Image-iT® FX Kit #13 (with Alexa Fluor® 555 Streptavidin, ProLong® Gold Antifade, and Image-iT® FX Signal Enhancer) - FAQs

I used Image-iT FX Signal Enhancer solution to get rid of nonspecific nuclear labeling with Alexa Fluor 568 secondary antibody, but I also saw a significant reduction in my specific mitochondrial antibody labeling. Why is this and what can I do?

The Image-iT FX Signal Enhancer reduces non-specific binding of dye conjugates by blocking positively-charged areas of cells or tissues that attract negatively-charged dyes. In cells after fixation, some positively-charged structures are the nuclei and mitochondria. Thus, you would expect to see a reduction in both mitochondrial and nuclear signal. The lower signal you see afterward is the specific mitochondrial signal; the fluorescence that was lost was the non-specific labeling.

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