cfse staining

Amine-reactive dye CFSE (carboxyfluorescein diacetate, succinimidyl ester, also known as CFDA-SE) is widely used in cell proliferation and in vivo cell tracking. CFSE is non-fluorescent until it enters viable cells, where it is hydrolyzed by cytoplasmic esterase enzymes to release fluorescent amine-reactive dyes. These dyes then covalently react with the amine groups on intracellular proteins to form fluorescent conjugates that are retained in the cells. Moreover, due to this stable linkage, once the dyes are incorporated into the cells, they do not transfer to adjacent cells.