dead cell marker - post fixation

From: ray hester (rhester@jaguar1.usouthal.edu)
Date: Fri Aug 31 2001 - 14:22:09 EST


Hi,

An investigator wants to identify transfected cells with an FITC-conjugated
antibody to an intracellular marker (so the cells will have to be fixed and
permeabilized) and at the same time he wishes to know the percentage of
these transfected cells that are viable/non-viable.

I assume that propidium iodide is out, since all of the cells will fluoresce
with this dye after fixation and permeablization, however

I also seem to remember that propidium iodide isn't covalently bound to DNA
and that it will diffuse out over time if the PI-stained cells aren't kept
in PI-buffer, but is it possible to do the transfection, add the PI (I'm not
sure what the time frame is here), fix and permeablize the cells, stain with
the anti intracellular marker antibody, and do a flow analysis before
substantial amounts of the PI have left the dead-as-a-result-of-transfection
cells (the anti intracellular marker antibody doesn't have to be FITC
conjugated, I don't believe, if that helps at all)?

If the answer to this is, no, are there any dead-cell markers/antigens to
which antibodies are available?

Thanks.

Ray Hester
Univ. of South Alabama
rhester@jaguar1.usouthal.edu



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