Concanavalin A (Con A) CF® Dye Conjugates

Features

Concanavalin A (Con A) is a widely used lectin that selectively binds to the glycoproteins, a-mannopyranosyl and a-glucopyranosy. These are commonly found in the cell wall of yeast and fungi, and the cell membrane of mammalian cells and tissues.

• Stain the cell wall of yeast and fungi, and the cell membrane of mammalian cells and tissues
• Detect glycoconjugates in microscopy and flow cytometry
• Stain glycoproteins in gels
• Withstands fixation and permeabilization
• Choice of 11 CF® Dyes from UV to near-infrared
• Superior CF® Dyes are bright, photostable, and water-soluble

Lectins are also versatile probes for detecting glycoconjugates in microscopy and flow cytometric applications and for gel staining of glycoproteins. In neutral and alkaline solutions, Con A exists as a tetramer with a molecular weight of approximately 104 kDa. In acidic solutions (pH below 5.0), Con A exists as a dimer. Con A can be used to selectively stain the cell surface of live cells, and withstand fixation and permeabilization. When cells are fixed and permeabilized before staining, fluorescent lectins stain both cell surface and organelles in the secretory pathway.

Find the Right Stain for Your Application
Con A and other lectins are carbohydrate binding proteins that recognize specific sugar moieties on glycoproteins. The presence and distribution of these targets vary between cell types and tissues. As a result, other cell surface stains or other lectin conjugates, Wheat Germ Agglutinin (WGA) Conjugates and PNA Lectin Conjugates, may produce better surface staining and may be more appropriate for your cell type. Lectin conjugates can be used to selectively stain the cell surface of live cells, and withstand fixation and permeabilization. When cells are fixed and permeabilized before staining, fluorescent lectins stain both cell surface and organelles in the secretory pathway. Lectins may be toxic or stimulatory to live cells depending on cell type. To find the right stain for your application, see Biotium’s Membrane & Cell Surface Stains Comparison, or download Biotium’s Membrane & Surface Stains Brochure. See Biotium’s Cellular Stains Table for more information on how their dyes stain various organisms.

Superior CF® Dyes
Biotium’s next-generation CF® Dyes were designed to be highly water-soluble with advantages in brightness and photostability compared to Alexa Fluor®, DyLight®, and other fluorescent dyes. Learn more about CF® Dyes.

Note: Conjugates of blue-fluorescent dyes like CF®350, CF®405S and CF®405M are not recommended for detecting low abundance targets and may be challenging to use in tissue specimens. Blue dyes have lower fluorescence and photostability, and cells and tissue have high autofluorescence in blue wavelengths, resulting in lower signal to noise compared to other colors.

Staining EVs? Boost Your Staining with ExoBrite™ EV Stain Enhancer

The ExoBrite™ EV Stain Enhancer is a unique additive that can be added to EV stain reactions to improve the staining specificity for applications like flow cytometry. The ExoBrite™ Stain Enhancer works by reducing the aggregation of certain EV stains such as Con A and other lectins, resulting in a better signal-to-noise ratio and fewer false positives. Our testing has shown using ExoBrite™ EV Stain Enhancer with Con A staining of isolated EVs lowers aggregation and increases the number of detected EVs.