Please follow CST’s recommended IF and Flow protocols. For both applications, following secondary detection: Flow Cytometry: Centrifuge cells and resuspend in 0.5 ml DRAQ5® diluted 1:5000 (1 µM) in Incubation Buffer. Incubate for 5 min at room temperature in the dark before analyzing cells on flow cytometer. Immunofluorescence: Rinse samples twice in PBS for five minutes each. Dilute DRAQ5® 1:1000 (5 µM) in PBS and incubate for 5 minutes at room temperature in the dark. Rinse samples once in PBS, coat coverslips with anti-fade reagent and examine immediately using appropriate excitation wavelength.
Background
DRAQ5®, 1,5-bis{[2-(di-methylamino) ethyl]amino}-4, 8-dihydroxyanthracene-9,10-dione, is a cell permeable far-red fluorescent DNA dye that can be used in live or fixed cells. This dye can be used in combination with GFP or FITC labels. DRAQ5® has been used to examine cellular DNA in flow cytometry and fluorescent microscopy applications (1-3).