CFSE (CAS 150347-59-4)

CFSE, or carboxyfluorescein succinimidyl ester, is a fluorescent cell staining dye widely utilized in the field of cellular biology, particularly in the study of cell proliferation and cell tracking. As a cell-permeant dye, CFSE can freely cross cell membranes; once inside, cellular esterases cleave the acetate groups, resulting in a fluorescent compound that is covalently bound to intracellular proteins and thus effectively trapped within the cell. This mechanism allows CFSE to be retained within cells for extended periods, making it an ideal marker for monitoring cell division. During each cell division, the fluorescence intensity of CFSE is halved among daughter cells, enabling researchers to track cell division history and proliferation rates quantitatively over multiple generations. This characteristic has proven especially valuable in studies involving lymphocyte proliferation, where precise measurements of cell division are critical. CFSE′s utility extends to flow cytometry applications, where its distinct fluorescence excitation and emission spectra allow for the easy detection and analysis of labeled cells among populations. In research contexts, CFSE has facilitated significant insights into the dynamics of cell populations in various experimental setups, including studies of immune responses and the behavior of specific cell types under different experimental conditions. Its non-toxic nature and stable fluorescence output further enhance its applicability in long-term cell tracking experiments.