the nuclei of live cells and track them over time. Can I use DAPI for this?
We do not recommend doing this. DAPI is considered to be a semi-permeant/impermeant nucleic acid stain. DAPI staining of live cells may be inconsistent. It is best used as a counterstain for fixed samples. Other cell permeable nucleic acid stains, such as Hoechst or the SYTO dyes may affect cellular function.
For mammalian cells, we recommend using the CellLight Nucleus transduction reagents, available in CFP, GFP and RFP. With these reagents, the cells are transduced overnight in a single labeling step and the next day the nuclei will fluoresce. The label may be retained for 3-5 days and should not affect cell function. Cytoplasmic cell tracking dyes such as the CellTracker dyes may also be used.
I have a mix of live bacteria and platelet cells, and I need to be able to separate out the bacteria. Do you have a suggestion?
Platelet cells don't have DNA, while bacteria do. Therefore, a cell-permeant, DNA-selective dye would preferentially stain the bacteria with limited staining of the platelets. We recommend using Hoechst 33342 dye.
DAPI and Hoechst dyes are quite similar to each other. Why would I choose one over the other?
DAPI is a very common blue-fluorescent dye for nuclear counterstaining and gives very bright labeling on nuclei in fixed and permeabilized cells and tissues. However, it is considered to be a semi-permeant to impermeant stain and provides inconsistent staining of live cells. Hoechst 33342 dye is cell-permeant and stains with the same binding mechanism and fluorescent color; it is preferred for live-cell imaging and is just as good as DAPI for fixed cell labeling.
Generation, transcriptome profiling, and functional validation of cone-rich human retinal organoids.
Authors:Kim S, Lowe A, Dharmat R, Lee S, Owen LA, Wang J, Shakoor A, Li Y, Morgan DJ, Hejazi AA, Cvekl A, DeAngelis MM, Zhou ZJ, Chen R, Liu W
Journal:Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A
PubMed ID:31072937
'Rod and cone photoreceptors are light-sensing cells in the human retina. Rods are dominant in the peripheral retina, whereas cones are enriched in the macula, which is responsible for central vision and visual acuity. Macular degenerations affect vision the most and are currently incurable. Here we report the generation, transcriptome ... More
Yin Yang 1 Orchestrates a Metabolic Program Required for Both Neural Crest Development and Melanoma Formation.
Authors:Varum S, Baggiolini A, Zurkirchen L, Atak ZK, Cantù C, Marzorati E, Bossart R, Wouters J, Häusel J, Tuncer E, Zingg D, Veen D, John N, Balz M, Levesque MP, Basler K, Aerts S, Zamboni N, Dummer R, Sommer L
Journal:Cell Stem Cell
PubMed ID:30951662
'Increasing evidence suggests that cancer cells highjack developmental programs for disease initiation and progression. Melanoma arises from melanocytes that originate during development from neural crest stem cells (NCSCs). Here, we identified the transcription factor Yin Yang 1 (Yy1) as an NCSCs regulator. Conditional deletion of Yy1 in NCSCs resulted in ... More
Semisynthetic biosensors for mapping cellular concentrations of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotides.
Authors:Sallin O, Reymond L, Gondrand C, Raith F, Koch B, Johnsson K
Journal:Elife
PubMed ID:29809136
We introduce a new class of semisynthetic fluorescent biosensors for the quantification of free nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD
Neuropsin (OPN5) Mediates Local Light-Dependent Induction of Circadian Clock Genes and Circadian Photoentrainment in Exposed Murine Skin.
Authors:Buhr ED, Vemaraju S, Diaz N, Lang RA, Van Gelder RN
Journal:Curr Biol
PubMed ID:31607531
Nearly all mammalian tissues have functional, autonomous circadian clocks, which free-run with non-24 h periods and must be synchronized (entrained) to the 24 h day. This entrainment mechanism is thought to be hierarchical, with photic input to the retina entraining the master circadian clock in the suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN) and the SCN ... More
Ca
Authors:Li S, Lavagnino Z, Lemacon D, Kong L, Ustione A, Ng X, Zhang Y, Wang Y, Zheng B, Piwnica-Worms H, Vindigni A, Piston DW, You Z
Journal:Mol Cell
PubMed ID:31053472
Abnormal processing of stressed replication forks by nucleases can cause fork collapse, genomic instability, and cell death. Despite its importance, it is poorly understood how the cell properly controls nucleases to prevent detrimental fork processing. Here, we report a signaling pathway that controls the activity of exonuclease Exo1 to prevent ... More