Fluorescence staining endoplasmic reticulum

Fluorescent stains such as DAPI and ethidium bromide bind to DNA (sometimes even mitochondrial DNA) and have many uses, including location of nuclei and rapid detection of microorganisms or virus formation (22). The lipophilic stain DiOC(6) can be used to stain mitochondria and endoplasmic reticulum in living cells (23,24), and is also a potential-sensitive stain. 

Fluorescence microscopy reveals that membrane-limited organelles such as the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), Golgi, endosomes, and mitochondria are associated with microtubules. For instance, in cultured fibroblasts stained with anti-tubulin antibodies and DlOCe, a fluorescent dye specific for the ER, the anastomosing ER network in the cytosol is seen to colocalize with microtubules (Figure 20-16). If cells are treated with a microtubule-depolymerlzlng drug, the ER... 

A EXPERIMENTAL FIGURE 20-16 Fluorescence microscopy reveals colocalization of endoplasmic reticulum membranes and cytosolic microtubules. DiOCe, an ER-binding fluorescent dye (green), and fluorescently-labeled anti-tubulin antibodies (red) were used to stain a cultured frog fibroblast. The alignment of the ER network and microtubules in many but not all regions of the cytoplasm is evident because the cell has sparse microtubules. [Courtesy of M. Terasaki.]... 

A live bovine endothelial cell stained to reveal different intracellular compartments. The lacelike membranes of the endoplasmic reticulum were stained with a green fluorescent dye, and the wormlike mitochondria were stained with an orange fluorescent dye. [Molecular Probes, Inc.]... 

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