Overview of Flow Cytometry and Fluorescent Probes for Cytometry

It was shown by Creech and Jones (1 ) in 1940 that proteins, including antibodies, could be labeled with a fluorescent dye (phenylisocyanate) without biological or immunological effects to the intended target. In theory, fluorescent reporters (tracers, probes, antibodies, stains, and so on) can be used to detect or measure any cell constituent, provided that the tag reacts specifically and stoichiometrically with the cellular constituent in question (2 ). Today, the repertoire of fluorescent probes is expanding almost daily (see also Chapter 14 ). One area that has benefited from the ever increasing number of fluorescent probes is flow cytometry.