What Is Immunofluorescent Labeling?

Immunofluorescence is a technique for fluorescently labeling a specific biological target within a sample using an antibody. An antibody is a Y-shaped high–molecular weight glycoprotein, also called an immunoglobulin, that binds specifically (but noncovalently) to another molecule (often called the antigen or epitope).

What is immunofluorescent staining?

Immunofluorescence or fluorescent antibody staining is an antigen-detection test that is used primarily on frozen tissue sections, cell “smears,” or cultured cells; formalin-fixed tissue samples are generally not useful with this procedure.

What is immunofluorescence staining used for?

Immunofluorescence staining is the most frequently applied technique to detect and visualize various molecules in biological samples. Many protocols can be found in the literature and the websites of commercial antibody producers.