Invitrogen™ LysoTracker™ Deep Red

Description

• LysoTracker Deep Red is a cell-permeable, non-fixable, red fluorescent dye that stains acidic compartments within a cell, such as lysosomes
• Deep Red has an excitation and emission maximum of 647/668 nm and can be efficiently excited using a Cy5 filter
• LysoTracker probes are available in a variety of fluorescent colors
• Simple, highly specific, one-step staining and tracking of acidic organelles LysoTracker probes consist of a hydrophobic fluorophore linked to a weak base that is only partially protonated at neutral pH
• In a neutrally charge state, LysoTracker probes can freely diffuse across intact plasma membranes of live cells
• Due to the inherently acidic properties within the lysosome, upon diffusion into the lysosome the weakly basic moiety is protonated
• In this charged state, the probe does not readily diffuse across the organelle membrane, providing a localized accumulation for distinct staining of acidic organelles such as lysosomes
• Effective at nanomolar concentrations, LysoTracker probes are highly selective for acidic organelles and provide simple one-step staining that does not rely on antibody detection
• Lysosomes are acidic in nature due to the production and storage of digestive enzymes (hydrolases)
• The acidic environment of lysosomes enables degradation of carbohydrates, lipids, nucleic acids, and peptides
• Extracellular proteins, virus or bacteria can also be internalized and trafficked to the lysosome for degradation via the lysosomal proteolysis pathway
• In addition, misfolded proteins or damaged organelles become targets for lysosomal degradation via the induction of autophagy
• Autophagy is important for cellular differentiation, survival during nutrient deprivation, and normal growth control
• The inherent acidic nature within lysosomes, and any change of pH during biosynthesis or pathogenesis, can be exploited by various probes that respond to an acidic environment
• LysoTracker products provide fluorescence detection for live-cell staining of acidic environments and can be used for labeling and tracing acidic organelles such as lysosomes.