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Background
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JC-1 is a mitochondrial dye that stains mitochondria in living cells in a membrane potential-dependent fashion. JC-1 monomer is in equilibrium with so-called J-aggregates, which are favored at higher dye concentration or at higher mitochondrial membrane potential. The monomer JC-1 has green fluorescence (em = 527 nm), while the J-aggregates have red fluorescence (em = 590 nm). Therefore, it has been possible to use fluorescence ratioing technique to study mitochondrial membrane potentials. JC-1 is particularly useful for apoptosis studies. In apoptotic cells, the dye stays in the cytoplasm and fluoresces green. It has also been applied in high throughput drug screening applications.
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