In immunofluorescence (IF), immunocytochemistry (ICC) and immunohistochemistry (IHC) protocols and 3D cell culture , stain and trace intracellular F-actin in live or fixed cells with CellMask Green actin tracking stain. CellMask Green Actin Tracking Stain is designed to readily penetrate living cells, allowing fluorescent labeling of polymerized/filamentous actin (F-actin) in living or fixed cells, resulting in bright, uniform labeling . CellMask Green Actin Tracking Stain can be used to track F-actin in living cells for 24 hours or longer. Live cells stained with CellMask Green actin tracking stain can be fixed; this stain can also be used on fixed cells. Cell Mask Green actin tracking stain can be combined with antibodies in IF, ICC and IHC protocols for multi-pass detection and can also be used for 3D imaging in 3D cell culture.

Features of Cell Mask Green actin tracking stain include:
• Stain F-actin in live or fixed cells for fluorescent 2D monolayer or 3D imaging experiments
• Can be combined with antibodies in IF/ICC/IHC experiments for multi-channel detection
• Fluorescence maximum (excitation/emission): 503/512 nm; can be detected with FITC/GFP filters

CellMask Actin Tracking Stain is available in three colors: green (Cat. No. A57243, A57246), which can be detected with FITC/GFP filters (Ex 503 nm/Em 512 nm); orange (Cat. No. A57244, A57247), which can be detected TRITC/RFP filter (Ex 545 nm/Em 570 nm) is used for detection; red (Cat. No. A57245, A57248) can be detected using CY5/Deep Red filter (Ex 652 nm/Em 669 nm).

CellMask Actin Tracking Stain detects F-actin and has a very similar target structure to Jasplakinolide. They do not label globular actin (G-actin) or monomeric actin (M-actin). CellMask Actin Tracking Stain readily crosses live cell membranes and remains within live cells after loading. As shown below, CellMask Actin Tracking Stain has no detectable effect on the activity of different cell lines after 24 hours in culture.

CellMask Actin Tracking Stain detects F-actin in living cells or tissues, which can then be fixed. In addition, CellMask Actin Tracking Stain can be used to detect F-actin in paraformaldehyde-fixed cells or tissues (freshly fixed or frozen only) and can be combined with antibody detection for multi-pathway analysis. CellMask Actin Tracking Stain can also be used in 3D cell cultures for 3D imaging.