Live Cell Imaging Tools by Cellular Target

Actin/Microfilaments

Autophagosomes, autolysosomes and omegasomes

Capture both stable and rapidly remodelling actin structures during cell migration, adhesion, cytokinesis, morphogenesis and axonal growth. abberior LIVE 460L actin, LIVE 510 actin,LIVE 550 actin, LIVE 590 actin, LIVE 610 actin and LIVE RED actin provide live-cell-compatible options spanning multiple spectral channels. For bioorthogonal labelling, abberior LIVE 510 click, LIVE 550 click, LIVE 590 click and LIVE 610 click can label actin containing a suitable clickable amino-acid handle.

For fixed-cell F-actin imaging, abberior STAR BLUE phalloidin, STAR 488, STAR GREEN, STAR 550, STAR 580, STAR 635, STAR 635P, STAR ORANGE and STAR RED phalloidin provide a broad spectral selection for confocal and STED microscopy. CAGE 500, CAGE 552, CAGE 590 and CAGE 635 phalloidin add photoactivatable options.

For routine F-actin staining in fixed cells, Cytoskeleton Inc.’s Acti-stain™ 488 phalloidin, Acti-stain™ 555 phalloidin & Acti-stain™ 670 phalloidin provide a straightforward and cost-effective alternative. These phalloidin-based fluorescent stains are particularly well suited to standard fixed-cell applications that do not require the advanced super-resolution performance of specialised STED probes.

For live-cell imaging, Spirochrome’s SiR-Actin, SiR700-Actin, SPY555-Actin and SPY620-Actin label endogenous F-actin, while SPY488-FastAct, SPY555-Actin, SPY650-FastAct and SPY700-FastAct are designed to reveal highly dynamic actin structures. SPY555-FastAct_X and SPY650-FastAct_X reduce unwanted F-actin stabilisation, and HAK-Actin supports actin visualisation in expansion microscopy. Montana Molecular’s Green BetaActinPaint and Red BetaActinPaint provide sustained fluorescent beta-actin expression using BacMam vectors.

Associated products: abberior LIVE 460L actin, LIVE 510 actin, LIVE 550 actin, LIVE 590 actin, LIVE 610 actin, LIVE RED actin, LIVE 510 click, LIVE 550 click, LIVE 590 click, LIVE 610 click, STAR BLUE phalloidin, STAR 488 phalloidin, STAR GREEN phalloidin, STAR 550 phalloidin, STAR 580 phalloidin, STAR 635 phalloidin, STAR 635P phalloidin, STAR ORANGE phalloidin, STAR RED phalloidin, CAGE 500 phalloidin, CAGE 552 phalloidin, CAGE 590 phalloidin, CAGE 635 phalloidin, SiR-Actin, SiR700-Actin, SPY488-FastAct, SPY555-Actin, SPY620-Actin, SPY555-FastAct, Acti-stain™ 488 phalloidin, Acti-stain™ 555 phalloidin, Acti-stain™ 670 phalloidin, SPY555-FastAct_X, SPY620-Actin, SPY650-FastAct, SPY650-FastAct_X, SPY700-FastAct, HAK-Actin, Green BetaActinPaint and Red BetaActinPaint.

Follow the formation and maturation of autophagic structures using complementary chemical and genetically encoded probes. Dojindo’s DALGreen preferentially reveals autolysosomes, while DAPGreen and DAPRed support monitoring of autophagosomal structures and autophagic progression.

Associated products: DALGreen, DAPGreen, DAPRed

Centrosome, centrioles and cilia

Cytoplasm / whole-cell labelling

Visualise centrioles, centrosomes, cilia and flagella in living cells with CenSpark650, a fluorogenic and cell-permeable probe designed to recognise the specialised microtubule doublets and triplets found in these structures. Its dual-ligand architecture provides greater selectivity for centrioles and cilia than conventional tubulin stains, enabling widefield, confocal, SIM and STED imaging without genetic manipulation.

Associated product: CenSpark650.

Label the cytoplasm or entire cell population for morphology, migration and long-term cell-tracking studies. Dojindo’s Calcein-AM generates cytoplasmic fluorescence following hydrolysis by intracellular esterases, while CFSE provides durable covalent cellular labelling and CytoRed offers a red cytoplasmic signal. LBL-Dye CellTag 580 and LBL-Dye CellTag 717 provide photostable whole-cell labelling in red and near-far-red channels for live-cell imaging, flow cytometry and high-content screening. CellTag 717 additionally supports STED microscopy.

Associated products: Calcein-AM, Calcein-AM solution, CFSE, CytoRed, LBL-Dye CellTag 580 and LBL-Dye CellTag 717.

Endoplasmic reticulum

Endosomes

Investigate endoplasmic-reticulum organisation and membrane mechanics in living cells with ER Flipper-TR, a mechanosensitive fluorescent probe that reports changes in ER membrane tension by FLIM. 

Associated products: ER Flipper-TR

Follow endosome formation, distribution and trafficking in living cells using direct chemical and genetically encoded labels. ECGreen-Endocytosis Detection produces a fluorescent signal following endocytic internalisation and accumulation in acidic endocytic compartments. 

Associated products: ECGreen-Endocytosis Detection

Golgi apparatus

Lipid droplets

Reveal Golgi morphology, positioning and remodelling during protein processing and intracellular trafficking. SPY555-Golgi and SPY650-Golgi provide rapid, cell-permeable labelling in complementary orange and far-red spectral channels for confocal, SIM and STED microscopy.

For sustained live-cell imaging, Montana Molecular’s Green GiantinPaint and Red GiantinPaint use Giantin targeting to direct green or red fluorescent proteins to the Golgi through BacMam-mediated expression.

Associated products: SPY555-Golgi, SPY650-Golgi, Green GiantinPaint and Red GiantinPaint.

Visualise lipid-droplet abundance, distribution and morphological changes using Dojindo’s Lipi series. Lipi-Blue, Lipi-Green, Lipi-Red and Lipi-Deep Red provide complementary spectral options for studying lipid storage and metabolic changes in multicolour cellular imaging.

Associated products: Lipi-Blue, Lipi-Green, Lipi-Red and Lipi-Deep Red.

Lysosomes

Microtubules / Tubulin

Track lysosomal abundance, distribution, membrane mechanics, acidification, iron content and oxidative damage using complementary structural and functional probes. SiR-Lysosome and SiR700-Lysosome provide fluorogenic, cell-permeable labelling for widefield, confocal, SIM and STED microscopy. Lyso Flipper-TR reports variations in lysosomal membrane tension through fluorescence-lifetime changes.

Dojindo’s LysoPrime Green and LysoPrime Deep Red provide long-retention lysosomal staining with signals resistant to changes in lysosomal pH. pHLys Red monitors lysosomal acidification, Lyso-FerroRed detects lysosomal Fe²⁺. For long-term genetically encoded imaging, Montana Molecular’s Green Lamp2Paint and Red Lamp2Paint use Lamp2 targeting to label lysosomes in green or red.

Associated products: SiR-Lysosome, SiR700-Lysosome, Lyso Flipper-TR, LysoPrime Green, LysoPrime Deep Red, pHLys Red, Lyso-FerroRed, Green Lamp2Paint and Red Lamp2Paint.

Follow microtubule organisation, mitotic spindle formation and intracellular transport using direct fluorescent probes and genetically encoded tubulin labels. abberior LIVE 510 tubulin, LIVE 550 tubulin, LIVE 560 tubulin, LIVE 590 tubulin, LIVE 610 tubulin and LIVE RED tubulin provide complementary spectral options for live-cell confocal, multicolour and STED imaging.

Spirochrome’s SiR-Tubulin and SiR700-Tubulin are fluorogenic, cell-permeable probes based on microtubule-binding ligands. SPY555-Tubulin, SPY650-Tubulin and SPY700-Tubulin extend the available colour range for multiplexed imaging with low background. For sustained expression, Montana Molecular’s Green AlphaTubulinPaint express fluorescent proteins fused to alpha-tubulin through BacMam delivery.

Associated products: abberior LIVE 510 tubulin, LIVE 550 tubulin, LIVE 560 tubulin, LIVE 590 tubulin, LIVE 610 tubulin, LIVE RED tubulin, SiR-Tubulin, SiR700-Tubulin, SPY555-Tubulin, SPY650-Tubulin, SPY700-Tubulin, Green AlphaTubulinPaint.

Mitochondria

Nucleolus

Visualise mitochondrial morphology, distribution, membrane organisation and functional changes using complementary probes for live-cell, long-term, super-resolution and deep-tissue imaging. abberior LIVE 510 mito,  abberior LIVE ORANGE mito and abberior LIVE RED mito provide bright, photostable labelling across complementary spectral channels for confocal and STED microscopy. Spirochrome’s PKmito RED, PKmito ORANGE and PKmito DEEP RED support gentle, long-term mitochondrial imaging, while PKmito ORANGE FX is designed for fixed cells and tissues. Mito Flipper-TR reports changes in mitochondrial membrane tension by FLIM.

For near-far-red imaging, LBL-Dye Mito 715 enables mitochondrial tracking in living cells using widefield, confocal, FLIM and STED microscopy. Dojindo’s MitoBright LT Green, MitoBright LT Red and MitoBright LT Deep Red provide long-term mitochondrial staining, while MitoBright IM Red supports post-staining fixation and immunofluorescence. Functional investigations can be extended with Mito-FerroGreen for mitochondrial Fe²⁺, MitoPeDPP for lipid peroxidation, MitoBright ROS Deep Red for mitochondrial superoxide, Mtphagy Dye for mitophagy and Rhod 2-AM for calcium signals that may preferentially accumulate in mitochondria.

For sustained genetically encoded labelling, Montana Molecular’s Green MitoPaint and Red MitoPaint use Cox8 targeting sequences to direct green or red fluorescent proteins to mitochondria without genomic integration.

Associated products: abberior LIVE 510 mito, abberior LIVE ORANGE mito, abberior LIVE RED mito, PKmito RED, PKmito ORANGE, PKmito ORANGE FX, PKmito DEEP RED, Mito Flipper-TR, LBL-Dye Mito 715, MitoBright LT Green, MitoBright LT Red, MitoBright LT Deep Red, MitoBright IM Red, Cellstain MitoRed, Mito-FerroGreen, MitoPeDPP, MitoBright ROS Deep Red, Mtphagy Dye, Rhod 2-AM, Green MitoPaint and Red MitoPaint.

Visualise nucleolar organisation and dynamics in living cells with Nucleolus Bright Green and Nucleolus Bright Red. Their complementary green and red fluorescence allows nucleoli to be combined with nuclear, cytoskeletal or organelle markers in multicolour imaging experiments.

Associated products: Nucleolus Bright Green and Nucleolus Bright Red.

Nucleus/DNA

Peroxisomes

Monitor nuclear morphology, chromatin distribution and mitotic events using a broad range of live-cell-compatible DNA stains. abberior LIVE 460L DNA, LIVE 550 DNA, LIVE 590 DNA, LIVE 610 DNA and LIVE RED DNA provide complementary spectral options for multicolour confocal and STED microscopy.

Spirochrome’s SiR-DNA and SiR700-DNA offer far-red fluorogenic DNA labelling, while SPY505-DNA, SPY555-DNA, SPY595-DNA, SPY620-DNA, SPY650-DNA and SPY700-DNA span multiple channels for multiplexed nuclear imaging. Dojindo’s DAPI, Hoechst 33258 and Hoechst 33342 provide conventional DNA labelling, with Hoechst 33342 being particularly suitable for live-cell nuclear staining. Propidium iodide can be used for cells with compromised membranes or permeabilised specimens.

For longer-term fluorescent expression, Montana Molecular’s Green H2BPaint labels chromatin through an mNeonGreen–H2B fusion, while Red NLSPaint targets the red Montana Paintbrush fluorescent protein to the nucleus.

Associated products: abberior LIVE 460L DNA, LIVE 550 DNA, LIVE 590 DNA, LIVE 610 DNA, LIVE RED DNA, SiR-DNA, SiR700-DNA, SPY505-DNA, SPY555-DNA, SPY595-DNA, SPY620-DNA, SPY650-DNA, SPY700-DNA, DAPI, Hoechst 33258, Hoechst 33342, propidium iodide, Green H2BPaint and Red NLSPaint.

Visualise peroxisome abundance, distribution and dynamics in living cells with Peroxi_SPY555 and Peroxi_SPY650. These cell-permeable small-molecule probes rapidly label peroxisomes without transfection or genetic manipulation. Their orange and far-red signals support multicolour confocal, SIM and STED imaging alongside markers for other organelles.

Associated products: Peroxi_SPY555 and Peroxi_SPY650.

Plasma membrane

Nucleolus

Visualise the plasma membrane and monitor its organisation, tension and electrical state using probes suitable for live-cell, multicolour and super-resolution microscopy. abberior STAR 488 membrane, abberior STAR ORANGE membrane and abberior STAR RED membrane provide bright membrane labelling in complementary spectral ranges, with linkers designed to minimise disturbances to membrane mobility. Spirochrome’s PKmem 555, PKmem 590 and PKmem 650 offer photostable membrane staining across orange, red and far-red channels.

For mechanobiology, Flipper-TR reports changes in plasma-membrane tension through variations in fluorescence lifetime. PlasMem Bright Green and PlasMem Bright Red support stable, long-term membrane visualisation, while DiBAC4(3) provides a functional readout of plasma-membrane depolarisation rather than a purely morphological stain.

Associated products: abberior STAR 488 membrane, abberior STAR ORANGE membrane, abberior STAR RED membrane, PKmem 555, PKmem 590, PKmem 650, Flipper-TR, PlasMem Bright Green, PlasMem Bright Red and DiBAC4(3).

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