August 16, 2024

Biotium Launches Robust Novel Membrane Dyes for Formaldehyde-Fixed Cells

By: Kyrie Sismaet

New CytoLiner™ Fixed Cell Membrane Stains allow for reliable and consistent staining of formaldehyde-fixed cells.

Fremont, CA, August 16, 2024: Biotium, a leading supplier and inventor of fluorescent probes for life science research, proudly announces the release of CytoLiner™ Fixed Cell Membrane Stains for formaldehyde-fixed cells. Developed specifically to address the limitations of traditional lipophilic dyes that suffer from inconsistent results, CytoLiner™ Stains offer robust signal and unparalleled reliability for plasma membrane staining of fixed cells for imaging applications.

Fluorescent staining of plasma membrane in fixed cells can aid researchers in visualizing cell boundaries and subcellular localization of other probes of interest. While traditional lipophilic membrane stains, like DiO and DiI, often produce highly variable staining in formaldehyde-fixed cells due to their poor water solubility, CytoLiner™ Dyes reliably stain the plasma membrane in formaldehyde-fixed cells. CytoLiner™ Dyes are compatible with downstream staining with antibodies or other probes after mild permeabilization. The dyes are also compatible with poly-L-lysine coated cultureware and Transwell^®membranes, and are available with a wide range of five colors from blue to near-IR for flexible panel design.

“For years, our customers have asked for membrane dyes that work well for staining fixed cells, and we know firsthand how challenging it is to have success with this technique,” says Lori Roberts, Director of Bioscience at Biotium. “So we’re excited to finally be able to offer these novel dyes with a precisely engineered balance of solubility and lipophilicity that allows bright, uniform, and reproducible membrane staining.”

PFA-fixed MCF-7 cells were permeabilized with PBS/0.1% Triton^® X-100 for 10 minutes at room temperature, then stained with 1X CytoLiner™ Fixed Cell Membrane Dye diluted in 1X CytoLiner™ Fixed Cell Staining Buffer for 10 minutes at room temperature, followed by two rinses in PBS. Cells were imaged in PBS by confocal microscopy. Scale bar: 20 um.

Features of CytoLiner™ Fixed Cell Membrane Stains:

Robust Membrane Stains for Formaldehyde-Fixed Cells: Engineered for consistent performance in formaldehyde-fixed cell staining.
Compatibility with Immunofluorescence Protocols: CytoLiner™ Dyes are compatible with mild permeabilization for intracellular immunofluorescence co-staining protocols.
Broad Application Range: Compatible with poly-L-lysine coated cultureware and, Transwell^® permeable filter supports.
Wide Color Availability: Available in five colors ranging from blue to near-IR, providing researchers with the flexibility to choose the optimal dye for their research.

This product adds to Biotium’s repertoire of helpful and cutting-edge technologies, underscoring our commitment to producing solutions for unmet challenges in life science research. The CytoLiner™ Fixed Cell Membrane Stains are now available for purchase directly from Biotium’s website and authorized distributors. In addition to CytoLiner™ Fixed Cell Membrane Stains, Biotum offers a wide selection of traditional and novel membrane and cell surface stains designed for convenient labeling of live cells, fixed cells, or for fixation and subsequent immunostaining.