DAPI I Counterstain is used as a counterstain for chromosomes. The counterstain consists of DAPI (1500 ng/ml) and antifade, which helps preserving the fluorescence signal. DAPI binds strongly to DNA, particularly to AT rich regions. It is ideal for use with FISH and other fluorescence assays.
Reference:
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Is DAPI a good live-cell nuclear label?
My DAPI labeled samples have a strong blue background signal immediately after mounting. What can I do to fix this?
Key Features:
Protocol (PDF):
C002-1
MSDS (PDF):
MSDS-C002-1
J Biomol Screen (2004) 9:216-222
J Histochem Cytochem (2002) 50:877-884
J Biol Chem (2009) 284:13843-13855
DAPI is considered a semi-permeant/impermeant nucleic acid stain. Staining of nucleic is dependent upon the cell line in its performance. Some cell lines will label with DAPI, others not at all, and others label non-uniformly. Instead, we recommend using either Hoechst 33342 or Hoechst 33258, which have the same wavelength and binding mode as DAPI (at the A-T minor groove) but are readily cell-permeant.
Some mounting medias can have strong blue autofluorescence. If you are seeing a high blue background, it could be coming from the mountant. Try labeling the sample and view it before (using a wet mount in buffer) and after mounting to determine if the background signal is coming from the mounting media or the sample itself.