Virtual Cell Staining

Invitrogen has a new online tool that lets you explore cell imaging from your computer. You can choose different combinations of cellular structures and fluorophores to create your version of the perfectly labeled fluorescent cell. Use the tool to find various products to label your cell, create a cell image, then print and share your image. I created the cell below. You can try it out here.

Mounting media for quantum dot microscopy

Qmount Qdot mounting media from Invitrogen preserves the fluorescence signal of Qdot nanocrystals so that microscopy images can be obtained with no loss of signal intensity initially and over several months. The mounting media is compatible with all eight Qdot nanocrystals, their conjugates, and the nuclear counterstain, Qnuclear Deep Red stain, making it useful for multicolor imaging with the nanocrystals. The solution comes ready-to-use in a dropper bottle. The non-aqueous, permanent mountant cures within 12 hours and has a refractive index of 1.5 when fully cured. It is not recommended for use with standard organic dyes or fluorescent proteins.

More information here.

Chemiluminescent reporter-gene assays

Invitrogen has introduced the NovaBright assays for study of gene expression. They are available in three formats: the Secreted Placental Alkaline Phosphatase (SEAP) Kit, the β-galactosidase and the Firefly Luciferase Dual Enzyme Reporter Gene Chemiluminescent Detection Kit, and the β-galactosidase Enzyme Reporter Gene Chemiluminescent Detection Kit. The gene assays offer chemiluminescent measurement of reporter gene activity, which is more sensitive than colorimetric or fluorescent detection, according to the company. The kits are optimized to yield consistent results with high sensitivity over a dynamic range from femtogram to nanogram amounts of reporter.

More information here.

New fluorescent protein constructs for labeling organelles

Organelle Lights reagents from Molecular Probes (Invitrogen) now come in new colors for labeling lysosomes, mitochondria, endoplasmic reticulum (ER), and endosomes (Lyosomes-GFP, Mito-RFP, ER-RFP, and endosomes-RFP). The prepackaged fluorescent protein constructs are fused with signal peptides and come ready-to-use. The reagents consist of suspensions of baculovirus carrying an expression construct with a fluorescent protein fused to either a cellular protein or a localization peptide. To use them for imaging, add the virus suspension to your cells and incubate overnight. The reagents can be used with other stains in live or fixed cells and let you avoid potentially harmful cell treatments.

More information on this product line here. 

Invitrogen releases new tools for imaging biofilms and cells

Imaging biofilms
Biofilms can be difficult to image, but the FilmTracer fluorescent stains from Invitogren may help. These stains are optimized and validated specifically for imaging biofilms, and the product line includes various stains for imaging different components of a biofilm. They can be used with biofilm samples grown in the lab or collected from the environment (rocks, pipes, or catheters). Combine them with confocal laser scanning microscopy for the best 3-D images.

Alexa Fluor 488 conjugated primary antibodies
Want to study tight junctions and the cytoskeleton but tired of the cost and extra time involved in secondary antibody detection? Invitrogen has eliminated that extra step with Alexa Fluor 488 conjugates of antibodies against occludin, claudin-1, claudin-4, claudin-5, and α–tubulin. 

More info here.