Fluorophore Families

Simple organic fluorophores encompass a variety of synthetically-derived dyes. Because of their small size, multiple simple organic fluorophores can be conjugated to a single antibody. Due to their conjugation chemistry, these dyes are flexible and can be easily used to generate custom antibodies. Unlike protein-based fluors, simple organic dyes are not sensitive to organic solvents, like those used in phospho-flow, making them advantageous for these applications. Organic dyes are also soluble, meaning they are less susceptible to aggregation and precipitation. Simple organic dyes are often used in microscopy due to their discrete excitation and emission profiles and are chosen for their limited spillover into other imaging channels. Simple organic dyes are great to stain intracellular or intranuclear targets.