Carboxyfluorescein diacetate succinimidyl ester (original) (raw)

Carboxyfluorescein diacetate succinimidyl ester (CFDA-SE) is an amine-reactive, cell-permeable dye generally used in animal cell proliferation research. CFDA-SE is a modified CFSE with two hydroxyl groups on its fluorescein moiety replaced with acetates. This change renders the molecule more hydrophobic and cell-permeable at the expense of its fluorescence property. After entering cells by diffusion, CFDA-SE is cleaved by intracellular esterase enzymes to form CFSE. As its reactive succinimidyl ester group is unmodified, CFDA-SE also covalently binds to lysine residues and other amine sources like CFSE.